Columbia gazette. [volume] (Columbia, Tuolumne County, Calif.) 1852-1855, 1854-10-14
EXTENSIVE rORGERIEa

4 "A S>i noui, vi Sdtutudy inOTH-
ing, says the San Francisco Herald, it
was rumored on the streets, that Henry
Meigggs had disappeared from the coun-
try, and that his fight was to avoid de-
lection of his guilt in forging City Comp
troiler's Warrants to very large amount
Information on the subject was first OBJ
tanned through Messrs. Adams & Co. ,
who sent messenger to ex-Mayor Garri-
son, and requested information as to
whether certain Warrants held by them
were genuine The answer returned was
Eyes," and from that time forward.
parties entered the Comp.roller's Office
with Warrants in various sums, and in
CURED of the clerk if they were genuine.
The Clerk looked over the registry and
found the numbers wrong, and thus de-
tected the forgery. Before four o'clock,
upwards of $225, 900 in forged City
Comptroller's Warrants were discovered
in circulation.
The blanks are fac simle of the
genuine, and have been engraved ex-
prcssly for the purpose, either in this
city or the Eastern States. The sigma
tures," 8. r. Harris aud" C. K. Carl
SON." are admirably executed. and may
possibly have been autographed.
The successful manner in which tho
forgery was committed may be inferred
from the fact that both the late Mayor
and Comptroller instantly pronounced
the Warrants, when first presented to
them, genuine. Brokers and others
handling hundreds every day can scarce
ly even now distinguish the forged from
the genuine ones.
From the San Francisco papers, we
CLEAN the following additional particu-
lars, in regard to Henry Meiggs's opcr-
atoms The Chronicle says that prob
ably not less than two hundred persons
who were week since considered
sound, are now broken, as far as they
could be broken by the loss of their
capital, which with some might be ST.
900 and others $4,000 A great
many lose heavily who do not wish their
names to be made public
The amount Of funds carried off by
Meiggs is variously estimated ut from
100000 to 100000. Nor did Mr..
Meiggs con6ne his fnancicrins opera
tions to brokers', bankers and spccula-
tors, but sought out those who depended
on their labor for subsistence. The
Alta mentions poor washcrwoman,
named Mary Wilson, from whom Ire
borrowed 81 300, which he secured
$4,000 forged warrants
| Another case was that of poo
man who owned house and
who, wishing to have some repa
borrowed 81 200 of Page, Bacon
on mortgage on her property. N
found her out, and going to her, told
he would have the repairs done, an.
give her his note for the money, which
she gave him. The note came due on
Saturday, the workmen are not paid,
the money is gone, and the house mort
gagged. Many of the lahorers who wers
in the employ Of Meiggs have loaned
him all the money they had upon the
forged warrants.
! The Transcript says that Meiggs is
said also to have obtained $4,000 from
Mrs. Burrill the actress, pledging his
bogus warrants as security. Even tho,
frail fair ones have been taken in-some
six or seven having loaned him from
two to five thousand dollars each, upon
similar securities. But it would be as
difficult to 90 over the list of sufferers
as it would be to SUN up at this time
the total amount of the forgerics.
Mr. Harris, the Comptroller, on Mon
day, discovered $4,000 more Of the
forged warrants, Which makes total Of
! $3.50 900 brought to that Office One
of the most successful Of Meiggs's frauds
was practised on the contractor for
grading Francisco street. 1t appears
that the bill was passed by the Council,
and Meiggs having half interest in it,
was empowered to draw the warrants;
he did SO, and keeping the genuine
ones, gave the forged warrants TO tho
unsuspectins contractor. The latter is
now nearly ruined by the transaction.
1t is now pretty well understood that
not more than 100000 or 100000
Of the forged Warrants are in eircula-
ton in the city, bat the amounts sup
posed to be hypothecatcd in New York,
will, it is thought, swell the grand total
somewhere in the ncighborhood of one
million. The excitement has now sub
sided great deal, and those who were
victimized with renewed energy hope to
make good the losses they have suffered
by the per6dy of Meiggs. All pursuit
seems now to have been abandoned,
and Meiggs, after accomplishing one Of
the boldest swindles on record, has cs-
capped with his booty.
Meiggs purchased through Mr.. Sea-
mer, the bark America, it is said On
his own note for ten thousand dollars,
and gave as additional security, twenty
thousand worth of forged City War
rants. He bought his liquors and pro-
visions on time. The captain of the
| bark America borrowed few days be-
fore he left $4,000, which he pledged
himself to return the day after the ves-
sci sailed
Meigs has, we understand, on board
of the America, picked crew Of fifty