Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1913 — REUBEN BLACKMORE SOME NERVY FORGER [ARTICLE]

REUBEN BLACKMORE SOME NERVY FORGER

Gashed Two Checks and Tried to dash More, Left Town and Then Returned and Was Arrested. Reuben Blackmore, whose escapade in forging the name of Walter Porter to a check and cashing it at Morrow’s store, came to light Wednesday, also succeeded in cashing another check for $lO at Fendig’s drug store. That he holds a poor opinion of the alertness of the people here to learn of forgeries seems proven by the fact that he voluntarily returned to Rensselaer Wednesday afternoon from Lafayette, where he Jiad been since the day before and whither Sheriff Hoover had gone in search of him. Deputy Sheriff Gus Grant and Marshal Mustard were at the depot when Blackmore and George Kaufman, with whom he had made the trip to Lafayette, stepped off the train and Blackmore was at once arrested by Mustard and after being identified by the member of the* Morrow firm who had cashed the check and C. E. Garber, the clerk at Fendig’s drug store, he was arraigned before Squire Irwin and bound over to the circuit court. In the forged check cashed at Fendig’s drug store, as well as the one cashed at Morrow’s, the forger had used the name of Daniel* Kipponer as the payee. To the one cashed at Fendig’s the name of Ed Becker was signed. Mr. Fendig was at dinner when Blackmore entered the storp, purchased 10 cents worth of castor oil and tendered the check. Mr. Garver, the clerk, gave him $9.90 in change without questioning the validity of the cheek. The same day Blackmore seems to have made at least two other efforts to cash checks. At Haus’ restaurant he tried to cash a check, saying that he had two checks, one for $lO and the other for S2O. Mrs. Haus was at the restaurant and refused to cash either, referring him to Long's drug store, but Mr. Long states that he did not come to his store. The same day he went to Jessen’s jewelry store, where he had left a watch to be repaired. Mr. Jessen was out and B. N. Fendig waited ou him. He tendered a check signed by a man named Baker. Mr. Fendig stated that he would not cash it but would take it to the bank to he cashed. He said that he could just as well take it there himself and went out, ostensibly to the bank, but later returned and said that he could not get it cashed as Baker did not have sufficient funds. It is said that he had been drink ing here for several days and that he carried on his orgy at Lafayette. He made no effort to resist arrest but stoutly denied that he was the man who had cashed the checks.’ _ Other bad stories of Blackmore are being told and it is said that he was suspicioned of having stolen an overcoat fron another young man at a dance given over south of town, where he was employed. That he will get a penitentiary sentence is quite certain, as the evidence against* him seems to be positive. He is about 25 years of age.