Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-02-12
ALLEGED S,V|NDLER
NABBED IN ATLANTA
BY FEDERAL AGENTS
Fake Brokerage Business
for "SaIe'' of Sugar Al
legged by Postal Inspectors
Forged Checks Claimed

A snappily-dressed young man CIV
ing his name and address as G. K.
Usher, of Luthersville, Ga. declared
by postal inspectors to have oper-
ated a varied and profitable swindle
game in Atlanta for seevral months
unaided, was caught in a trap laid
for him by government sleuths
Thursday afternoon and now is lam
gushing in the Fulton tower, await
ing trial under more than six fed
eral charges.
A fake brokerage business, in
which he sold sugar he didn't
have to Atlanta dealers; posing as a
representative of large cotton and
brokerage concerns of New York;
and seeking to establish connections
with many prominent Atlanta busl-
ness men through letters of credir
which he forged, are some of the op-
erations charged to Usher by the
inspectors.
Another scheme of Usher, the in
spectors stated, was to secure the
signatures of responsible business
men, which he promptly traced onto
blank checks. In his room in a down
town hotel, the officers say they
found forged checks on twenty-five
Atlanta business men, aggregatlng
approximately $4,000.
CLEANED up at Poker
Usher also had an outfit in his
federal reserve notes, inspectors
said. One of the notes said to have
been faxed by him was found.
The young mainland inspectors
believe he has given an assumed
name-always was flashily attired,
n TO n
gaining the confidence of many lead
ing merchants and professional men
of Atlanta.
Inspectors said he succeeded in
of private "poker" parties, and that
evidence IN his room indicated that
he CLEANED up" at these parties.
Each o. his victims were asked to
pay hi mwith their personal checks,
the inspectors said, and these checks
were promptly traced by Usher.
Dragnet Laid
The dragnet first was lai6 for
Usher when the Bank of Fayette-
vile, Ca, registered a complaint
with the postal inspection depart
ment. Usher is said to have inclosed
two dollar bills in a letter to the
Fayetteville bank, asking that it for
ward to him, care general delivery,
Atlanta. two cashiers checks, each
for 81. This looked queer to the bank
officers and they communicated with
the inspectors.
The inspectors instructed the bank
to send the checks as requested, and
gave further instructions for the
.et:er to be mailed on a specified
train. The arrival of the letter was
perfectly timed by the inspectors,
and when Usher called for his mail
at the general delivery window
Thursday afternoon, inspectors trail
ed him to his hotel and raided his
room.
Refuses to Talk
The inspectors were endeavoring
Friday to determine how many of the
forged checks and reserve notes were
cashed by Usher AS he made fire.
quent trips to other southern cities
it would be several days before the
amount of his "cleanings" was
known, they stated.
Atlantians who knew Usher and
had business deals" with him told
the inspectors that he was possessed
of pleasing personality and con-
Winding line of conversation-one
that could hardly be denied, they de-
clared.
In his call, Usher refused fatty to
talk
You ca nsay for me that I have
nothing to say" was the sum and
total of his conversation Friday. He
was to be taken before Federal Com
missioner Carter Saturday for a pre-
llmlnary hearing.