What happened to Sherman E. Dodge after 1903? - Part VI

            These newspaper articles are taken from The Evening Telegram. They chronicle Sherman (French) E. Dodge’s charges of ‘Assuming to be a U.S. Officer’ between his arrest in July 1909 and imprisonment in December 1909.

July 15, 1909

STEALS WIFE, THEN BANKRUPTS HUSBAND

Mail Carrier Is Victim of Two Kinds of Unkind Robbery

            Not content with stealing away a mail carrier’s wife and grafting from the victim $600 in one swoop, it is alleged F.E. Dodge mourns in the County Jail that he went to the well too often. Mrs. O.B. Connor, formerly of Shedds, Or., is also extended opportunity to lament her departure from proper paths, and will have to answer charges.

            Dodge is a wizard in the acquisitive art, or O.B. Connor is one of the disciples of E.Z. Mark, according to the statement of Federal officers. Connor is a mail carrier of the Shedd district, Lane County, where he toiled hard and long to secure his little home, and was peacefully rearing therein his family. Dodge appeared on the scene, doubtless while the honest mail carrier was on his long daily journeys. In due time the affections of the woman were evidently won, for she is charged with entering into a plot whereby she and her accomplice might secure from the husband a goodly sum of money. Connor says that he was first apprised of trouble by the announcement that his wife was getting into trouble over the taking of a timber claim in eastern Oregon. Next came to his home Dodge, representing himself as a Government Inspector. The trouble was ominous, and the alleged Government official said that the only escape would be payment to him $600, which he would use to square the matter with the powers. Connor said that he placed a mortgage on his home to secure the sum, and promptly paid it to Dodge. Soon thereafter his wife said she had to go to Canada, and that part of the household disappeared, leaving the little children.

            Connor says further that time passed, and with it came more requests for more money from Dodge, and then more. These became so frequent and persistent that Connor concluded he could not stand the strain, and sustain his little family of children, so he imparted his trouble to a friend, and the friend advised that he place the matter before the United States District Attorney, which was done. Assistant United States District Attorney Wyatt stated this morning that the inquiry inaugurated resulted in the discovery that Dodge was living near Gresham, with Mrs. Connor. Connor swore to the complaint which charged Dodge with personating a Government official, and Deputy Marshal Griffith found the accused with the wife of the victim.

            Dodge has been placed under $2,000 bonds, and will be given a hearing tomorrow before Commissioner Marsh. Mrs. Connor’s case goes before the state officials.

July 16, 1909

DODGE THINKS HE CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING

            F.E. Dodge, charged with stealing O.B. Connor’s wife and relieving him of several hundred dollars in the same transaction, went before Commissioner Marsh at 2 o’clock this afternoon for his preliminary hearing. He has maintained a defiant air since his arrest, and says that all will be explained away when the final hearing is had. It is asserted that Connor’s first intimation of the whereabouts of his wife, whom he supposed to be in Canada, was when he went to Gresham to see Dodge, and either pay him more money or dissuade him from repeated demands. When Connor arrived in the scene, he was amazed to find his wife with Dodge. It was then that the patient camel’s back was broken, and the case hastened into the courts. Dodge has a detective badge, such as are issued by some of the fraudulent Eastern agencies in company with a certificate. This, it is claimed, he used to deceive Connor when representing himself to be a Government inspector.

September 21, 1909

Form the article: GRAND JURY HANDS IN 8 INDICTMENTS

            F.E. Dodge and Cora R. Conner, indicted jointly for a statutory offense, complaining witness being O.B. Conner, husband of Mrs. Conner.

November 23, 1909

WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY, GIVEN TWO-YEAR TERM

            Cora E. Conner, who was charged with having run away to Gresham with F.E. Dodge, after the latter had obtained more than $500 from her husband by representing that he was a Government agent, was arraigned before Presiding Judge Bronaugh, of the Circuit Court, yesterday afternoon and pleaded guilty to the charge against her. She was given two years in the penitentiary and paroled on good behavior. The circumstances leading up to Mrs. Connor’s arrest began with her filing on Government land. Later Dodge called on Mr. Conner and claimed Mrs. Conner had perjured herself in filing for the land and by this means he induced Conner to pay his about $500. Dodge subsequently became very friendly with Mrs. Conner and the two left for Gresham, where it is said that Conner found them living together. He thereupon had his wife arrested. Dodge was also arrested on the charge of having falsely represented a Government officer for the purpose of obtaining money under false pretenses. He is now awaiting trial in the Federal Court. 

