Railroad Operator Arrested for Money Order Forgery
After stealing blank money orders from the Western Express Co. in Usk, a railroad operator was apprehended in a Newport saloon.
E. J. Stewart, who has been acting as operator for the I. W. N. at Usk, was arrested on Sunday afternoon on a charge of stealing blank money orders from the Western Express Co. at that point and forging the same. Stewart had the run of the office and removed four blank orders from the back portion of the order book before leaving town. Arriving in Newport, he proceeded to take in the sights, and running short of funds, cashed one of the orders for $32.50. The party to whom the order was presented did not like the looks of the paper and took it to Agent Gibbs, who confirmed the order was illegal. Chet Bowers, a railroad employee, rounded Stewart up in one of the local saloons. He was brought before Justice Long on the Washington side, where he pleaded guilty and was bound over to the superior court.
“Arriving in Newport, he proceeded to take in the sights, and running short of funds, sprung one of the orders.”
This incident highlights the vulnerability of early 20th-century financial systems, which relied heavily on trust and paper records. It mirrors modern concerns about digital fraud and the importance of internal controls in local businesses.
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