Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1911 — PURTELLE IS SLICK. [ARTICLE]

PURTELLE IS SLICK.

Cannot be Prosecuted Criminally for Bad Checks Issued. Some of Jthe Rensselaer holders of Purtelle checks that were turned down by the Hammond bank on which they were issued, because he had no funds there, have been investigating the proposition of getting after ’Gene with criminal proceedings and send him to the penitentiary, but they find the language of the criminal statute is weak. It says whoever, by aid of checks, etc., obtains from another money or property, etc., (see Sec. 678, Acts 1905) may be prosecuted criminally for issuing fradulent checks, etc., but doesn’t say anything about labor, and these Veld here were issued for labor and came into the hands of merchants for goods purchased by the parties to whom issued. At least most of the checks held here are now so held tby merchants. Attorneys say that a criminal prosecution will not lie against Purtelle for-checks issued merely for labor, but if he issues any checks for “money or property,” he can be so prosecuted. The merchants, to be sure, have recourse to the parties from whom' they took the checks, but they are all poor men and the checks cannot be collected from them. It is said that one check that he had given for something other than labor came back to a bank here and the banker got right after ’Gene and told him there would be something doing mighty sudden unless he “came across,” and ’Gene did come across. The fellow seems to be slick enough to know that he cannot be prosecuted for paying many cf his bills in worthless checks, and keeps right on dead-beatingi whoever he can, either by staving them off with bad promises or equally bad checks.