Hide Article Text (OCR)
I VOLUME XXI.NO. 8BLUr ALDERMEN NAS MAN WITH BOGUS CHECKSuGet-Rich-Quick, Scheme of Oscar Erickson Spoiled By His Arrest.To Aldermen Wolff and Myers belongs the credit for rounding up a young man, on Monday, who was seeking to leave a trail of fake checks in his trip through Blue Island. The culprit was nabbed while he was trying to dispose of a check for $24 in the store' of Mrs. Hilt, 6 Western avenue.The aldermen personally took their prisoner to the police station and turned him over to Chief Malmquist,* Here the young man gave his name as Oscar Erickson, 22 years old, a boilermaker by trade. He said he was married and lived at the South Chicago hotel. South Chicago. He protested his innocence of any wrong-doing, and when searched had $29.12 in his pockets, but neither the check Aid. Wolff had seen nor any other spurious paper was found in his possession. Searchers were then sent over the route taken with the prisoner to the station and two of the checks I which he had dropped were recovered.Confronted with this evidence and I pressed to tell where he had got the f checks, Erickson broke down and confessed that he knew the checks were [ no good. He said the checks had been given him by a friend named Chas. Derx, whom he met in the I. C. depot |at Grand Crossing, and who had a large ok of similar checks and had told him go and get some “easy money.” So Itrongly did he insist on the truth of this story that Chief Malmquist had avarrant issued for the arrest of Derx an accomplice and had Erickson swear to the truth of his statement.Chief Malmquist and Alderman Olson then went to South Chicago in search of Derx. An investigation convinced the chief that there was no truth in Erickson’s story. Derx was found to have the very best of reputations among all who knew him. It was learned that he was an ironworker employed at Joliet, and at the time mentioned by Erickson was not in Grand Crossing. ‘Thfe prisoner latter admitted that his btory was a lie fabricated to have some bne else share responsibility in his |rime. He then signed a confession lompletely exonorating Derx of any Komplicity, and declared he was ready tell the truth and make a clean breast Ifcf everything. He said he had found|ix checks, all filled out except one, on ^e roll of toilet paper in the lavatory kthe Randolph station of the I. C. Toad. He had been out of work (two weeks and had got behind with room rent and board and saw in the checks an opportunity to get money. He cashed one of the checks for $72 at the saloon of Henry Swanson. Seventy-first street and Stony Island avenue, and gave $38 of it to the girl with he was living, telling her it was He also confessed that this In was not his wife, but that he ]sd his parents to believe that he arried to her. He. said she was Ethel^Harris^whom he had met in the red light district at Springfield while participating in an encampment of the ate militia. He admitted having assed a check for $18 on Fred Heintz at 407 Vermont street, and one for $15 was cashed by Edward Friske at Western avenue and Canal street. All of the checks were on the State Bank of hicago.lErickson was given a hearing before plice Magistrate Carroll Wednesday at 4 o’clock. He freely admitted his guilt and after Aldermen Myers and Wolff, Fred Heintz and Edward Fiske had testified was bound over to the grand jury under $2000 bonds.Relating the story of the capture of Erickson, Alderman Wolff said: “Shortly before noon on Monday I was on my way up town and stopped in at Fred Heintz’ saloon, 407 Vermont street. I saw a young man standing at the bar with some bills in his hand. He had bought a box of Lentz cigars, which Mr. Heintz wrapped up for him, as he said he was going out on the road. After the man went out Mr. Heintz told me he had cashed a check for $18 for the stranger. I then continued on my way up town, stopping at several places where 1 had business, and finally got to the south side, going into Louis Groskopp’s saloon at the corner of Western avenue and Broadway. The first thing I noticed was the same young man I had seen at Heintz’s standing at the bar. He had a check, gtfrcfrwn for $24, in his hand which he K was* trying to have cashed. Mr.I Groskopp's son was on duty be-I hind the bar and I heard him tell I the man that the “boss” wasFREIGHT WRECK.Ties Up Traffic On Rock Island for Two Hours Sunday.A rear-end collision between two inbound freight trains caused the blocking of traffic on the Rock Island railroad for more than two hours last Sunday afternoon. The wreck, which put the colliding engine out of commission and reduced the caboose and one box car of the other train to a mass of