The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1921-01-29
ALLEGED FORGERS
IN BOCALUSA JAIL
Tip from Picayune, Miss, Leads
to Seizure of $4,000 Ex-
press Papers.

Bogalusa, La, Jan. 26.-Officers
Mizell, Bankston and Sharpes of the
Bogalusa police department arrested
three men in the lobby of the Colo
nial Hotel at a. m. Wednesday
having in their possession express
money orders and other paper valued
at 100000.
The men, who gave their names as
c. e. Lavell, Ralph Hughes, and C.
w. Knight, were arrested after a
telephone message from w. C. Her
man, druggist of Picayune, Miss,
to Chief of Police Abner Magee at
8 o'clock Tuesday night that three
we'll dressed men in Ford car had
stopped for several hours in Picay-
une and while there cashed three
express money orders of about $49
each.
The police ran upon the men in
the lobby of the hotel, where they
were making arrangements to obtain
lodging for the night. They were
unaware that they were under su-
spicion and were captured without
a struggle, although armed. The
car, f1ve-passenger Ford with Flo
.rida license 7295-B, 1921, was park
ed in front of the hotel and five
suitcases containing a dne assert
ment of rubber stamps, inks. ink e.
radiators and blank express orders
enough to realize $4,000 were left
in it.
At the station when questioned,
Lavell, who appeared to be the lead
er of the trio, gave his age as 35, his
home address as Fulton, KY, and
stated that he was a professional
gambler. Hughes, the youngest
member of the party, 19 years old,
said that his father operated pat
tern house on Fulton avenue in Chi
cago and boldly advanced the infor-
nation that he was pool shark"
and made his living through his a.
bility to push the ivory balls about
the tables. The third member of
the trio gave his name as c. W.
Knight and his age as %. He
claimed to be the owner of the Ford
car and protested his innocence,
stating he merely furnished the car
and drove for his companions. His
home address was given as Lacrosse,
Fla.
Knight appeared to be the more
talkative of the prisoners and ad-
vanced the information that he met
Lavell and Hughes in Cairo, ILL.,, last
September and with them travelled
by motor through Kentucky, Tennes-
see and Georgia to Lacrosse, Fla,
where they remained several weeks.
He said that while aware of the
fact that his companions "doctored
and filled out stolen express orders"
he had no hand in the matter and
was hired solely for the purpose
of. driving the car and keeping his
mouth closed"
The other two refused to make
any statements other than their
names and addresses, Lavell with an
air of unconcern and young Hughes
in the spirit of bravado.
In the suit cases of the men were
found new clothing of all sorts, safe
ly razors, hot water bottle and silk
shirts galore. These Knight said
had been purchased in order to cash
the express orders. In the Ford
complete assortment of burglars
tools ranging from the lowly jimmy
to the most intricate safe-cracking
instruments were found under the
seat, The pockets of the men CON
tanned more than $3.50 in cash and
two express orders already filled and
ready for cashing.
w. H. Cox, agent of the American
Express Company, was called to the
police station early Wednesday morn
ing, and, according to the bulletins
received by him on January 21, the
check of the numbers showed that
the majority of the express orders
and c. o. DIS came from the agency
in Beilview, Fla, several others
bearing the stamp of Chicago.
Agent Cox notified H. w. Inman,
superintendent of the express compa-
ny at once and he, in company with
NJ, A. Terry, district agent, and
special agent, arrived on the train
Wednesday night to take charge of
the case. Two other detectives are
expected Thursday night. In the
meanwhile, the prisoners are lodged