Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-09-26
lProm tho New fcsh Bspfere.1
Extraordinary Forgery.

trail Police Department, returned at O
late hour Friday night from an exten.
siye tour through the West, having
in his custody John Henry Livings.
ton. alias Matthews, alias Depeyster,
who stands charged with forging the
name Of Cornelius Vanderbilt TO a
check for S75, 900, and obtaining the
money for the same at the National
City Bank of this city. The>details
Of the case, as furnished to our report
er BY Mr.. Elder, are of an unusually
interesting nature.
On the llth of July last, stranger
called at the City Bank in Wall street
and introduced himself as messenger
for the American Express Co. He
was gotten up for the occasion in the
style of dress affected by Express
messengers and was we'll calculated
to deceive. This man presented a
check for S75, 900 drawn on the Bank,
purporting to bear the genuine sigma
ture Of Cornelius Vanderbilt. The
check, dated July 6, 1867, was made
payable to the order of Henry Keep,
President of the N. Y. Central Rail
road, and bore the following indorse-
ment, "July Sth, l867.-The American
Express Co. will collect and deliver at
Albany. Henry Keep, President N
Y. c. r. R." fThe signatures of
Messrs. Vanderbilt and Keep were so
closely initiated that Mr.. Thos Worth,
paying teller, did not suspect the
character of the document, but not
having received sufficient funds from
the Clearing House TO meet the check,
be requested the messenger TO call
again. Soon after the pretended mes
sanger called and collected the S75 900
in greenbacks He caused the green
backs to be done up in the usual man
ner, and placed them in a valise,
walked coolly out of the bank. 1t is
needless TO add that the check was a
forgery, but this fact was not ascer-
tanned until some six weeks after,
when, on making up Mr.. Vanderbit's
account, the sum of $4,000 was
charged to bis debt moro than he had
drawn checks for. The check to the
"order of President Keep" was shown
as a voucher and Mr.. V. unhesitating-
ly pronounced it a forgery.
The Bank officials at once commu-
ncated with Superintendent Kennedy,
who detailed detective Elder TO work
the case up. The detective called on
Mr.. Worth, the paying teller, who
furnished him with a remarkably ac-
curate sketch of the man who had
presented the check, drawn by him
with pen from memory. So correct
was this likeness that Mr.. Elder was
enabled to trace the forger by its
means. Mr.. Elder then called on
Commodore Vanderbilt, who gave
him q description of a man with
whom he had been negotiating for
The purchase OF valuable horse to
match one in his possession. This
man seemed very anxious to sell the
horse, and thereby obtain the check
Of the Commodore for the amount, to
give him an opportunity to initiate
the genuine signature. The descrip-
ton of this man Tailed with the sketch
furnished by Mr.. Worth, and with
this clue in hand the detective set TO
work to discover the whereabouts of
the forger, who had nearly six weeks
the start of him, as Mr.. Elder was
not given in charge OF the case until
the Goth of August. The detective,
by dint of hard work, and dogged
perseverance, succeeded in tracing his
man TO Harlem, where he had resided
in l4th street in good style, and where
he had purchased several valuable
horses Here he went by the name
Of Depeyster. 1t was also discovered
that Depeyster had left the neighbor-
hood about the 18th July, just week
after the forgery was successfully
oonsummated. He was next heard
of at Buffalo, where, under the name
of Matthews, or Matthias, he lived a
fast life and invested largely in horses,
harness, wagons, etc. From Buffalo
he was traced to Chicago, in which
city be went by the name of Henry
Livingston and cut a great figure
among sporting circles.
1t was thought that the fugitive
was Gagged at Chicago, as he seemed
to desire to make that city his perma
nent home. A requisition was needed
to procure his arrest, and to obtain
the necessary authority Messrs. Van
derbilt and Worth appeared before
Justice Barnard, Of the Supreme Court,
at Chambers, and preferred a com
plaint Of forgery against Livingston
in due form. The Judge issued a
warrant for his arrest, and armed
with these documents elder went TO
Albany and obtained a requisition
from Governor Fenton of this State
on Governor Oglesby of Illinois for
the extradition Of Livingston. Mr.. |
Elder thereupon proceeded to Chicago,
but when he reached that city Liv-
iugston had disappeared, and all trace
Of him had vanished. In this diem
ma, Detective Elder secured the aid
Of Detective Samuel Ellis, of the Chi
o'go force, and Captain Yates, an
eSpericnoed police officer, of Geneva,
illinois, and the three instituted a
search for the missing Livingston.
The result of the search was :he dis
eoyery of the fugitive, who was found
living on a farm at Blackberry Sta
ton, on the Chicago and North West.
ern Railroad, about A miles from
Cnlcago. The officers proceeded at
once to the spot indicated, and there
found the man living on a splendid
and well stocked farm He was some