New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-17
CHARACTER OF THE DELINQUENT.
Lis Mode of Using His Ill-Gotten Means.
Statement of the President of the NeW'iOfk
Bank, Morris Netchum and others.


sided. faint rumbng sound is still heard, and the
ouerators at the Stock Exchange look il they ex-
fected another crash in some quarter or other In
Wall and Broad-sts and the Stock Exchange, and
throughout that vicinity bankers brokers, and spec
;ators are gathered in groups all looking gloomy and
reserved and communicating their ideas by species
of pantomme with an occasional note of the jargon of
"the street." There is general feeling OF insecurity
manifest among'the "buls and bears
Some look confident and endeayor TO inspire conf
dence but after the failure of such an eminent and
well known house as that of Ketchum Son Co.. more
strange and startling developments are momentariy
looked for At their desks bank clerks cashiers and
those Young gentlemen who have learned TO lead the
life OF Sardanapaus on their s200O per year look as
innocent ss angels, and pore over their daybooks
ledgers and accounts with coanenances elongated 20
an extraordinary degree Startling revealments are
expected among these gentlemen.
There is a searching investigation now going on az
each banking establishment into It's management ana
accounts perneatsg the minuest branches connected
with the business Bank directors have awakened
ONT their dream of security end have at length COM
slenced look after the operations OF those gentlemen
who keep their accounts and manage their transactions
Many defalcaons of minor character will, il may be
fairly presumed be brought TO light, and bank officials
now in good standing and occupying respectable
pcsitions in life, will be seriously implicated.
The GOLD CHECKS.
Hundreds in possession OF gold checks bestated TO
present them at the Board yesterday peferrng to defer
the crisis and buoy themselves up fictitious credit
Few Of the uninitiated know what gold checks are.
Some time since, for their convenience. certain
brokers resolved consider the Bank of NewYork
the bank Of deposit and an arrangement was then en-
tered into with that bank whereby it, for the sum Of
$1,000 from each dealer agreed TO receive count and
take charge OF the gold paper to which the name OF
gold checks was given.
These certificates were supposed to represent the
amount Of the precious metal stored in the vaults OF
The bank 80 that in fact one OF these god-checks.
ssy for $4,000 was considered good as $4,000 in
gold-bags. Before they good for payment, the
signature of the drawer is required the signature OF
the registrar of the teller and of the payer. These
checks, differing from ordinary checks only in being
numbered, pass from hand to hand in the ordinary
channels Of trade, and often considerable time would
espse before they would be returned 10 the house that
made them for redemption.
large number Of these checks forged by young
Ketchum but in such poor manner that any one con
versant with the signatures Of the officials Of the Bank
Of New York could readily detect the forgery. To
lated that upon any pretense these checks should not
put the market but deposited colaterals Other
banking houses security However, some of them
found their way to the market presented for pay
vent at the Bank Of New York and Immediately pro
ponnced forgeres
FURTHER PARTICULARs-AMoUST OF THE FORGERY
About the 9th of last June customer introduced
Mr.. Edward Ketchum to Mr.. Leverch the President Of
the Bank Of New York when in the course of CONFER
sstion ketchum expressed desire 10 open gold &C
count in the name Of the firm Of Ketchum Son & Co
He produced at the time check for ST. Oo0 the accom-
mediation fee, and obtained a book containing five
hundred checks which were respectively numbered
from 5e JO to 49, 900 inclusive Five hundred of these
each representing 5000 used Bot @ check from
that book was never during all these transactions
scented at the bank until Tuesday when the forgery was
Immediately detected and young Ketchum was non
inpstas The fact of their presentation for such
length OF time is accounted for by the fact that they
were merely used collateras until within the past
few days when they were presented for payment and
their character Immediately discovered. He appears
to have been novice in the art Of forging The names
were incorrectly spelled and bunged otherwise as TO
be quite easy Of detection.
PRESENTATION OF THE LAST CHEEK
the firm, and amounted to 10000 Ketchum IT.. pre-
scented II N person. requesting at the same time that
the money be paid him in bills of large denomination
but owing 10 the small number on hand be was com.
PEELED to take the money in smaller bills and this ac
counts Tor the Large pile" which he had with him in
Mr. attnaehs store where he purchased the bag and
An Which he locked up the money The manner
Oh DIS departure from the city, his sang fro,d and
senpossesson which never forsook him during the en-
fe time is was carrying his nefarious schemes and
flooding the MARKET win forged notes. eeyates him 70
avery unes>abie notorety among the noted criminals
ana iorgers Of the present day. 1t is believed that he
had no money excep the amount Of the last check ,
him when he left
me Ch4kA nR OF THR DELINQUENT
EDWARD hetchum was what the world considers n
man Of n1eIoeptiorable character He ues a.. ao,,e
slaDt Of al the business transactions of hi. c,hor
placed the utmost reliance in his honesty md i,;.
He was vel educated possessed of finely o,I,ira,ca
mind. and gifted with larger share OF talent tran mo
srre ordinarily bestows. His father iptended "a, ..
10 early age Tor Of the professions but M HI, hr
sss increased and be became acquainted with tho
eading and naDeiers in the country he de,erm;d
% associate him with himself in business His talent,
ttention 10 business. shrewdness and clear discern
newt soon Won him a leading position among the |!
PEI ators In Wall.st.. and placed him almost nj
r. Mead Of the firm Of Ketchum. Son a. Co.
So endid future was before him. His
me ~ happy one. All that men 80 much
yet-we slth education. rein .ment, the appreciation
not the a, psuse Of the world happy home the ties
famiIy-aIl were his and yet, by one rash criminal
t. be swept Nm FROM Linn Of proe Apd foTsyy Hjs