The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-19
So He Practiced Deception
on Various Members
of Elks
| UNTIL BARRE MEN
GOT SUSPICIOUS
Capt" Larkin Given Sen
tence in the House
of Correction

! tnPt' MAIN W. i$dTkil, cIdlulHS
residences in Chihuahua, Mexico, Lock
port, n. Y, and Brockport, n. ", under
the above cognomen, and Little Rock,
Ark, as Ralph P. Mead, closed HRS bust
ness as tester of the benevolence of
Elks in Vermont to-day when Magistrate
! II. W. Scott sentenced him to serve III
| days in the house OF correction as an al
| tentative for $40 fine and costs aggre-
eating 1925. On complaint made to
Grand Juror William Wishart, the cap
tain was arrested in Rutland Saturday
night by Officer s. G. Wilson, who held
him at the Rutland police headquarters
until the arrival of Chief Sinclair. While
+ Larkin is serving his sentence for OBJ
tanning money under false pretences, the
authorities in conjunction with the Elks
will investigate his standing as a mem
Der of the fraternity.
Noluminous correspondence and a
packet of papers which he carried in his
pockets have convinced the local author
tiles that Larkin's campaign of misrepre-
sentation has carried him through every
section of the United States, but his
operations in Vermont seem to have been
confined to Barre. Montpelier, Burlington
and Rutland. His arrest and imprison-
ment, instead of rejecting on the order
in which he masked as member, serves
only TO emphasize the well known benev-
olenee OF the Elks, for there is scarcely
a person in Barre or Montpelier who did
not respond when the captain told his
moving story of hard luck.
1t appears that Larkin first paid his
respects to Elks in this section Friday,
when he braced. among others, Dewey 7.
Hanley. Col H. +. Parker and his SON.
and f.. $. Meigs Of Montpelier. There
were liberal responses to Larkin's appeal
for assistance and he was received as a
brother lodgeman in the Elks club at the
capital When he decided to increase his
travel lore by coming TO Barre, new
found friends generously supplied him
with the names of A. j. Guthrie and +.
w. Bancroft Sometime Friday morning
Mr.. Bancroft found him awaiting him in
his office. While waiting for Mr.. Ban
croft, the captain had persuaded the for
mer's stenographer to add the letters,
"P. r.. r. to an Elks membership card
which he carried in a leather case. In
with Mr.. Bancroft, Larkin
said his home lodge was in Lockport,
n. Y, and that he had been train
master in Chihuahua, Mexico, before the
revolutionaries tore up the tracks in
1915.
1t was Mr.. Bancroft who directed him !
to C. F. Millar and when the captain
called at the Office of the Consolidated !
Co. the two men talked of con- |
ditions in Mexico, where Mr.. Millar was 1
a visitor a few years ago. Meanwhile |
Mr.. Bancroft had been advised by his /
secretary that Larkin had requested her I
TO indite on the membership card what I
developed were the initials of past exalt- I
I'd ruler, a title conferred by the Elks. I
Mr.. Bancroft's suspicious were aroused !
and he Immediately got in touch with /
]. Guthrie, who had squandered S5 on
when approached by the cap
tain. Suspicion increased and Mr.. Guth-
-ie dispatche the following telegram TO
he Lockport Elks: Man named Mark
w. Larkin, claiming membership in your
odge, here appealing for aims. Wire il
is represented"
Early Friday evening Messrs. Guthrie
Ind Bancroft heard from Lockport. No I
iuch name appeared on the rolls of the
odge and Capt. Mark w. Larkin was un-
Known. Thereupon, the Barre police
we're advised of the developments. but
he captain was not to be found. Chief
sinclair communicated with Chief of Po-
ice Russell in Burlington and officers in
hat city were instructed to watch for
he alleged past exalted ruler. 1t trans
,ires that Larkin was warmly received
n the Burlington Elks club, but that he
eft hurriedly for Rutland. There the
,olice were looking for him and it was in
he Elks club that he was apprehended /.
saturday night.
During his detention at the Rutland
,olice station. Larkin exhibited roll OF
40 in bills, the proceeds. he said, of
,oker competition i'm Burlington and the
argesse of influential Elks in Barre and ,
Iontpelier. He wore a handsome Elks
in and an elk's tooth adorned his watch Z
hahn. Examination of his personal ef-
ects disclosed many letters from his
rother in Waterbury, Conn, and a sis
er in Michigan; playing cards, numer-
us sheets of Elks stationery from lodges z
throughout the East, tooth brush and '
letter from Mark w. Larkin, Chihua-
ua, Mexico. Also, he carried member D
hip card made out to Ralph Mead, Little E
ock, Ark.
Larkin wore a msgisterial air as he
.alked into the courtroom, and there
as TO be discerned something of a
vinkle in his eye as he glanced care
ssly around. Presently his stern coun-
nance relaxed into a half-grin as his
ge fell on some of the Elks who had r
,reyathered to be in at the finish. The $
lptain told the court that he was near 7
Y his saith birthday; and that he was q
native of Brockport. y. v. although he "
He'd Buffalo his home city. G.
When asked if he had anything to say n
extenuation of his plea, Larkin said Is
, was a victim Of circumstances and n
-acticed deception because his aged ap- h
sarance had precluded the possibility OF ca
.tting work. He denied that Barre and ;
ontpelier Elks had done anything in p
Ie way Of finding employment for him
ID said that the Barre postmaster was
.r only man uha consented TO do any II