The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-07-23
BOGUS CIRCUS
AGENT CAUGHT
Frank Davis, Alias Mic
key" Wanted for Five
Years, Nabbed Here.
ROCK SET THE NET
Man Had Made Round of Gar
ages Here and Secured Pay
For AID On Elephant.

"The smoothest piece of furniture
seen for some time in the swindling
line" is only another way of describ-
ing Frank Davis, alias mickey" who
was trapped here late Thursday after
noon by Lieut.. Charles f. Rock and
Detective Chase of the police depart
ment. This morning Davis, debonair,
smooth and perfectly at ease, sits in
the city lookup awaiting the arrival
of the marshal from the department
of justice.
Davis was posing as the advance
agent of nationally known circus
organization, and soliciting advertise
ments form garage men, advertise
ments which were to be given display
on the elephants during the circus
parade. But all the elephants that
Davis could offer were white" in
other words, "there wasn't such an
animal"
The circus company which Davis
pretended to represent, wired the Ke-
nosha police department this morning
congratulating them on catching
Davis, and declaring that he had been
wanted for five years, and that he
is alleged to have carried on his
swindling games in every state in the
union, as the bogus" agent of every
known circus organization.
Caught Just In Time.
The capture of Davis was made just
in the nick of time. He had not yet
secured money here, but almost every
garage man in town, believing that the
man was bona fde advertising agent,
had promised him contracts, and it
was while he was on his round of
making collections upon these, that
he was nabbed by the police lieu
tenant and his assistant.
A Waukegan garage man, J. E.
Geoghan of the Sheridan Road Tire
shop, was the one who gave the police
department here the tip which led to
the arrest of the alleged swindler.
Geoghan had been "stung' himself.
and having the hunch that the mans
next stop would be in Kenosha, he
hurried here Thursday morning and
gave Lieut.. Rock the details of the
alleged crooks operations. He told
the police lieutenant that Davis had
"signed him up" for an advertisement
of his garage on an elephant, and
that he had paid over $25.
"Then the real advertising man of
the circus came" said Geoghan,
"and / found was out of luck and
out of pocket"
Find Davis at Garage.
| Lieut.. Rock and Detective Chase
Immediately set out and made the
rounds of the garages. At all of the
best known garages in town they
found that Davis had preceded them
representing himself as the adver-
Using man in advance of the circus.
All had promised to take an elephant
display" and Davis was to return
to sign the contract and secure ad-
vance pay.
| Believing that the man was still
in town, the police officers continued
their calls. Late in the afternoon,
the police lieutenant dropped in at
the Office of the Chandler garage.
There, large as life, sat the bogus
advertising man. Rock "lamped him.
and blinked, for sure as the sun be-
trays himself as himself" did Davis
give away his own personality.
Like "John D." Nephew.
He looked, as this police lieutenant
described him, "like John DIS nep-
hew." Davis wore gray suit, a
snappy tie, the kind that o. o. Nc
Intyre might we'll envy, soft cap,
and carried stick. His manner, like
his appearance, was respondent. One
foot was bandaged in peculiar
manner, and Davis had fine explana-
ton for that: San elephant stepped
on it," he said.
| Meanwhile Lieut.. Rock merely gave
the "high sign" to the Chandler pro-
prietor, asking eff my car is ready
The proprietor responded at once to
the idea and accompanied the police
officer into the shop. There Rock
advised him that Davis was Crook
and suggested that he follow out all
Davis requests.
| In a few minutes after that Davis
had signed a contract and secured a
check. And just after that, he found
himself surrounded by the claw"
Hardened to his line, he took his
arrest with complete nonchalance, Of
fering no resistance whatsoever.
| The police learned later that one
garage had promised 500, another $50
and so on, and that the arrest of
Davis had stopped the operations just
at the right minute. This morning
the wire was received from the circus
headquarters repudiating Davis and
announcing satisfaction that he had
been arrested.