The Forger Who Could Not Outrun the Telegraph
A determined sheriff tracks a cunning forger from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest by leveraging a new network of law enforcement telegrams.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
John Ellsworth of Chicago forged a deed to land valued at $10,000, using the alleged seal of a notary, Thomas Durand, and mortgaged the property for $3,000, with which money he fled the country. Long thereafter, the forgery was brought to light and a detective placed on Ellsworth's scent, but the fellow managed to keep plenty of distance concealed till three months ago, when Sheriff Matthews learned that the forger was on the Pacific Slope. He placed himself in communication with the sheriffs of the states and territories of the Pacific Coast, sending a description and photograph. His energy was rewarded several days ago by receiving a telegram from the sheriff of Pacific County, W. T., advising him that there was a man fitting the description working in one of the camps of that vicinity in Washington Territory. Upon reaching the county seat, he learned that his man had gone to Astoria. Thither the sheriff followed and found the former locked up in the city prison on a charge of drunkenness. This was on Thursday last, and the following day Ellsworth was placed behind the bars in Portland, awaiting transportation East to stand trial for his crime. Thomas Durand, the Chicago notary public, also appeared; Sheriff Matthews received a telegram stating that Durand had been locked up and instructions to take him East with Ellsworth.
“His energy was rewarded several days ago by receiving a telegram from the sheriff of Pacific County, W. T., advising him that there was a man fitting the description.”
This 1888 account highlights how the rapid adoption of the telegraph revolutionized criminal apprehension, effectively shrinking the vast frontier of the Pacific Northwest. Today, digital surveillance and networked databases serve the same function, illustrating a long history of technology being used to bridge the distance between crime scenes and accountability.
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