The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1917-05-18
WAS 1T A WALLlNoFoRD sTUNT7

Saturday, two we'll sroomed strangers
one a counter part to J. Rufus Waiilnx'
ford as to build and general appearance
land the other might pass as BNackie Daw
Iby a stretch of the imagination. approach.
| ed Geo. Bartell and commenced negotia.
tions for Studebaker car In paymlen' men
| ed by we'll known farmers living neal
Molson. Mr. Bartell sells cars, and ne
| knew the notes to be gilt edged, but be-
had not been obtained wholly on the
square, and put off the would-be pur-
chasers. He drove to Nelson in his car
and interviewed the note makers. When
he raised a hornets nest that resulted In
the arrest of the strangers.
The story told by the farmers was that
the two men, John r. Mclean and A.
country representing that they were SELL
| ing stock In 1.-THE Knox Company for-
merly a jewelry company that was gong
Into the mail order business. The men
were the smoothest takers that have yet
tried to separate the prosperous Molson
farmer from his money. and as result
of their. campaigning number OF resi- =,
the company giving their note, payable IN
a year, in payment. Among those VINO Iell
to the siren song were Gala Sweigle for
$3.50; Jas. II. Hansell for $780, j. II. shaw
for $l,5O0; John Sweigle for $500; Ed.
Camuel for 500. and others whose names
we're not obtained 1t Is alleged by the
standing that the notes would not be ne
gotiated. and that If Al any tine within
the year the purchasers OF the stock
felt dissatisfied the notes would be re-
turned.
The report made by Mr.. Bartell caused
some Of the makers OF the notes TO hasten
at once to Orovllle whece Williams \
Upon investigation 1t was learned that
MacLean and Knox had attempted to dis
pose Of the notes at the local bank with
out success as we'll as attempting to trade
n
Hansen demanded the return of his notes,
and other demands were made, but the
men stated that the notes had been sent
to Seattle which proved to be false. and
would he returned as .,oo as t'e% reached
that city The attorneys drew up COM
plant alleging that the nlta5 were obtain.
notified and the two strangers We're ar
rested. 1t seems that the men had not
gone beyond the law IN obtaining the
notes, so some other charge had to be
devised in order to hold them. BY inquiry
it was ascertained that Knox had sold a
watch to farmer, and he was arrested
for p.eddilng .esi :.,si WITHOUT @ license Monday
and Knox as they were getting on the
train at this station, and conveyed them
to Okanogan. They demanded and were
$50 and costs. amounting to 1923. AS there
was no charge against MacLean he was
discharged However. the officers OBJ.
tained all the notes. which were returned
to those who made them out
Every indication points to these opera
tors as being the smoothest get rich-quick
artists that have ever worked this virgin
field. The man Knox had written a letter,
supposedly to his wife which. when he
was arrested by Marshal Wilson ne tore
into bits and threw away. The officer Sc
cured the fragments and pasted them to-
gether. The letter is addressed to Dear
Fannie" and is signed "Jask." In the
letter the writer says: mo. Fannie, owe
ting into the money. Before week is
Of the letter he says: Il am going to sell
s., 900 worth Of gild edge notes to the To-
you see l am getting the money" Then
there is a vile reference to Nelson that a
decent man would not address to a decent
woman. Had it not been for Mr.. Bartell
refusing to accept the notes, and then
giving the alarm, and the activity of
Messrs. Grant and Williams in pushing
the case after 1t had reached their hands
those Nelson farmers would have been
out money to the amount Of SO, $50, so far
as can be learned, with some neatly
printed stock certificates of questionable
value In lieu thereof.