The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-08-26
EXPERT CROOK
WORKS BANKERS


Travelling at a good rate of speed
and working his suckers" so easy
that there was nothing to it; F. Hide
brand, who might be termed the
watch wizard" is still at large, after
being deposited safely in the county
Jail here once.
The gentleman in question is about
one of the cleverest swindlers that To-
cal authorities have had anything to
do with for some time.
His little game goes something like
this. He is supposed to be a travel
ing man for some big jewelry house.
He goes into bank in some small
town, tells his story of how his ex-
pense check has failed to, arrive, and
that he needs money. He says he has
nothing to offer except his suit case
for collateral, but that if they are
willing to take that he will give them
his note and as he expects the check
in on the next train, he will be able
to- take up the note right away. Of
course the banker must stop and con-
slider the mater, when all of sudden
said travelling man thinks about his
his watch, which he-he, might offer
for security. He produces the watch,
which looks to be about $50 one,
with the initials F. H. engraved on the
back. He shows the watch to the
prospective banker, unscrews the back
Of the case, shows him the works, and
also flashes the inside of the cover
which contains two pictures. One is
Of woman and child and the other
of little dog, and engraved on the in
side is this: "From R. to B." Of
course he makes no mention of the pic
lures, but makes sure that the banker
sees them, and all the time acting as
though it was hardship to give up
the watch with the picture of what is
supposed to be his wife and child and
the rest of the family-the dog.
The proposition looks pretty good
to the banker, and he decides to ad-
vance him money on the time piece,
after securing his note. Fifty dollars
is about the usual sum asked, and he
usually gets it, according to reports.
The banks which he is reported to
have worked in this vicinity are Fin
gal, Kathryn, and Hastings, but at
the latter named place the arm Of the
law captured him and he was brought
to the county Jail here in Valley City.
He was brought up for hearing Sat-
urday before Justice Moe, and was
brought up again Monday. He told
his story, a very nice one, but the
court decided to hold him over to the
next term of district court. The court
adjourned and the deputy sheriff start
ed back to Jail with him. All of a
sudden the man remembered that he
wanted to see Lawyer Richie about
something, and asked to be excused
for second. This occrred in front of
the entrance to the X. of P. club room.
he ran up the stairs, asked a couple
OF boys at the top a question, and
beat it down the hall way to the north,
and no more was seen Of him.
How he got out of town is still a
question, but one story is that he went
to local physician and told him his
mother had broken her leg at Ayr,
N: D., and asked to be taken there.
His request was complied with and
when they arrived there, he is sup
posed to have found note telling him
that his mother had been removed to
Fargo to hospital. As the story
goes, the physician journeyed on with
him to Fargo. The man hoped out
OF the car into the hospital to "em-
brace his mother 2" and was again lost