The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-02-03

|
Committee in the interest Of free trades He
was in favor of protecting the industrial in
tercsts of Pennsylvania and all the other
| States. ZETA.
The Mes, who Raised tlie Gaiiego Mills
Check Arrested.
From tho Baltimore Sun Of yesterday.
HIGHLY IMPORTANT ADMINISTRATIONS
OF PARTIES IN PASSING ERASED" CHECKS.
| During the past year number Of the banks
| in different parts of the country have been
sWindled by what is called "raiscd checks;
| That is, the fraudulent changing of genuine
| check for a small amount to that of much
larger one. The modus operGndi of parties |
engaged in this fraud is to open q core
spondcEce with some wel-known business
llrnl, who would think the transaction legiti.
mate, for the efiecting Of some comparatively |
trnllng business necessitatinS small return
payment, receive check, and then raise the |
amount and run the chances Of the altered
| check being paid by the bank on which it is |
drawn. AS al instance, it may be mentioned
that on the 18th of June, 1871; for some
minor transaction, Messrs. George Small G. |
| co. gave their check for $3.50 on the First |
National Bank Of Baltimore, which was a
few days subsequently handed to the Shreys-
bury Savings Institution in York county. Pa.
altered to 1920, and paid.
The detectives in various parts OF the coun-
try have for months bccn engaged in ferret.
| ing out the matter, including Mcssrs. Smith,
Peirson & West, the independent detectives
Of Baltimore, who finally succeeded in salts
flying themselves as to the alleged perpetra-
tors Of the fraud and comprising their arrest.
Some months ago these active police agents
had cause to suspect party who stood fair
\ l-c,,t ~;
counsel, and in order to aid them in their in
yestigations rented an upper room In build
inc directly opposite to where the suspected
party was doing all apparently legitimate
business. Here one Of the firm, or trust
worthy cmployG, was in constant attendance
noting IT, outgoing and incoming Of the slls-
pected rarity, is we'll rs those who might be
doing business with him. They were not
long in fixing upon two others, who they be-
came satisfied were connected with the fraud
ulcnt transactions. In the mean time Ncssrs.
Smith, peirson & West had become pos
sesscd of number Of altered checks upon
which the money had been paid, all traccable
to the same source.
There was a check, No. Sis, dated No
yemIer l, 1871, drawn by Daniel Wallace,
on the Fort Pitt Banking Company, Of Pitts
burgh, Pa, for $24.59, sent to the name OF
Amos White. Of Mcheesport. Pa, raised to
S2,450, and paid; a check, No. 1852, dated
December 6, 1871, drawn by Parin, Gould &
Co., Of Cincinnati, Ohio, on tie Third Nh
tionaI Bank Of that city, for 5000, sent to
the name of Ahlam Ward Tal!crs, Of juno
licn. Ohio, raised to $500, and which WIS
cashed: check No. 1883, dated August /,
1871, drawn by Ross Ray Il Brother, OH the
First National Bank Of Washington, toi'
$50 50, sent to thc name Of John NJ. Martin,
Washington city. raised to $500, paid Il
check. dated September %, 1871, drawn !ly
J. Barksd.le, treasurer GalIcgo Mills, Rich
mond, Va. for SG3.iS, sent to the name Of
John a. Grace, of Ashland, Va, raised 10
81. 500. paid check, dated December -,
1871, drawn by Smyscr, Milton & Co., on the
Bank OF Kentucky, at Louisville, for S36.15.
sent to the name OF Amos White, Lagrange,
Ky, raised to $4,000, paid; and the check Of
George Small & Co., noticed above.
Being pretty sure of their men, MessIr.
Smith, Person & West induced certain of the
bank officers Of the banks in Louisville,
Pittsburgh, and Shrewsbury, to visit Baltl-
, more, and rs soon rs the three suspected par
, ties were quietly pointed out to them they
were at once identified rs the parties who had
: presented the raised checks to the respective
banks. The next step Of the detectives was
to bare the bank officers return to their re-
sDcctive homes aud get the suspected parties
indicted by the grand jlnics Of their cities.
= This being done, and armed with acquisitions
: from the Governors Of Kentucky and Penn
. sylyania on Gov. Whyte, Of Maryland, and the
latter directing Sheriff Kane to make the ar
rests. the latter officer dcputised the detectives
who had 30 worked up the case to make the
+ arrests. About Z. NJ, Yesterday, the de-
tcctiycs, armed with the law at every point,
proceeded to arrest Henry {. Comegys, agent
or the National Life Insurance Company
Jay Cookc's,) doing business at No. l. Post
: Office avenue, Raine's building; DR.. JAS. ii
Ludwig, wel-known dentist, whose Office
is at No. 81 north Eutaw street, and Dr.. ;
f L. Swarmsted, another dentist, who rooms
i at the st. Nicholas Hotel.
! These parties have all heretofore stood
: well in the community, but on being taker
G before Sheriff Kane he at once deputised
: Messrs. Smith, Pcirson, and West, to convey
O. Swarnisted to Louisville, KY, and Comegy:
t and Ludwig to Pittsburgh, Pa, for trial. The
= detectives left for the West by the night traE
{: Of the Northern Central railway. The amount
d charged to have been obtained by fraud a:
If far as known is S20,050, although it IS be
l. lieYcd to be much larger. Swarmsted has {
i box Oh deposit in the safe Deposit Company
G on South street, which has been attached
G but its contents are us yet unknown. Or
# one Of the parties when arrested was fount
It several business letters dated February I'd
O with memorandum not to lie mailed unit
a the I'd, apparently written with view of re-
G ceiving checks for small amounts in the man
ner stated above.
b The plan for obtaining the check from
r Messrs. George Small & Co, for $3.50, which
II was changed to S3,250, was as follows: The
J. firm received letter from party, the name
: fictitious of course, dated at point on tht
i. Northern Central railway, stating that TIT
c writer would like to know the nlarkc
, | price Of rye, of which he had lot for sale
+. and would ship to Mcssrs. George Small d
o Co. There was a lot of gold coupons in tn
|. letter. and a postscript stated that the cor,
II pons had Just come into the writer's posses
v sion, and asking that they be disposed OF an!
n the amount RENTED by cheek.
RI The coupons were sold, the check for S32.5l
sent rs requested, but nothing was after
wards heard of the rye. Some three week
after Mr. George Small, OH calling ut thu
First National Bank in Baltimore, of Whicl
he is director, was, much to his surprise, i'll
!. formed that his bank account was over
\ drawn. An investigation soon brought TIT
fact to light that the $3.50 check had come
> back from the Shrewsbury Savings Banl
altered to $3.50, that institution having
:, cashed it on presentation.
= It is but proper to state that upon being
e taken to the Office Of the sheriff he at once
fhn- znI hT