December 13, 1909

DODGE PASSED HIMSELF OFF AS AN OFFICER

            F.E. Dodge is being tried before Judge Wolverton, of the Federal District Court, today on the charge of personating a Federal officer, and in that guise of getting $700 in money from a rural mail carrier of the4 Shedds district, named Orville B. Conner. Dodge’s conduct, according to the evidence gathered by the officers, evinces great quantities of that element in human affairs known as nerve. He is accused of getting the money from a poor man, in cold-blooded deception, and then taking the man’s wife away, as a climax of the raid, the woman going willingly, however.

            Mrs. Conner had a timber location. Some difficulty had been experienced in perfecting the title. About this time Dodge, a man of smooth manners, appeared on the scene, and is said to have developed a strong influence over the woman. They are charged with concocting a scheme to have Dodge meet the husband as an Interior Department official, and getting a large sum of money to have the trouble over title to the timber claim squelched by the higher officials. Conner fell to the plot, dug up $600 or $700, in all, after several importunities, and then agreed to let his wife go on a visit to Canada. As more demands kept coming for money to get the case adjusted, he became suspicious and went to Gresham, whence Dodge was sending in his requests for more hush funds. To Conner’s surprise, he is said to have found his wife there, living with Dodge, instead of being on a visit to Canada. Then trouble broke loose. Dodge’s hearing today before a jury is the logical development.

December 14, 1909

FEDERAL JURY FINDS DODGE GUILTY QUICKLY

            F.E. Dodge was convicted promptly this morning before the Federal Court on three of the indictments returned against him for personating a Federal officer and obtaining money by fraudulent pretenses. Judge Wolverton will sentence him Thursday morning. Dodge is being prosecuted by O.B. Connor, of Shedds, Or., for obtaining about $600 of money, and also breaking up his home. The jurymen did not require much time to deliberate then the case was turned over to then by Deputy United States District Attorney Wyatt, for the Government, and Attorney Seneca Fouts, for the defense. They found that the accused had personated an officer in illegal manner and had obtained the money.

December 16, 1909

Dodge Goes to Prison

            F.E. Dodge was sentenced to 18 months in the penitentiary this morning for personating a Federal officer, and getting by fraud from O.B. Connor, of Shedds, Or., the sum of $600. Dodge had been living with Mrs. Connor, and to break the back of patience entirely, concocted the scheme of getting Connor to pay him and his errant wife a good sum of money. Reconciliation on the part of the family has been effected, while the traducer will go to McNeil Island, to labor under soldier guards, and to ponder the sin of trying to wreck a family.

What happened to Sherman E. Dodge after 1903? - Part V

            These newspaper articles are taken from The Daily News. They chronicle Sherman (French) E. Dodge’s charges of ‘Assuming to be a U.S. Officer’ between his arrest in July 1909 and imprisonment in December 1909.

July 15, 1909

Front page headline: SAY SHE LOVED MAN WHO ROBBED HUSBAND

HUSBAND FOILED; MAN GETS WIFE AND $600.

            French E. Dodge, who is alleged to have blackmailed Orville Conner, a merchant doing business at Shedds, Linn County, out of $600, and also took away Conner’s wife and two daughters, was locked up in the county jail at 11 o’clock last night to await trial on serious charges. Mrs. Conner was placed in the women’s quarters of the jail, and will also have to face the court.

            According to the facts related by United States officials, Dodge is one of the worst scoundrels the government has had to deal with in many a day. Several days ago Mr. Conner appeared at the office of the United States district attorney and told Mr. Wyatt, the deputy, that he had a complaint to make. Mr. Wyatt, after hearing the details, on Wednesday called in Andy Nichols, the old government sleuth, and said, “Andy, I’ll turn this case over to you.”

            The story told by Mr. Conner to Mr. Wyatt and also to Andy Nichols was that on October 14, 1908, French E. Dodge appeared at his store at Shedds and informed him that he was a secret service agent of the United States government, which is untrue. Dodge said Mrs. Conner had taken up a timber claim in eastern Oregon, having been located by one Moise, a timberman, and that Moise perpetrated fraud and had been indicted by the United States grand jury, arrested and placed under $2,500 bonds.

Impersonates Officer

            Conner said Dodge told him that as he was a United States secret service officer he would shield Mrs. Conner if Conner would give him $600, and would get transportation for Mrs. Conner from the government and send her to Canada. She wouldn’t appear against Moise, who would go clear.

            As Mrs. Conner had located on the timber claim, and believing the lying story told by Dodge to be true, Mr. Conner paid the $600, and Mrs. Conner left home ostensibly to go to Canada, taking her two daughters with her.