splinters, occurred shortly before four o’clock just west of the Western avenue subway.The force of'the collision was sufficient to drive the engine which did the damage under and the complete length of two cars, plowing the wheel trucks out from under’ them and turning the cars over on the next track like clods of sodThe accident is said to have been caused by the air brakes on the rear train failing to work when the train a short distance ahead came suddenly to a 8top. No one was injured as the certainty of a smash-lip was seen in time to give those endangered an opportunity to jump before the crash came.An hour s work by the wrecking crew opened the west bound track and a little later the disabled engine, which had not left the rails, was towed away, clearing both lines.On Monday evening some boys playing around the wreckage of the cars set it on fire and it was completely burned, several telegraph wires also being burned by the heat of the flames and two west-bound passenger trains were delayed while the fire was in progressSchafskopf Tournament.The schafskopf tournament held at Emil H. Poehlsen’s place last Sunday drew a large attendance. The winners were: Otto Haase, first; F. England, second; Joe Berger and E. Flassig, third; Mr. Thomas and C. Klaeske, fourth. E. Thiede won the booby prize —a box of Margurite cigars.SHiTheMHard Job.“Good gracious! What makes you look like that? Has anything happened?” “Well. I had my portrait painted recently by an impressionist, and Ifm trying to look like it.”Coi arouf sougl versj mayc not i here Mb and primthat state a pri can They clerk in th he fc and f law c and ] woul Cit the to th and i Thej law 1 cour the c not i cour citiz the 1 ing c law shou W disci men oppc extr Gem law.tne inAt Lout and he was not allowed to cash checks. After the man went out I told Mr. Groskopf that it looked rather suspicious to see the same man cashing checks at different places around town, and told him of what I had learned at Fred Heintz’ place. I made up my mind to watch the fellow and saw him go into Martin Wolf’s saloon, just across the street from Groskopf’s. , While I was still talking to Mr. Groskopf the man came out of Wolf’s place where he had been unsuccessful in cashing his check, and continued south on the west side of Western avenue. I stopped just long enough at Mr. Wolf’s to ask him if the stranger had presented the check for $24 and he said yos, but that he had not cashed it. I told Mr Wolf my suspicions and left in order to keep track of the man’s movements. I kne4 that Aid. Arnold Myers’ place would be the nfxt saloon he* would come to. When I got to the street the man was out of sight, but I saw Aid. Myers coming toward me and stopped to tell him about the stranger. Aid. Myers said he had met the man just as he was leaving his place and that the stranger had asked him if he would cash the check. He had told the man “no” but he had gone on into the saloon. I told Aid. Myers to call up diis place and warn those in charge not to cash the check, and he did so. We then walked back together toward his place determined to arrest the man and have him explain his suspicious actions to the chief of police. As we walked back we saw the man coming out of John Kruse’s saloon, “The Last Stop,” and go into the candy st ore of Mrs. Hilt, next door. We walked in right behind him and when he presented the check I placed him under arrest and told him he would have to co me to the station. He protested his innocence and did not resist when we took hi m to the station.”Efforts are being made to get young Eriekson free. He is the son of respectable Swedish parents, and up to six months ago has borne an excellant reputation, having formerly been a capable and industrious worker at his trade. His mother claims that her son’s downfall is due entirely to the attachment he formed for the Harris woman Much sympathy has been expressed for the parents, and all three of the men upon whom the young man pas checks have signified their willingness to drop prosecution and give him another chance if he will lead an honest life hereafter.fixetdaleAFI ing i tiom balllt; ticip and cers polls o’cllt; vote to \ and T1orMU! on 1 says Sc videclerl dutj shal in a (500 pern 4ect ingc-u\aslt;to lt;onlyof t the brin covlt; Tl dree migT!undlt;petithetickF«Flt;theiFiCarFKotF.Wo]FCaiiMdairfeelorg;andandUsebesitheandThedrujsuit
Newspaper Details
Blue Island Sun
Blue Island, Illinois, US
Fri, Feb 21, 1913
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Kokomo-Howard C.
IN, USA 26 Oct 2023
Other Publications Near Blue Island, Illinois
Blue Island Suburban Star
Blue Island Sun
Blue Island Sun Standard
Sun Standard
