The Sauk Centre herald., 1916-10-05
.CASHES CHECKS
FOR AN UNKNOWN:
FLEECED OF $50
BEN CLASEMAN PAYS PRICE
FOR TRUSTING FAIR VISI-
TOR FROM GLENWOOD
Offender In COUNTY JAIL
CHECK BOOK AND CREDENTIALS
CONVINCING BUT FUNDS
ARE RATHER SHY

William Ryan was among the ,
GlenwoOdites who came to Sauk Cen
tire to help swell the Stearns county
fair crowds and, incidentally, enjoy
himself. William had labored hard
in Glenwood, toiled diligently on
farms in Pope county and reasoned
that he was entitled to a little vaca-
ton. Among his past employers had
been Frank Reed, clerk of the Pope
county court, and he carried creden-
tials to prove the fact.
Accordingly, when William became
short of funds on Friday of fair week
he flashed a check book and creden-
tials on Ben Claseman, wrote check
for $40 and got the money. Saturday
William was in need of $40 more and
successfully approached Claseman for .
another "touch" via the check route.
In the course of business Claseman
turned the two checks into his bank .
ing house. William returned to Glen
wood. The middle of last week Clase-
man was rather perturbed when the
| two SO checks were returned by his
bank with the annexation from the
Pope County Bank of Glenwood-
funds"
Claseman naturally wanted his 500
back and appealed to the local police
authorities. They spmpathetically ad-
vised him to pay a visit to William at
Glenwood and try to collect on the
} two scraps of parer. 1t was gently
broken to Claseman that all author
tiles could do in the premises would
, be to take William into custody and
prosecute him on the charge of OBJ
tanning money under false pretenses
and that Claseman must of necessity
be the prosecuting witness.
Hoping to get his twenty, Claseman
hied himself to Glenwood last Satur-
day morning. He had no difficulty
in locating William and William
cheerfully admitted that he had writ
: ten the two checks with the knowl-
edge that he had no funds in the
GlenwoOd bank. But he was willing
to square the account and only asked
fifteen minutes in which to procure
7 the money. William departed on his
, money-grubbing errand and Claseman4
waited.
Fifteen minutes passed and then
! fifteen minutes more, about which
time Claseman became imbued with
what is called in the vernacular a
"sneaking suspicion" He waited two
more quarter hours and then called
up Chief Fish in Sauk Centre by tel
ephone. By that time Claseman was
trifle hot under the collar and,
when Fish advised him to have Will
liam placed under arrest, Claseman
went to bat with vengeance. He hunt
ed up the Pope county sheriff and in
short time William was rounded up
and placed in the Pope county bas-
tile.
II On information from CIaseman, a
warrant was sworn out by Judge
Diehl and Sunday morning William
came back to Sauk Centre as the auto
guest of Chief Fish, Monday morn
\ ing he appeared before Judge DiehI,
waived examination on the charge
against him and was held to the
grand jury. He was taken to St.
Cloud by Chief Fish that afternoon.
Incidentally, as Fish and William
were leaving the court room Monday
morning for the city Jail and were
passing the Caughren theatre, Will :
liam stopped suddenly and picked up
$40 bill. He explained to Fish that
he had dropped the bank note. Fish
continued on to the Jail with William.
AS Fish again came up the street
he was attracted by the crying of
young Henry Swinton, Western I'm
ion messenger boy. The lad had lost
$40 bill given to him at the Great
Northern depot to secure small
change. He had just passed the the
atre and bank. Fish took the boy to
the Jail and made William disgorge
the ten-spot, which was Immediately
identified by young Swinton by. its
peculiar fold.