The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-06-22
Alleged to Have Bought Big
Car In the Mill City
CUT UP SOME CAPERS
Attempted to Borrow Money in
Mankato; He Landed Behind
Jail Bars
From Thursdays Daily.

From Thursdays Daily.
Wanted in many places to answer
to charges of forgery, according to
what Captain Wells of the st. Pau
police detective force said over the
telephone to the Mankato police de-
partment, a stranger was locked up al
the Mankato police station yesterday
That the Mankato police depart
ment this time made an exceptionally
fine catch appears to be the case from
all that can be learned about the in
dividual who happened to be taken i'll
custody here.
One of the charges against this man
is that of passing worthless $500
check at the Gray automobile store in
Minneapolis.
There last Saturday afternoon he
purchased seven passenger Stude
baker automobile. On Sunday morn
ing he employed a chauffeur, Albert
Reimers, a young man of st. Paul, to
drive his auto to Mankato. The pur-
chaser went by the name of ]. ]. John
son and that is the name he used at
Mankato.
1t appears from the report that the
young man gave, that Johnson cut up
some very sporty capers on the way
from st. Paul to Mankato, and in
dulged in no small amount of drink.
He is reported to have had $50 when
he left ST. Paul and So on his arrival
at Mankato Tuesday evening. He is
said to have been liberal in handing
out his cash to pretty girls. However
that may be, it seems that he was a
long time getting from st. Paul to
Mankato, though this may in part be
accounted for by the fact that the auto
had break down on the way and had
to be repaired.
Left Car at Garage.
On arriving in Mankato, Johnson
left his automobile at the Bradley
garage, and he and the chauffeur went
to the Commercial house to spend the
night. The next morning, it is reported
that the two had rather a meager
breakfast owing to the necessity of
economizing funds. Johnson realized
the necessity of raising money at once.
He went to G. r. Bradley in the
garage office and asked to borrow $50,
leaving the automobile as security. He
had the bill of sale to show his bona
fide ownership of the auto, and Mr..
Bradley proceeded to write out the
check. Johnson said he had been
drinking and that his roll of money
was taken from his pocket.
Mrs. Bradley happened to be in the
office and it was well that she was
there She did not like the strangers
looks or manner. She urged her hus-
band not to be too hasty in lending
that money. Johnson protested that he
was rich, that he owned good farm
near Spring Valley, Wis, including
100 acres, and that he had other in
vestments. Mrs. Bradley continued to
doubt.
At length all of them decided to go
to the Office of City Attorney Phillips
and lay the matter before him. If it
seemed all right, Johnson was to
give them a chattel mortgage on the
auto.
Phillips Was Suspicious.
So off they went to Mr.. Phillips
office. Mr.. Phillips, like Mrs. Bradley,
was suspicious. Johnson showed some
checks in various sums, ranging from
$500 to 5000, to show that he was ac-
cuStomed to handle large sums of
money. He made himself out to be a
cattle buyer. The checks were duly
cancelled and recorded as paid by the
bank and returned to him. But it was
peculiar that they were very old, &C
cording to the date, though crisp and
unworn. Some was dated back in 1915
Mr.. Phillips offered to communicate
with the bank on which the checks
were drawn and see what was John
&c hr,ci efn T0hr -
not take kindly to this idea. He said
he could get the money he wanted at a
bank and left the office and went down
stairs.
He went to the National Citizens
bank where he had talk with Mr.. E
A. Boie and tried to borrow money
telling him as he had told others abou
his farm property, only he was mo-
consistent every time about the num-
Der of acres he made the farm con-
tain. He failed to get the money here
He afterwards went back to tn,
Bradley garage and there he said hi
had managed to borrow the money
from the bank. He asked for his ca
and was told that there was a stor.
age charge of so cents on it. He hat
to skirmish around and find the chauf
feur and get so cents from him to pa,
the storage, thus at once arousin,
suspicion that he did not tell the trutl
when he said he had gotten the none,
at the bank.
However, he went with the car t
the Schwender garage, where he ex
hibited his bill of sale, and William
Schwender let him have $50 on tn
car. With this sudden acquisition O
wealth, Johnson generously turne
over SIS to the chauffeur. This was
little more than the latter's bill
amounted to.
Used Long Distance Phone.
Mr. Phillips used the long distanc
telephone to investigate the circum
stances of the purchase of the automo
bile. He called up the Gray garage an
received information verifying tn
story of Johnson about the circum
stances of the purchase of the cal
even to the detail of the Studebake
auto bearing the number tag that ha
been used on Ford car. 1t SCENE
quite possible that the man had don
nothing wrong, yet Mr.. Phillip
brought the matter to the attention G
the police They, after looking at tn
facts and queer remarks that John
son had made, we're not satisfied t