The Nevada journal., 1854-10-13


Amount of failure. ....S 100000
Comptroller's Warrants forged,... 100000
California Lumber Co.'S stock forged, 250,0OO
Foreeries on sundry firms, ........ $4,000
| Total, ...... ..........-. -. S2,loo,oOO
From the above forgeries, the following sums
were probably realized:
81 900 900 Comptroller's Warrants hy-
pothecated at SO cents on the dollar S500,0O0
25o 900 California Lumber Company's
stock hypothecated at % cents on the
dollar, ...... ...... ...... .'.''. o|'ooV
Forgeries on several firms, ..... -. 5000
1OlSll RQAG G3OVO
1t is thought by some that this is by no
means the extent of this colossal swinlle, and
that in few days much larger amounts will be
discovered. A good deal of speculation was
entered into Sunday as to how the signatures
of the Comptroller and Mayor were so we'll
forged as to deceive these gentlemen themsel-
yes, and as Meiggs was not known to be any
thing of an extraordinary penman, the suppo-
sition that he must have had an accomplice
was pretty general, but it is altogether proba-
BILE that Meiggs procured Autographs of the
signatures Of the above mentioned of1icnls, and
that by this means they were enacuted so well.
Meiggs escaped with his family from San
Francisco On the barque America, which he
had purchased. The vessel was fully prepared
for an attack, having four carronades on board,
and a reckless crew. An attempt was made to
send the steamer Active after the fugitives, but
some accident to her wheel detained her till it
was too late. If overhauled, q strong resis-
tance would undoubtedly be made. Conjec-
make for In fact the facility with which in
telligence now travels, by steam and telegraph,
will make ultimate escape impossible. The
course of Meiggs has only opened to him fe-
vered life to end in due punishment. The Her.
aid gives the following, among other incidents,
of the transactions of the mammoth swindler.
A gentleman in the city was entrusted with
a very large amount of money to invest in the
purchase of City Warrants. He met Meiggs
in the street, and made some inquiries on the
subject Meiggs told him he had S25 900
about him. but that he would not sell it for
sixty cents-the price offered by the other par
ty--that it was wcrth more, that he would buy
at sixty cents himself but that he would like
to raise sum on the security of his warrants,
which he would hypothecate at as low figure
as 55 cents. His interrogation not being au-
thorized to loan, escaped the snare laid for him.
Some parties have lost larger sums than were
necessary through their eagerness to make
loans on such advantageous terms. One firm,
we have been told Of who were applied to by
broker for 1000, to be loaned on Meiggs'
note, secured by warrants at so cents on the
dollar They jumped at the investment, and
eagerly enquired Of the broker if he could not
place some more on the same terms The bro
ker took the $1,000, and asked Meiggs if he
did not want more on the same terms. Meiggs
of course, replied in the affirmative, handed
over $4,000 of his forged warrants and got
$4,000 more out of the party who had already
furnished him the 1000 dollars
1t seems that there were some few debts
which Meiggs had the conscience to pay be-
fore his departure. He had in his hands some
$1,000 belonging to youth in Page, Bacon &
Co.'s Office, who has widowed mother depen-
dent upon him. This he paid the day before
he left. 1t is stated also that sum of money
from him was delivered after his departure, to
firm on Montgomery street, with instructions
to apply it to the liquidation of certain debts
OF comparatively small amount. The day be-
fore he disappeared, he is said to have gone
around town paying little bills ranging be-
tween ten and three hundred dollars, which he
owed various tradesmen. On the other hand
some of his transactions showed peculiar
baseness. He is said to have palmed off 2, 900
dollars of bogus warrants on his washerwoman
He borrowed on the same worthless security,
all the means of a number of Clerks in several
of the banking houses and mercantile firms,
and even from hard working laborers, who had
collected a few hundred dollars, while in his
employ. No sum seemed to be so small as to
be beneath his notice--no man too humble to
escape his rapacity. He was too shrewd ever
to sell any of the forged warrants, as that might
have led to his detection. His object always
appears to have been to hypothecate them, cal
culating very truly that the holders would put
them away in their lock-ups for safe keeping,
until redeemed. By this means they would be
subject to as little observation as possible.
BS@ We learn that Mr. D. Bower gives
his great annual festival to the Indians, on
Sunday next, at his Ranch 211ss miles below
this city. There are expected to be present
900 to 800 Indians from the different ran
cherias composing the tribe. They are making
extensive preparations to enjoy grand "Yo-
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