Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1910 — ALSO HAD A VICTIM HERE. [ARTICLE]

ALSO HAD A VICTIM HERE.

Check Forger Arrested In Lafayette Caught Tom Mallatt of Fair Oaks for $11.40 Robert Pettit, a former evangelist, of Morehead. Ky., who was arrested in Lafayette recently on the charge of passing forged checks in that city, as mentioned in The Democrat at the time, had at least one victim in Jasper county, it seems. Pettit paid T. J. Mallatt. the Fair Oaks liveryman, a $1.40 lively: bill with a check for $11.40 on the State National Bank of •Lowell, and purporting to have been drawn by Henry Christianson,.a farmer residing some three miles south of Roselawn, and in favor of Pettit, who said it was for labor that he had performed for Christianson.

Tom gave the fellow ten bones of, his good money in change and he took the train- at Fair Oaks the same evening—August 29 for Lafayette, where he came to grief a few days later in trying to get more easy money. Seeing in The Democrat of Sept. 3 where Pettit had been arrested for forgery in Lafayette, Tom became a little suspicious of the check given him, which- had been sent to Rensselaer and through a bank here to Lowell for collection. In due course of time the check was returned by the Lowell bank with the statement that Christianson had no funds there. The check had been endorsed over by Pettit to Mr. Mallatt. who in Turn endorse! it himself when giving it to other parties, and of course he had to take it up when it came back to him. He is naturally a little anxious to see that the fellow gets his just deserts, and if the Lafavette officers have not enough evidence to send him up for a term of vears where he will not prey u r on the innocent public, they are welcome to -the evidence that he has in the returned check. Mr. Christianson told Mr. Mallatt when the latter saw him a few davjs_jtgo, that Pettit had worked for him two days only and that he had paid him the cash for his work, he not giving anv check whatever.

Pettit is said to be about 35 years of age, and until he fell from grace because of his too free indulgence in liquor, was an evangelist. He told Mr. Mallatt that he had done evangelistic work in Chicago, street preaching. He had recently been employed by the £ell Telephone Co. he states. At Lafayette he is accused of passing a number of checks for small amounts which later proved to be forgeries.