from the Lowell Tribune, Jan. 1, 1920, page 1.
Also found in the Clipping File at Lowell Public Library--LH--"Crime and Criminals"
Last Saturday night two girls, Ethel Lewis and Bertha Mancovich, of Hammond, came to Lowell on the milk train and went to the Main garage, where they asked for some blank checks on the Lowell National bank. They then went to Ed Berg's store, where they proceeded to fill them out. The Lewis girl has a sister, Mrs. Fern Wicker, living south of Lowell, and the girl signed her sister's name to the checks and went out to cash them among the business men. It was a comparatively easy matter, although they were refused at several places, as the Lewis girl is known to a number of our people., having worked at the Schmal hotel and the Wagner restaurant some time ago. George Kimmet, Clark Leary and A. Callner cashed checks for them, the first two for $25 and the latter for $45. Mr. Kimmet became suspicious that all was not right and looking up the girls they returned his money. One for $25 presented to Henry Heiser, who advanced $10 until he could investigate the matter. Cashier Berg, of the Lowell National bank, compared the signature on the back with that of Mrs. Wicker, who has a checking account at the bank, and it looked genuine, but later developments proved that all the checkes were forgeries.
The girls took supper at the Schmal hotel and then hired a car at the Main garage and were taken to Crown Point, going from there to Hammond. It was decided soon after that all the checks were forgeries, and Messrs Peter Berg, Henry Heiser, A. Callner and Roy Graves went to Hammond and with the help of the Hammond police soon located the girls at the Monon station waiting to take a train south, they intending to go to San Antonio, Texas. All the money obtained by the forgeries was recovered except one dollar. They were taken to the county jail at Crown Point, where on Monday they were taken before Judge Smith. The Lewis girl was charged with forgery and the Mancovich girl with forgery and conspiracy and were put under $2,000 bonds, which they failed to give and they will have to stop in jail to await their trial, which will come up later in the Criminal court. It seens from what we can learn that both girls have been traveling at a fast gait in Hammond and they will have a long time now to ponder over their short-comings.