The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-07-14
FAKE PAPA TOLD
nice LITTLE TALE
WANTED TO BUY BIKE AND
THINGS FOR BOY
PHONy CHECKS ISSUED
They Were Passed About With
Liberality Of One Who
Possessed Millions

With a very piauseable story Of
fond father wishing to reward his
industrious son for the high aver.
ages he made in his studies in
school,. by purchasing him bicycle,
smooth swindler yesterday after
noon fieeced a number of merchants
out of sums of money.
The scheme was something like
this: A stranger entered the BIZ
cycle shop Of Leon Little on South
Front street yesterday forenoon and
told Mr.. Little that he had boy
whom he had promised new BIZ
cycle If he would pass good examin-
ations in school. You see. it's just
this way, it will be pretty hard for
that the railway strike is coming
on, but I can not put the boy off
any longer. l sold the old Ford
machine to a man in ST. Peter, and
l expect a check from him about
noon If the check comes will
come in at noon and get the wheel
for the boy. BY the way. might
say that / am conductor"
Mr.. Little says that the man came
back while he was gone to dinner
yesterday noon and presented
check to his clerk IN the sum OF
S79. so, made out in favor Of A. P.
Murphy and drawn against the &C
count of l. G. Hughes on the First
National Bank of st. Peter. The
fellow said that he would pay for
the bicycle, which came to $3.50
and W ould have to have at least SIT
in cash, and he would leave the
check and bicycle and would return
at four o'clock, get the balance on
the check and take home the wheel
The man did not come back, and
today Mr.. Little found out that he
has been 'stung" to the tone of SIT
in cash which had been handed out.
Another Financial Transaction
Going down the street two or
three doors the manipulation of bogus
Paper entered the bicycle and
sporting good shouse of l.. P. Tim
mermann. Here he firts said when
he went into the store in the fore
noon that he was telegraph op-
orator and lived in this city. When
he returned in the afternoon, he
said that he was a conductor. The
story of the bright boy in school
was repeated, and he purchased
wheel for the youth. He presented
another check against the account
of /. C. Hughes and drawn on the
First National Bank of st. Peter for
$3.50 in payment Instead of hand
ing over the cash as Mr.. Lttle's
clerk had done, l.. P. Zimmerman
gave the fellow his personal check
for the balance, amounting to $40.
Later in the afternoon Mr.. thinner
man found out by telephoning st.
Peter that the paper was worthless
and then stopped payment on the
forty dollar check he had given
Murphy. Murphy did not rlurn for
the bicycle in this instance either.
Knowing perhaps that payment
might be stopped on the PAPER, ana
that he would get into the clutches
of the law if he presented Mr., Zim-
mermann's check at one of the
Mankato banks, Murphy went into
the paint store of Claus Swanson e
Sons on South Front street and
made inquiries about paint and oil.
He finally made a bargain with Mr..
Swanson for four and a half gallons
of paint and one hundred pounds nt
white lead. He presented the check
of $40 which had been given him
by L. P. zimmerman, and receiv-.
ed s21 in cash. @
"You just leave the paint oil and
brushes in the back room, Nj.
Swanson, and I will drive up the
back way about four o'clock and
get it," said the renman. but he
never returned.
Burt, Mahowald of the Mahowald
Motor Cycle company stated to The
Free Press that Murphy was in his
place with the same story about the
bright boy in school. but he did not
nihble on the bait
Chief of Police Phil Landmark
this afternoon said that he wished
to warn the merchants of this city
to be more careful in accepting the
checks of strangers. There is
hardly a merchant in this city but
who has several worthless checks