New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-13

BUSINESS WITHOUT CAPITAL OR GOoDs
Several Banks Grossly swindled

About month ago two genteel appear
ing strangers applied to Mr.. Friedlander,
Of Carondelet street, stating that they
wished to rent one Of his vacant stores on
Delta street, as they intended commencing
a wholesale business in liquor and cotton.
The building was leased to them for q year,
they paying the first months. rent in ad
vance and giving notes for the other months.
They gave the firms name as Clayton, Will
iams e. Co.
Having completed this, they purchased
freely of furniture from Mitchell, Craig e.
Co.; stationery from Ellis, Durell and Stet-
son & Armstrong, which bills are mostly
still unpaid. They made purchases from
other houses. Clayton and Williams took
rooms and board at No. 146 Carondelet
street, but it does not appear that the "Co."
had any existence. 1t is supposed that the
names given are fictitious. As to personal
appearance they were very acceptable and
plausible.
The establishment or store on Delta
street, which runs through to Front street,
appears never to have contained any other
produce than thirty barrels of whisky.
This whisky was disposed of at trifc
under market rates, to certain firms whose
signatures were desired by Clayton,
Williams g. Co. The belief is. that these
men obtained the signatures of John G.
Ryan, COmagere g. Lambert, E. Burke,
Karstendeik, Harmon. Vignes & Israel, and
others, on receipts or checks for the liquor
sold. These checks were held several days
by the new firm, but finally presented for
payment, or left on deposit, for it must be
remembered that the strangers had opened
accounts in several banks.
They mnst have practiced long and well
on the various signatures, as the sequel
proves that the writing was very perfect.
This mythical firm forged checks for
various amounts, which they deposited in
the following named banks: Canal, Citi-
zens', Louisiana State, Germania. Hibernia,
America and Merchants. The names forged
were such as these rascals had obtained pos
session OF in small transactions. Accounts
were opened in the institutions mentioned,
and the bogus checks, aggregating seventy
thousand dollars, deposited, the largest part
last Saturday. Fraudulent checks summing
up about twenty thousand dollars were de-
posted in the Louisiana State Bank, on
which were drawn something like five thou
sand dollars.
An application for further sum OF ten
thousand dollars, later in the day, was re-
tbo III I,,,
the checks certified. Mr.. Dupuy. the
cashier, Immediately sent his courier with
the si06S check of Comagere g. Lambert
to the Germania Bank, on which it was
drawn. 1t was pronounced genuine. New
ertheless, Mr.. Dupuy felt uneasy, and de-
cided to apply to Mr.. Coinage in person.
For this purpose he went to his residence
and not finding him there, he applied to his
place of business. As soon as shown the
check Mr.. Comagere pronounced it 4
forgery. In the meantime, the 10000 IL
| checks deposited with the Louisiana State
Bank had all been certified. This bank
therefore, claims that it is not loser.
On the Merchants Bank. some $4,000 in
checks were drawn, but no application for
payment was made on Saturday. One
check, however, was presented in the pri-
vate office of the President, Mr.. L. II.
Keynes, Oh Sunday. and at once perceived
to be a forgery. This put the Merchants
Bank on their guard and all payments were
therefore declined. These checks all pur-
port to be drawn by bank directors, and
IN
Mr.. J. E. Cassard, paying teller, of the
Germaniueank, appears to have been the
first to entertain q suspicion OF the new
firm and their checks. At four o'clock Sat
urday evening messenger from the Louis;-
ana State Bank called On Mr.. Cassard, and
showed him a check on the Louisiana State
Bank purporting to be drawn by the house
of Comagere g. Lambert, for $1,000, who
kept their account with the GeTmania Bank.
To an inquiry whether that house was good
for the amount the paying teller answered
in the affirmative. The runner then re-
Guested to have the check certified.
Mr.. Cassard inquired why he wanted to
have it certified. it being after business
hours, and if there was anything wrong
about it. On being answered in the mega
tive, he certified the check in the usual man
ner. Even while doing this, however, a s,ls-
picion of something wrong struck him,
although not sufficiently strong to cause
him to withhold the certificate. On the
same evening he went to see Mr.. Coma
gere, and inquired Of him if his firm had
drawn such check. Mr.. Comagere an
swered that they had not and at once de-
clared it forgery.
Mr. Cassard, about nine o'clock on the
same night, saw the paying teller of the
Louisiana State Bank, and warned him that
there was something wrong in the Comar-
gere Il Lambert check which he had certi
fed to.
He answered that nothing could be done
in the matter until Monday morning. The
warning of Mr.. Cassard was fortunate, as it
prevented the cashing Of this check to-day
We learn further that Clayton, Williams
& Co. deposited on Saturday, in the Louis
lana Bank. several checks, purporting to be
drawn by various individuals, amounting in
all to over ten thousand dollars. Toward
three o'clock they deposited q check on the
bank for the amount of eight thousand FIVE
hundred dollars, against the checks they
had deposited, and desired the teller to GER
tify the same. This the teller declined to
do, unless the checks they had deposited
were certified. The party who was trying
the game then said he would take< the
checks and have them certified. taking them