The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-06-06
She Beat the
Detectives
By RICHARD MARKEY

Alec Winfield had been married and
was on his wedding tour with his
bride. The couple were ut dinner at
hotel In Albany when u policeman
entered the dining-room and arrested
Winfield. Mrs. Winfield was much
agitatcd, but her husband assured her
that IL mistake had been made and he
would easily prove his innocence OF
any charge that might be brought
against him.
Winfield was taken before judge.
who asked him many questions. one of
which turned out to be of Importance
to the prisoner. 1t was, What was
his business? Winfield said that he
was patent lawyer, and had his Of
flee In u certain building In Buffalo.
Whereupon the Judge made out pa
pers enabling the police to send him
to New York, where the accusation
against him had been made.
Winfield had been charged with hav-
ing obtained money under false pre-
tenses-that he would give checks just
before holiday, on bank in q diff
ferent city, forging the name Of some
depositor Of the bank.
Winheld's arrest had occurred In
this wise: The scoundrel had been in
Albany on the third Of July and had
perpetrated his usual swindles there,
pretending to hail from Buffalo, where
he had an office for securing patents
and stating that he was stopping while
in Albany at the same hotel as Win
field. The latter being the only recent
arrival registered from Buffalo, the
police arrested him on suspicion. His
story of his business and residence
confirmed the charge.
Winfield was taken to New York,
where he was identified by certain
persons as the man who had given
forged checks signed William Spang
Ter. He began now to be much trou-
bled. The identification of these per-
sons was Il very serious matter. Evil
IDENTIFY the fOrger must resemble him.
However, he had no difficulty in pro-
curing bail, and went home to- his
bride.
Fortunately, Winfield was q man of
means and he ernpioyed the best de-
tcctiveS he could find to get ON the
track of SpanElcr. The detective went
to Buffalo and made Inquiries ut the
building in which Winfield had his
office for man who reselnbled the
patent lawyer. He did not succeed
in getting a trace of any such person.
He also visited persons whom Spang-
ler had operated upon in different
I Cities, but met with no success in get
ting on the track of the real swindler.
| He had WintieId's likeness with him,
which he showed the swindled parties,
some of them identifying Winfield by
1t as the person who had passed the
forged checks. -.
Winfield was spending Il good deal
of money tn clear himself of the
charge against him; his trial was
coming on, and the matter looked very
serious. His wife bore np we'll under
the strain and took considerable inter
est in the efforts to find Spanglcr. But
1T WaS evident to her as we'll as the
others that they We're as far off the
track AZ when they began the search.
The day before the trial WAS to
come off she took up the photograph
her husband had given the detective
and which had been pronounced q
likeness OF the swindler. While look
ing ut it She noticed that one foot,
being in an advanced position, ap.
pearcd very large.
ALEC" she said to her husband,
"anyonc looking at this photograph
would think that you have an enor-
nous foot"
Winfield was noted for having
very sn,all and remarkably narrow
foot.
That's because Of the position.
was sitting with my legs crossed and
that foot was nearer the camera than
the rest of me. Consequently it was
taken on IL larger scale"
Mrs. Winfield made no reply. Size
was still intent on the photograph
"A penny for your thoughts, dear"
said her husband.
Il was thinking that maybe the
swindler didn't have your rrrow foot.
Did he buy any shoes wi Il forged
check?"
Winfield ran to his wife md gave
her bear hug.
"Swcetheart," he exclaimed you've
beaten the detectives and ali ne rest
of us. One of the swindlcr'S victims
Is Il New York shoemaker. We can
get The size of his foot from this
party"
The next day at the trial Arthur
Packard, clerk j. an expensive shoe
store, was called - witness. He
identified Winfil US the man to
whom he had al several pairs of
shoes and h"d received check
amounting to Ii irty-two dollars, on a
bank In Chico .. The transaction oc-
pnrral