Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1834-10-16

H AUpAcIous FoRGERY.-One Of the most
! extraordinary pieces of impudence and Of
! frontery, (says the N. York Journal of Com
merce,) that has occurred for a long time, ac-
! companied by an infatuation equally great
! and nexplicable, was developed in this city,
on Saturday. On the 4th inst, a respectable
| looking young tn went into the Bank of the
United States, and asked one of the Tellers
ifa check drawn by the firm Of Stone, Swan
| e. Mason, of Pine street, for $4,000, had been
that day presented for payment The Teller
! having ascertained if such had been the case,
! replied in the negative Mt which the young
man seemed highly delighted, and cautioned
! the Teller against paying such a check, if II
| happened to be presented, saying that he had
! drawn one for that amount, the same morning.
! and having mislaid or lost it, he feared some
person might have picked it up, and present
| ed it for payment. = will, however," said
he, snow draw a check on you, for the same
amount" which he accordingly did, and was
! handed $4,000, with which he went away
| On the 9th inst. he again called at the Bank,
! and drew check for $4,000, which was also
paid. On the 9th, he called again, and drew
a check for $500, which was paid. On the
/ 10th, he presented n check for 5000, and
was also paid it. Making, in all, Sll 400,
/ which he received on the checks.
! On the day the last check was paid, Mes
! srs. Stone, Swan & Mason, received an init
| nation from the Bank, that they had over
/ drawn their account ; n circumstance which
astonlshed them not little, as according to
| their own books, there appeared ~ or $4,000
remaining to their credit in the Bank. One
of the firm Immediately proceeded to the
! Bank to obtain an explanation on the subject,
and was there shown the above mentioned
drafts for $1,000, which he at once declar-
ed to be torgeries,-no such drafts having
been drawn by Stone, Swan a. Mason. This
occurred on Friday. On Saturday noon, the
and very deliberately drew another check for
5000, which he presented to the Teller, for
payment. The Teller very politely request
ed the gentleman into an inner Office, where
he detained him, and sent to the Police Office
for Jacob Hayes, who took him in custody
Being thus fairly in the hands of the law, his
impudencc and audacity at once, forsook him,
and he fully acknowledged his having COM
mttcd the forgeries and received the money,
and informed Hayes how he had disposed of
it. lie had lodged 5000 of it, in the Chem
ical Bank in the name of Charles Finchlcy,
which, he says, and there is good reason to
believe, is his real name, and another So 900,
he very kindly lent to merchant in this city,
without asking any interest on it. These
two sums have been recovered. The pris-
oncr gave draft on the Chemical Bank, for
the $1,000 he lodged there, and the merchant
to whom he lent the other $4,000, Immediate
ly returned it, on being informed how Finch
ley obtained it. Besides this $4,000, Jacob
Hayes recovered from the prisoner, in cash
and jewelry, the remainder Of what he got
from the Bank, with the exception Of about
$3.50, which Finchley had expended.
On Saturday, he underwent final eXamin-
alton at the Police Office, before Justice
Lowndes, and again stated that his name
was Charles Finchley; that he was born in
Canada, and was brought up in the house of
Messrs. McPherssn, Henderson, q Co. that
he lately came to this city, and was now in
the employment OF Mr. Casthela1,i i'm Exchange
Place. in reply to question as to how he
became acquainted with the signature of
Stone, Swan s. Mason, or knew at what Bank
they kept account: it appeared that some
time ago, young man named Vysc, the son
of a merchant in London, came to this city,as
supercargo, with some goods belonging to his
father, which goods he placed in the hands of
Stone, Swan s Mason, to dispose OF. This
,occasioned Vyse to get possession of their
signature to bills Of sale, and other papers,
which he left at Casthelaz's, when leaving the
city. Finchley, by some means, got sight of
the papers, and thus learned where Stone,
Swan s. Mason kept their account, and was
also enabled to initiate their signature. lie
is not yet twenty years of age, and from his
appearance and bearing at the Police Office,
one could scarcely imagine him capable SO
much villiany. He was fully committed for
trial.