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Several Victims

Succumb to Blandishment of Spurious Check Passers

Four Clyde merchants were victims of check forgers and
several others had narrow escapes from losing money last
Thursday morning.

Two young fellows apparently about twenty years of age;
put up for the night at the Nichols Inn, leaving a call
at the desk for 7 o'clock the following morning.
Landlord R. E. Laweless made note that the pair had no
baggage with them, and accordinly received payment for
their lodging at the time the room was rented. The next
morning he had such difficulty in awakening the men that
it was necessary to break down the door in order to get
into the room and get them up. They had registered at
the desk under the names of "Harold Lanning" and "Hollis
Fox" of Buffalo.

After breakfast the two young men started out in the
business section, one going on each side of the street.
At W. D. Hill's one youth purchased groceries amounting
to $1.53 and presented a check for $15.50 to clerk Owen
McCullouch, who cashed it, the fellows walking out with
his goods. This check was on a Woodville bank and was
made out to and endorsed by Harold Lanning and signed by
J. H. Hartman.

After leaving Hill's he went to Baldof's bakery and
attempted to pass another check on Hiram Bradford, who
is employed there, but Hiram had received instructions
not to cash checks from strangers and sent him over to
F. R. Wilson's. At this store he purchased a collar but
paid for it in cash, although he had a check in his hand
when he reached for his money.

The fellow had left his groceries at the N. Y. C. depot,
where Mr. Hill afterwards recovered them.

He then went to Snyder & Draime's where he ordered some
groceries and presented a similar check for the sum of
$17.50 in payment for the goods, but Mr. Snyder put him
off, claiming he did not have that much money in the
store. The crook then made his way to Schmidt's Tea
Store and ordered some groceries and told the clerk to
send them to "Harry Williams" on Maple Street. The bill
amounted to $2.30, including sugar and milk which he
carried with him, and he gave in payment a similar check
for $17.50, which was taken and the change returned.

Meanwhile his partner had been "working" the other side
of the street and came to Segna's store, where he
purchased about $2 worth of groceries and gave a check
for $17.50 signed by "Hartman" and made out to "Howard
Wilson" and walked off with the change to Winfield
Adara's where he casually looked at some trousers and
finally purchased a pair, together with some socks and
collars, and presented another "Hartman" check in
payment.

Friedley mistrusted the check but Mr. Adare thought the
fellow appeared "honest" and the change was given him.

Karl Curtiss' grocery was the next object of attack and
when a check was presented there Allen McCleary took it
to Walter Hill's to get it cashed, when it was
discovered that the checks were "phoney."

Before local officials could get into action the fellows
had skipped out and no trace of them could be found.

The merchants who were "stung" got their heads together
and on Thursday afternoon Roy James and Walter Hill
drove to Woodville, where they found that the same paid
had attempted to cash a check for $1.00 in Carl
Brugger's pool room but without success. Authorities in
Elmore were also warned of the two fellows.

The merchants who hit on the deal have been receiving
much joshing by their friends, while others say they
were lucky to escape.

Marshal Walden on Monday received a letter from
Bellaire, Ohio, police department, stating that the pair
was wanted there for passing worthless checks and asking
him to be on the lookout for them, but the notice
arrived too late.

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