The Forger Who Bought His Freedom
A local man faces no legal consequences for check fraud after his wealthy connections settle the debt quietly.
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.
In forging C. N. Pentecost's name to a check and passing it on George Smith, a Third street cigar dealer, C. S. Rinearson, who has been searched for by the police for a week, reckoned that kind friends would protect him from prosecution. That he was correct in his surmise is evidenced by the fact that the matter has been squared up. Mr. Smith has his money, $17.50, and the warrant which was issued for his arrest has been thrown in the waste basket. It was learned today that Rinearson never left the city after passing the bogus paper, but has been hid by friends until the matter could be squared up. In excuse for his action in uttering the paper that might have meant a term in the penitentiary, it is stated that Rinearson has been unfortunate in business ventures the past three years. During that time he has lost $8,000 in unfortunate investments. Being in want of a little handy money, the young man signed the name of his friend, Mr. Pentecost, to the check and received the money for it. Rinearson's parents are said to be highly respectable and well-to-do.
“Rinearson, who has been searched for by the police for a week, reckoned that kind friends would protect him from prosecution.”
This 1903 story highlights the stark reality of 'justice' for the wealthy, where a criminal warrant can be discarded simply by settling the debt—a practice that remains a potent, if less overt, feature of modern legal systems.
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