            Conner let things run along, but finally became suspicious that something was wrong. He received no letters from his wife from Canada, and saw nothing in the newspapers about the case of Moise, so he decided to consult the authorities.

            Detective Nichols immediately began an investigation and at 5 o’clock Wednesday evening had located Dodge at Gresham. On Wednesday morning Mr. Conner signed a warrant for the arrest of Dodge and armed with this instrument Nichols went to Gresham at 6:30 o’clock, discovered Dodge standing in front of the store of Lewis Shattuck, and placed him under arrest.

Living Together

            Deputy United States Marshal William Griffith accompanied Detective Nichols to the scene. It was ascertained that Dodge and Mrs. Conner were living together as man and wife, and the two daughters, aged 17 and 6 years, respectively, were also in the house. On this state of facts warrants were sworn out in the office of the justice of the peace at Gresham against Dodge and Mrs. Conner, charging them with lewd cohabitation and adultery, and were served by Constable Gullixson of that place.

            They were unable to give bail. Dodge will have to appear in the United States on a charge of falsely impersonating an officer.

            Detective Nichols performed good work. He started out on the case yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock, and had the parties in the county jail at 11 o’clock at night, besides gathering much important evidence.

July 16, 1909

EXAMINE DODGE

            French E. Dodge, who bunkoed Orville Connor of Shedds, Linn County, out of $600 and took away Connor’s wife and two daughters, will have an examination before United States Commissioner Marsh late this afternoon.

July 17, 1909

Front page headline: DODGE AND MRS CONNOR; HER FIVE GIRLS

FATHERS!! HOW’D YOU LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU?

*     *     *     *     *     *

            Bigamist Johnson, who is now serving a sentence in a California prison, admitted that he married many women and had dallied with an almost endless number of others.

            Yet it is not on record that Johnson also purloined a whole family, or at least some of the children.

            In the Portland county jail is French E. Dodge, who not only ran away with Mrs. Orville Connor and secured $600 from her husband, but also took two of the children along.

            Orville Connor and wife have five girls. The youngest is six years, and oldest about 17. Dodge managed it so two of the children left their father.

            He threatened to send the oldest girl to a reform school if she did not accompany her mother and himself.

            As for the 6-year-old tot—well, that was easy. Six-year-olds generally follow mother if they can.

            A strange sight was witnessed in court yesterday when the little 6-year-old girl ran over to Dodge, threw her arms about him and called him “papa.”

            Connor was looking on at the time, but the little girl had forgotten him. His head dropped—no wonder.

            What did the father think? What were his feelings when he witnessed HIS little girl throw her arms about ANOTHER man and called him “PAPA”?

            What about the WOMAN in the case?

            *     *     *     *     *     *           

            It is not an infrequent occurrence for a man to run off with another man’s wife, but it is an uncommon thing for him to take some of the children along in the bargain.

            This, however, is what French E. Dodge, who is alleged to have blackmailed Orville Connor, a farmer at Shedds, did.

            Dodge told the eldest daughter, 17 years old, that he was going to place her in a home for bad girls at Salem if she did not accompany him and her mother.

            The youngest child, 6 years of age, was taken along by her mother. Dodge all of this time represented himself as a United States secret service officer of the United States government. This fact evidently influenced the elder girl to be led by his threats.

            At the hearing yesterday afternoon before United States Commissioner Marsh, the youngest child rushed across the room, and throwing her arms about the neck of the imposter, addressed him as “papa.” She has been thrown so much in the company of Dodge that she came to regard him as her father.

            Connor testified that his wife previously left him, remaining away for three years. He believed she was with Dodge all of this time. Mr. Connor said he went to Pendleton and brought her home, and soon afterwards Dodge appeared on the scene, and after stating that he was a United States secret service officer, told him Mrs. Connor had filed on a timber claim, taking an oath that she was a widow, and would be prosecuted for perjury.

            Connor borrowed $600 from Mr. Forks, giving a mortgage as security, to square things with Dodge. Mrs. Connor was to be taken to Canada until matters were fixed up, but she never went there.

            Mr. Connor stated that he received two letters from his wife, one mailed at a railroad station and the other at Portland. The grown daughter also testified.

            Dodge had nothing to say, and Mrs. Connor did not appear as a witness. Dodge was held to answer before the United States grand jury and was remanded to the custody of the sheriff, in default of bonds in the sum of $2,500.

            Mrs. Connor was interviewed at the county jail by a News reporter this morning.

