Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-02-13
AFFABLE SALESMAN
SOUGHT AS CLEVER
FORGER Of CHECKS
JORDAN HARDWARE COMPANY
LOSES $50, BUT SAVES $2o0 BY
NOT HAVING READY "CHANGE"
IN DRAWER.

A sleelQ, suave travelling man bear
ing all the credentials and earmarks
Of a representative Of the Fairbanks
Morse Company is being sought By
Sheriff Ayers and operatives of the
Pinkerton Detective Agency as the re
suit Of fraud perpetrated upon The
Jordan Hardware Company by means
Of forged check.
The man, who gives his name a
f. B. Moore, extended his operation
over a wide territory and managed tt
/ secure from another La Sale County
i business establishment--the Caster
! dyck- k-Hamel Company of La Sale
cash on a fraudulent check for 500
A shortage of change in Mr.. Jordan
safe, all his days receipts having
+ been banked before the aflabIe stran
gers visit, saved his firm from loss c
/ the same proportions. AS il is Was
i Moore obtained $50 and was given Mr.
/ Jordans personal check for $500
which later was nulltied by the ban,
| holding up payment,
The crime dates back to Feb. >, bu.
was not revealed until Tuesday Of this
week, when a statement from the Cen
tral Trust Company of Chicago pro
testing the check given Mr. Jordan
by Moore was received at the pan
here Then hasty steps were takef
to block payment of Mr.. JOrdan's per
;onal check, which up TO now has moi
been put in circulation and has no
been received back in Ottawa 1t /
more than probable that Moore has
gotten a case of cold feet and vii
not attempt to realize on the Jordan
paper
First intimation that the deal VA
crooked and that Moore was not Wha
he pretended 10 be came when a dc
tective of the Pinkerton agency al
rived in Ottawa for a detailed d'
> scription of the sharper. The Pinker
tons were employed by the Fairbank:
Morse people trail down the man.
they could. 1t is believed by official
Of the manufacturing company tha
Moore is a former cmploye opera
ing under an assumed name Wn2
the detective appeared in Ottawa h
had the Castendyck-Hamel check fc
$3.50 in his possession If was r
plica OF the one given the 0ttaH
| merchant,
Moore presented himself as tf
/, manager of the Beloit tractor branc
= Of the big mandatory and e&plaint
his visit to Ottawa was for the pu
pose Of interesting some local concer
p preferably the Jordan company
4 handling their machines. He carrie
perhonal cards which carried IL
=. Fairbanks-Norse name. His grip vel
:, similar to the ones carried by pra
- tically all travelling men, had Fai
banks Morse plainly lejtered on it,
He carried a letter from the con
pany congratulating him for handh1
i big gas engine order from an Ok
homa oil company, and all around
sized up as an intelligent, enterpr
E. ing hustler who was making g0C
All his records were displayed in
ul casual way so as not to arouse 81
in picion in his intended victim,
a.. even received a telegram at the j
lg Gan store telling him to wait the
N. until he had gotten a long distaH
err call from the Chicago headquarte
On When he went through the rest
he the dramatics, by calling up Chica
90 and asking for Mr. Morse Jr., he q
no 1nkling that he was paving
re way for a touch. A report was gi'
on. back that Mr.. Morse was out OF
office. He tcld central to never m
pt. and LEI the call 90 by default.
tie But just before he left he sudde
remembered he needed money