Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-09-18
DOTNGS OF A FORGER.
A seventy Five Thonsmnd nseI,nr
"a Hunt by nDctecakves.-s
.a'be Arress.~n.nWyer
sold -. The GOrger
I'm .gAik.

Any place oil amusement IA va are crowds
ed for space we can only give in brief the
particulars, which are as follows:
On July ll,h, the City Bank OF New
! ork, the proprietors OF which are Moses
Taylor & Co.. was presented with checl,
for $4,000 purporting to be signed by
Commodore Vanderbilt. The maine of the
man who handel the check to the paying
teller was Henry Livingston. The amount
called for Was paid 70 the latter, who with
the neat little sum in his possession, lef,
the institution Two or three days subse-
ouent TO the ira saction the ch, Ok was dis
covered to have been forged, and with asiew
to the capture Of the rascal who perpetratsi
the swindle, the services Of detective Geo.
Elder, Of the New York force, was called IN
to reauisi,ion. That officer asked the clerk
who had paid the morey to Livingston for
description Of the latter. The teller was
almost at a loss to furnish the desired in'
formation, a. he had scarcely noticed the
man, but informed the officer that II he
would call in an hour or so he would have
ready for him pen and ink sketch OF tho
thief, which be would draw up from memo> |
RI. Ia accordance with his promise The |
clerk drew up a Likeness. Of Livingston, and |
With such correctness that tie detective ..
once recognized the portrait as that OF Hen
~ Livingston, alias Lewis, alias Matthews,
alias DeI'eyster, . man Of extremely horsy
procliylties. about forty>fve years OF age
IND weighing over two hundred pounds.
Inquiry resulted in the discovery that the
man Of aliases had departed for Buffalo =
Thither the detective repaired aud ascer.
tanned that Livingston had visited that city,
had bought several horses. etc, there. and
had departed for Chicago. E'der embarked
on an early train for this city, and arrived
he-e N due course. He was again disap~
pointed in not finding his man, and learned
| that he had been saying 1t the Brighton
| House, but had very recently left. de- had
| purchased farm and several horses, and
had stated HIS intention on departing Of sets
Ting in Kane county, Ill. Elder then ap>
Piled 10 the Chief Of Police for assistance,
and detective Sam Ellis, one of our shrewd
est officers, was detailed for that purpose.
The two started for Blackberry Station,
Kane county. Arrived there they lesrned
tina, Livingston was living ON property
about four aud half miles northwest from
that point, known as the Camp aud Woods
man farins, which hc had bought for 50,
0ep cash, aud which consisted OF over 600
| atifS- Luz biitSies upSb ttiiHt biA' W
ey and went TO the farm, where they ar
rived on Wednesday morning at ! o O'Clock
They observed Livingston standing ~ n
barn door Eli, nlighted from his vohiele,
md, approaching Livingston, asked him
how he was. Livingston saa II don't
know YOU sir, at all, and ives turning
when the officer laid his hand on the man =
-houldcr anu told HIM he nad a Governor ;
| 4 4 a. a
marked, "This is detective Elder, OF New
York give you into his custody Liv>
, ingston said he was acquainted with Elder,
and taking the warrant trembled like an
aspen leaf as he read it, The officers then
, consulted and decided that Elder should go
at once to Geneva in order TO procure at
, tai hments ulOn tho farms and property
thereon, and TO place the Sheriff 10 charge
while Ellis e oud remain at the pace and
take care Of his prisoner until his brother
J oiiicei 4 return Ia the course OF Their in
, yestigation they had learned that Livings'
ton possessed a very fast ) 600 team
This was Just what they wanted ioI
Elders journey - Geneva, SO they
: took possession OF IL. Elder started Oft
and Ellis led his prisoner 10 the house
" hen they had reached the latter, Living
ston requested to be allowed To 70 to has
bedroom. The officer consented AID &C.
, companied him. On entering the apart
, ment, Livingston dashed to the window on
the ledge OF winch WAS living revolver =
Ellis instantly grabbed him and held hu
G back, and while holding him noticed ,ha
] the place was full OF fir, arms. Two loaded
n double barrel runs were under the bed, ant
three reviewers were lying in various part
: OF the room. The officer at once hanicuiiet
the prisoner and searched him, and found
concealed inside his vest, mntderous look
ing slung shot lie then collected III,
d weapons aud deposited them in a place o
= safety, aud taking out formidable revolvc
Of his own, threatened Livingston with
dose of lead aud saltpetre should he max
; any demonstration. The officer ascertalnet
= from him that 81 least forty one horses wer,
4 on the farm. ten Of winch cost 7 BOO each
two 81, 900 each, and the others smaller
though large sums.
Towards 4 o clock in the afternoon Eide
returned from Geneva, and the officers thel
:. look Livingston to Blackberry Station, in
! tending 10 bring him to Chicago by tn
tran starting TO this city at ; o'clock yes
terday m,rning. But here they were me
by whole drove OF lawyers, who w.r
. anxious To work in Livingston's behalf
:. They heset the officers on all sides, and on
Of their pack started for Elgn to procure
writ OF haieds corpus for his Liberation, ant
10 get out attachments upon the sum o
10000, Of which Ellis had got possession
and which he had found on the prisoner. =
i Here again the fast team rendered goo,
. service The officers determined to- Sc
the lawyers, and while the latter wer
. all awaiting in anxious suspense the ar
rival II the writ, tho sharp detective
had placed Livingston in the /; / 60,
!, institution and were driving across tn
prairie towards Michigan City, Ind, seven
i. ty>ive miles distant a. u tremendous yeloci
ty- thoy reached that city in good TIM,
and Ellis then resigned the criminal into III,
II hands oi Elder. vino at once took train To-
/ New York, while Ellis quietly came to Chi
i. cago and reported TO his superior officer,
the fact that at was oil right
yesterday . vast number Of LAWYER
came TO Chicago expecting to find ,heil
client, and were indignant in the extrem,
on learning how they had been sold. Is the,
termed 1t, by two policemen" They ar,
certainly out OF pocket BY the n, nsacticn
!, . rare state OF things for the men of III,
law.
Livingston, while in the Northwest in,
troduced his wife to every one he met as
daughter Of Commodore Vanderbilt, ant
: his neighbors at Blackberry Station treate,
o her with great respect Oh that account and
thought Livingston some pumpkins.
The latter has acted with wonderful eccen,
tricity since he wormed the ST., 900 out o
4 the bank He could not afford TO buy
i single article, ~ 4 when his employees aske,
n him AZ the farm for a fork or plough o.
G ANYTHING of similar nature. he would say
I ''oi course, buy q dozen forks or "ge
i three ploughs Ii be wanted n hors,
II blanket. be purchased n bale of those arti
cieS, and so on, and his farm is stocked
It with goods procured in this manner. III
e had the character snong his ncighbors o
being terribly desperate man, and neye
e went about unless armed TO the teeth.
!. Thanks TO the shrewdness Of two of th
|, best detectives in the country, the wretch
A is now luxuria,ing behind the iron bars Of
, gloomy cage in New Yorx. Chicago Ere
, ming Journal, 13M.
Information is wanted of Abraham
, DELPHI, = boy eight years Of age last De
cetnber. lie left his mothers home Jul,
ed, ostensiby for the purpose of working