This week in Aspen history

“Billiard table repairer made an early departure,” claimed a headline in the Aspen Democrat-Times on May 6, 1911.

“George Kennedy, who claimed to be in the employ of the Denver branch of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender company, billiard table manufacturers, left town this morning under suspicious circumstances. He arrived in the city about a month ago and was understood to be the accredited travelling expert repairer of the tables made by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender company. He was employed by Mansor Elisha to overhaul the billiard and pool tables at the Hotel Jerome and by others in the city having billiard and pool tables and was a guest at the Hotel Jerome, having one of the best apartments in the house.”

“For the past week or so, he had indulged heavily in libations other than pure mountain water, and it would seem that his expenditures soon exceeded his income, and he became in arrears for board and room and soon suffered from a lack of the ready circulating medium commonly termed ‘long green.’ When Mr. Kennedy’s attention was called to the matter, he apologized (…) by saying he would make good this morning. The morning dawned with the sky of a leaden hue, the rising sun obscured by heavy rain clouds.”

“At about ten minutes to 5 o’clock, the landlady of the hotel heard rapid footsteps descending the stairs and looking out of her window a minute later she saw Kennedy hot-footing it up the street toward the depot. The night clerk was aroused and started pursuit of the erstwhile boarder and lodger, but when he reached the depot, the train was well started toward our neighboring town situated at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Grand rivers. Sheriff Everett was immediately notified, who got busy on the wire with the sheriff of Garfield county at Glenwood Springs, and on the arrival of the Midland train at that place, Kennedy was taken into custody and escorted to the jail. Sheriff Everett went to Glenwood on this afternoon’s Rio Grande, and Kennedy will be brought back to Aspen to answer the charges of beating a board and lodging bill and obtaining money under false pretenses.”