The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-02-11
A SEARCH FOR ROCHE.
A Detectives EKperience-COm. VAN
derbiIt's Checks.
rErou, tha Nau- Vorl- pce4 OIs41

0CEDiAA's OhCCkss
From the New York Post, 21stl
About two years ago the authorities O
the City Bank were thrown into great ex
citement by the discovery of q forgery o
which they were the victims, and whicl
had been planned and executed with mol,
than usual skill and determination.
A check for SIS, 600, bearing the sigma
ture of Commodore Vanderbilt, had beer
presented and honored some two or three
months before, and no suspicion had beer
awakened In the minds of the cashiers -
Subsequent inquiries proved beyond al
doubt that the check was forged, and i
appeared equally certain that all clue to th,
perpetratoT of the crime was hopelesslN
lost. The matter was at once placed IL
the hands of the Detective Police, and Mr.
Elder, who at the time was at Saratoga
was selected for the one GUS duty.
1t may not be uninteresting TO recount
the methods selected with a view to the de-
lection of the offender, and to point out
how invariably a criminal, however skill
iul, leaves behind him some slight trail,
that can be followed up successfully by a
man Of penetration and perseverance. Mr..
Elder then, as soon as he received his sum-
mons, returned to New York, and proceed.
ed to the bank, where he had an interview
with the managers, and inspected the for
gel document The signature was i'm
itated with freedom and eXactness CON-
pletely accounting for the ease with which
the check had been uttered, and the gen.
eral impression was, that it had been ex-
ecuted by some one thoroughly conversant
with the handwriting OF the Commodore.
Iu a case of this description the first sus-
pected persons are usually the clerks. But
on this occasion the greatest confidence
was reposed IN the employees by the heads
of the establishment, and they were unable
to single out any whom they could for a
moment suspect of being guilty Of such a
transaction. Mr.. Elder, however, for his
own satisfaction examined all individually
and the result of his examination was a
complete conviction of their entire inno-
cence. The next step was to discover, if
possible, the personal appearance of the
man by when the check had been present
ed. Here again the difficulties seemed in
surmountable. Many weeks had elapsed,
MANY large checks had IN the meantime
been presented in the same name, and the
memories of all were seemingly blank. The
question was, had any check of the Com
modore's been presented by any one not
in the habit of presenting them? and to
this inquiry an answer was elicited. One
of the clerks recollected a man, short, stout
and elderly, whom he had never seen be-
fore or since, who had cashed a check fOr
a large amount some time before. signed
to the best of his belief 10y the Commo-
dere. This, although undoubtedly i'm
portant if true, was but very frail thread
10 relv on, when IL Is considered that he
,f- 1,,7 hsav Id 70,
by a series of cross-questionings 1t is by
no means rare for a Ran to assert his per-
sonal knowledge OF an event under these
circumstances, and to be convinced of the
truth of his statement, when In reality he
is speaking upon the authority of heresay
alone. This fact was remembered, a d
there was disposition to doubt the abs0-
lutte accuracy OF the clerks assertion. He
was, however, very positive in adhering to
it, and added that his recollection of the
man was so vivid that he believed he could
produce a apen-and-ink-sketch, by which he
would be recognizable. He was as good
as his word The sketch was made, and
handed ever to Mr.. Elder, in whose pos
session it now remains. The original OF
this portrait had driven TO the bank in q
buggy drawn by a horse of great beauty,
and an attempt was accordingly made to
discover by whom or TO whom the horse
had been sold or hired. 1t was almost alb
surd to hope for any good result from an
inquiry based upop such insufficient data,
but there appeared to be no other way IN
which tbs mystery could be elUciGated.
The horse and buggy were not traced, and
thequesiion as to whether they we're hired
or private property was unsolved; but the
man was identified bya iyery-stable keep
er as one Livingstone, whom he had pre-
viously known, and who had disappeared
from the vicinity. He was married man,
with family, and bis wife and children
had, at no distant date, been subsisting on
charity. 1t was plain that he was not JUS
tilted in driving handsome turnout when
he was unable TO support his family, and
the scent grow warmer.
The pen-and-ink sketch was also exhibit
ed to Commodore Vanderbilt but he was
not able to identify it, although on consid-
elation he said that it reminded him great
" of a man who had called upon lin a
long while before, with black horse fo1
sale, of perfect form, and possessed ofgreai
speed. He had not bought the animal, as
he did not at that time require it, and he
could not remember whether or no the
would-be seller had given him any address.
If he did, he most assuredly had forgotten
If: had made no note of so trivial an occur
renee, and had never seen or heard of him
since. All this, if not conclusive, tended
in no small degree TO confirm an impress
SIGN, which had been gradually forming
in the minds of the police, that Living
stone was In some way or other interested
in the horse-trade. He enjoyed the Teputa-
ton of being an excellent judge of horse.
flesh; he had driven a magnificent horse
into the city, and he had attempted to sell
one equally fine to Mr.. Vanderbilt; it was,
therefore, in no wise improbable that In
herses he would expend considerable por-
ton of his lll-gottsn gains
The next question was, Had any sale OF
horses taken place lately in New York, and
if so, by whom had they been bought? The
dealers were interrogated, and after some
delay, it was discovered that an elderly
gentleman, answering slightly to the de
scription of Livingstone, but giving the
name cf Price, had bought several, and
ordered them to be transmitted to Buffalo
whittier he was at once proceeding. Here
at last was positive clue, and the detect
i've did not hesitate an instant in taking
his departure for the same place. As sooI
as he arrived, he secured the cooperation
of the local police, and instituted the mos
searching inquiries The chase was con
ducted with the utmost caution, IN cas-
auy alarm should be given to the guilt.
party. and enable him to make good an
escape. But, in spite Of every effort, th'
trail became fainter, and the seekers began
TO think that their task would have to b'
relinquished, at all events for the present
At the moment when the mystery seemed
darker than ever twas ascertalned that the
horses purchased IN New York had beel
forwarded to Chicago from Buffalo, IN com
panv with number of others purchased
bv MIR. Weech, who, it appeared, hat
also become the owner Of those bought b,
Mr.. Price bIr. Weech, too, was stout
elderly man. The coincidence was slDgu
lar. and NJ. Elder at once betook himsel
to Chicago.
Here the old course was pursued, and tn
horse-dealers were interviewed IN rota
ton. but the fugitive was probably con
tented with the purchases he had alread
made. as no evidence Was forthcoming @
his having further increasing his stud. Bu
saddles and brides and other furniture ar
wanted where horses are numerous, and tn
poljce endearored to ascertain whether an
LARGE sale of these articles had occurre'
lately. Yes; an elderly gentleman, Wb
had purchased no less than four farms abou
40 miles from Chicago, had been buying