            She is a medium-sized woman, dark hair and eyes, and has a pleasant but somewhat sad countenance. She spoke in a soft tone of voice, and evidently is a person of mild manners. A woman one would not think would leave her husband and children. Mrs. Connor stated that she is the mother of five children. They are all girls, ranging from 6 to 17 years.

            She declined to discuss her case, and after several questions walked away. Her only response was, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

            She was asked if she had been in Gresham all the time since leaving her home this last time, why she took the children along, and other things, but would not say. Mrs. Connor appears to realize her position keenly.

            Mr. Connor has returned to Shedds, taking the two children with him to rejoin the other three. Dodge must also face a state charge for cohabitating with Mrs. Connor.

November 24, 1909

WIFE MUST BE GOOD 2 YEARS

            Cora Conners, charged with unlawful cohabitation, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in the Oregon state penitentiary by Judge Bronaugh yesterday, but was paroled on good behavior, this parole coming at the request of her husband, O.E. Conners, a rural mail carrier, who appeared in court and offered to take her back and forgive her misdeeds.

            F.E. Dodge, arrested with Mrs. Conners, and charged also with representing himself as an officer of the United States, is on trial before Judge Bean in the federal court.

            Dodge went to a timber claim on which the Conners had filed, represented himself as a United States inspector of the interior department, declared that the Conners’ claim was invalid and then agreed to square the matter for $600, provided Mrs. Conners would disappear for a time.

            Mrs. Conners disappeared, and wrote frequently for money, the letters passing through Dodge’s hands. Finally Conners became suspicious and came to Portland, where he found his wife and Dodge living together.

December 14, 1909

DID HE REALLY SHOW HIS LOVE?

           

            F.O. Dodge, who fraudulently obtained $500 from Orville B. Conner, a mail carrier at Shedds, and also took away Conner’s wife and four daughters from their home, was tried in the federal court today. The case was submitted to the jury at noon.

            Mrs. Conner filed on a piece of government land in eastern Oregon. Dodge later approached Conner and represented himself to be a secret service agent of the United States. He told Conner that Mrs. Conner had been indicted for fraud for her actions in relation to the land. Dodge promised to get Mrs. Conner away to Canada, and later to have the case dropped by the government for $500, which Conner paid.

            Dodge on leaving with Mrs. Conner, influenced her to take the children along, which she did. The oldest daughter is 17 years of age.

            Dodge did not go to Canada, but instead with Mrs. Conner and her daughters, took up his residence at Gresham. Conner, becoming suspicious as time rolled along that he had been made a fool of and buncoed, laid the case before United States Attorney McCourt. Dodge was arrested for falsely impersonating an officer, and he and Mrs. Conner were also charged with unlawful cohabitation.

            The children were sent home to their father. Mrs. Conner was recently released from the county jail upon her promise to return to her husband and children and behave in the future.

            Dodge is a man of good appearance and is about 35 years old. His defense was that he did not impersonate an officer and used the money obtained from Conner to provide for Mrs. Conner and the children. He said he loved the woman. The opinion expressed is that a verdict of guilty will be returned.

December 15, 1909

Stole Man’s Wife and Money; Is Convicted

            F.O. Dodge, who stole $500 from Orville B. Conner, and also took away Conner’s wife and four children, was found guilty yesterday afternoon in the United States district court. Dodge was convicted on three counts of falsely impersonating a secret service officer. The penalty is imprisonment of not more than three years and a fine of $1,000.

            Mrs. Conner testified how she met Dodge at Pendleton, and was induced to take up land fraudulently, for which she expected to receive $500. Her husband, she said, came to Pendleton and induced her and the children to return to their home in Shedds, Linn County. Dodge, she said, later came to Shedds and told her husband she had been guilty of land fraud. Dodge said he was an officer, and induced Conner to give him $500. Mrs. Conner and the children then left the home at Shedds, accompanied by Dodge, and they went to Gresham.

            The evidence of Conner and his wife was corroborated by their 14-year-old daughter. One of the bad features of the case is that Conner had to mortgage his farm to procure the $500 he gave to Dodge.

December 16, 1909

18 MONTHS FOR DODGE

            A sentence of 18 months in the federal prison at McNeill’s island was imposed this morning by Judge Wolverton on F.O. Dodge.

            Dodge defrauded Orville B. Conner out of $500 and also persuaded Mrs. Conner to leave her husband and live with him as his wife. Dodge, Mrs. Conner and four daughters of the Conner family were found by the officers together at Gresham at the time the arrest was made.

            Dodge and Mrs. Conner previously associated at Pendleton. Mrs. Conner testified against Dodge at the trial and her evidence had much to do with his conviction.