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THREE FORGED CHECKS PASSED IN THIS CITY
Strange Woman Gets $64.05 in Cash From Business Houses.
Forged checks were cashed last Friday by three Mattoon stores for a strange, dark complexioned, plainly dressed woman who had made purchases before presenting her worthless paper. All the checks were returned by the Central Illinois Trust and Savings Bank, after they in turn had received them back from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
One of the checks cashed was by W. R. Gross for $28.50, one by Mrs. W. R. Herron for $24.50, and one by W. S. Yaden for $27.50. An attempt was made by the woman to pass a $24.50 check on O. W. Reynolds, a grocer, 510 South Seventeenth street, but failed.
On Urbana Firm.
Evidently the checks are being put out by an organization of check passers. All were written on crudely printed blanks with rubber type serial numbers stamped in the upper left hand corner, and bear the words:
"Urbana, Ill., Dec. 1, 1927. Sowers & Corkey, Contractors and Builders." They are drawn on "The First State Bank of Urbana," a bank which was closed last July.
It is said the woman passed all the checks late on Friday afternoon, when the banks were closed. At the Herron place a purchase of $9.45 was made, and the woman was given $15.05 change. At the Gross store the purchase was $4, and $24.50 change was given, and at the Yaden store the purchase was $3 and $24.50 change was given the woman on the forged check.
On purchasing a small bill of groceries at the Reynolds grocery the woman presented the check, which Mr. Reynolds suspected, and asked the woman to secure a good endorser or else get the check cashed elsewhere. The woman then asked him to hold the goods and she would get the check cashed and return for the groceries, which she never did.
Woman Gets $64.05 in Cash.
All the victims have forged checks of the same kind. The Federal Reserve Bank had red slips stating that the bank in question had been closed. Sowers & Corkey of Urbana replied to telephone inquiries that they had never issued such checks, which purported to bear the signature of F. W. Sowers, and were endorsed by "F. J. Clark," which is the name the woman gave. The woman secured $64.05 in cash, and three merchandise purchases.
As the discovery of the forgeries was not made known until today, there is said to be little likelihood apprehending the woman, as she was a stranger.
CHICAGO NABS ALLEGED GANGSTER OF ST. LOUIS
By International News Service.
Chicago, Dec. 8.—A fusillade of revolver shots resulted in the capture here today of Louis Danberket of St. Louis, said to be a gangster, when police attempted to arrest him as he sat in an automobile containing two loaded sawed-off shotguns.
Two companions of Danberket fled down an alley. When the alleged St. Louis gangster attempted to follow them, police fired to intimidate Danberket. Danberket refused to "talk."
