Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-16
Postoffice Inspectors on Trail
of lIliterate Who Was
Forced to Quit Atlanta,
Leaving $4,000 in Bank

It would be difficult in a newspa-
per column to do full justice to the
adventures in involved finance OF
one certain Edward Petty, colored,
who under a flock of aliases has
been getting money from astute
lawyers in the Ohio valley by posing
as an illiterate negro who had to
leave Georgia one jump ahead OF
revenue officers, leaving also behind
him here-and in this part of the
story his victims have evinced par
ticular interest--some $4,000 in cash
in a savings account. $3.50 il
checking account, a valuable auto
mobile, and some lands which were
about to be sold.
With one or two exceptions moth
ing has been heard from the negro's
lawyer-victim after the latter had
been disillusioned by the Atlanta
bank. But those exceptions were
enough to indicate that tho negro
always finds himself completely out
Of funds shortly after his first talk,
and on the strength of all the money
he left in Atlanta manages to bor-
row an advance before the lawyer
has had time to get reply.
How much he has secured nobody
seems to know.
The negro is still at large and is
regarded by postoftice, inspectors as
one of the smart they have hunt
ed. Joe P. Johnston, inspector in
charge of the Atlanta district, an
nounced to the world Tuesday that
he would be charmed and delighted
to hear hint as to the Negroes
whereabouts, for Uncle Sam wants
him very badly. The charge will be
using the mails to defraud.
Victims Are Numerous
Since June 26 letters from lawyers
in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus,
and Toledo, O.; Detroit, Chicago, In
dianapolis, and Covington, KY, nave
been arriving in patches at the OIL
fees of at least one Atlanta bank,
addressed now to one officer OF the
institution, now to another. Ihere
have been as many as two or three
in one day from as many lawyers IN
one of the above cities.
All these letters bring the same
story; that the negro had presented
himself at a bank in that city with
his story of leaving a lot of money
behind in Atlanta, under the cir
cumstance already outlined, and had
asked to be referred to a good law
| yer; that the lawyer, being the one
who was writing the letter, had in
vestigated, and stood ready with all
discretion to arrange matters as
quietly as possible,
HE has explained to me in de-
tail his reason for being away and
communicated to me your instruc-
tions regarding the handling of GER
tain business affairs" one lawyer
wrote.
Regarding the land transaction"
another wrote, eff Judge Jones will
prepare and forward the deed I viii
see that the same is executed at a
point a considerable distance from
here"
Another let the cat clean out of
the bag, revealing the reasons for
the mysterious references running
through all tn letters.
He told me he had been operating
a still just outside of Atlanta, and
that your Mr.. Blank manning high
officer Of the bank had been financ-
ing his operations; that the revenue
officers had discovered his still, and
that Mr.. Blank had driven him in
an automobile some 80 miles and
put him on a train and directed him
to come to Toledo and seek the SER
vices of lawyer"
Used Many Aliases
At first, letters were written by
the Atlanta bankers in reply. Later
this became too much of burden,
and recently collect kilograms have
been going to various new addresses.
The negro is described as about
forty years old, around feet 5