Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1914 — Former Kentland Attorney In Bad. [ARTICLE]

Former Kentland Attorney In Bad.

According to the Hammond Times a former well known Kentland attorney has got in bad up at Hammond, where he has been located fop some time, and detectives are new looking for him. Following is the Times’ report of the matter: Lewis and Spencer, the garage men, East Chicago, are out a brand new Overland cat, certain banka are overstocked with worthless checks. The Maryland Casulty Co. is somewhat concerned over the forfeiture of one of their bonds, and Joe Meade is relieved of an undesirable partner through the disappearance of Attorney Frank M. Ross, formerly of Kentland but recently in business with Attorney Meade in the Calumet, building. ' About ten days ago Mr. Ross appeared at the garage and negotiated the purchase of one of the new cars that the firm had in stock. He wanted the car that day but did not have his checkbook with him and promised to leave a check for SSOO at the East Chicago bank the next morning, inasmuch as Lewis and Spencer were Just leaving town for a few days. He was given possesion of the car, but failed produce the SSOO the next morning as he promised. He drove the car about town for a day or two, then informed Mr. Meade that he was going to make a trip to South Bend. He has not since been seen in the city. When the garage men returned they soon discovered the situation and at once took steps to locate the man who had gone to South Bend. They were unsuccessful and the matter is now in the hands of the detectives of the Motorists Security Alliance.

Inasmuch as he had come to East Chicago under such gilt-edged recommendations, Mr. Meade was at first loath to believe that Ross was playing a double game. He discovered the true situation, however, a couple of weeks ago and called Ross to account for his conduct, then and there annuling their partnership agreement. In going over his account at the bank since Ross left, lie finds that the firm of Meade and Ross are a little over SSO shorter than he had supposed. In speaking of the affair Mr. Meade said-that he felt, very komlythe disgrace that Ross had brought upon the firm name and very much regretted that he had ever had anything to do with the man. He said that before taking him in to the office he had investigated his character as thoroughly as one man could possibly investigate another and that he had a ten-year record before coming to East Chicago that was apparently spotless; that he was the son-in-law of Judge Darroch of Kentland, and that Kentland as a whole held him in high esteem. It was about the middle of June that the partnership was formed, but Ross had been in Mr. Meade’s office for a couple of weeks prior to that time. The missing man has a wife and two boys in Kentland and recently Mrs. Ross filed divorce proceedings against him. Mr. Meade received a card from Ross dated and postmarked at some small place in Wisconsin and advising that mail would reach him at Green Bay. Whether or not this was simply a wrong lead to throw detectives oft the track is thus far an unanswered question.