The man Smith at Valley City, whose supposed suicide was published in the Alert three days ago, is generally believed to have decamped the country instead of remaining to answer for selling mortgaged property and mortgaging sold property. The idea of his being in the Sheyenne is now regarded as decidedly fishy.

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The Daily Times of Valley City, in speaking of the late dissappearance of one Smith from the scenes of that place says that he willfully swindled at least five or six creditors there can be no doubt in having in one case covered a bin full of oats with a layer of wheat and mortgaged it for all wheat; in another taking out an insurance policy on 600 bushels of wheat which he had already sold, doing it for the purpose of hoodwinking the mortgagees, besides mortgaging property which he either did not own or had already disposed of, and, as has heretofore been stated selling mortgaged property, and he could be sent to the penitentiary, if found, on at least four or five different counts.

Jamestown Alert, 1/19/1883