Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-04-05
THE BANK OF ENGLAND F0RGERIEs.


London papers of the Sd and 4th are
at hand with the following details of the
great forgeries on the Bank of England:
1t was discovered on Saturday that
bills to an enormous amount had been
forged upon all the principal houses in
the city of London, and that these bills
had been discounted at the West End
branch of the Bank of England in Bur
ling Gardens, which does an entirely diff
ferent kind of business from the I aren't
establishment in the city. 1t is intended
for the convenience of gentlemen and
ladies and West End tradesmen who
might find it inconvenient to journey to
the city in order to transact their usual
business. 1t is not, therefore, ordinari-
ly concerned with the large bill transac-
tions of city commerce, and i'll conse-
quencc is less bound by strict regula-
tions in dealing with any business of that
nature which might accidentally be
brought to it, The conspirators must
have been aware of this, and they laid
their plans for approaching the Bank of
England by this weaker portion of its
defences. Warren, an American who
managed the plot, was in no hurry, and
took care to gain good footing before
he ventured on his ultimate enterprise.
He behaved for some time just like an
ordinary customer of good resources.
He drew upon his balance and renewed
it, but kept it always at good figure.
After while he deposited some bills.
They were good and genuine bills. Still
he was careful not to be hasty, and he
continued his transactions with the bank
until he had acquired the reputation of
a person engaged in legitimate commerce,
and thoroughly trustworthy. At length
the moment came for the presentation of
the forged bills. They We're discounted
without hesitation, and the authors of
the fraud had, to all appearances, Sue
ceeded in safely pocketing about G100,-
600. All these arrangements were mas
terpieces of ingenuity and patience, but
the bills themselves must have required
the greatest amount of labor In the
first place many of the large firms upon
whom the bills purported to be drawn
are in the habit of using peculiar kind
of paper, with certain water-marks and
printed matter. All this would have to
be initiated, and as the bills were drawn
on more than one firm, there must have
been several of such imitation.
There remained the drawing of the
bills and aftixing the signatures, and each
bill must have requiaed series of feats
in successful forging. Some of the bills
We're backed by sound acceptors, so that
there might easily be as many as half a
dozen signatures on single bill. Yet
the bills We're so perfect that not one of
them was questioned on the ground of
the acceptances not appearing genuine,
but the men who had exerted their skill.
foresight and perseverance sufficient to
insure the unhesitatIng acceptance of the
forged bills could not escape one trivial
blrnder, which revealed the whole plot.
They presented two bills in which the
date of acceptance had been omitted.
Inquiry was, of course, made of the firm
whose acceptance was thus undated, and
it was discovered that the bill was not
genuine, and the whole series were then
found to be forgeries. How much fur
ther the plot migat have been carried it is
impossible to say. Advertisements pub
lished caution bankers and brokers, and
all other persons, against dealing in a
number of United States 500, 1910, and
funded loan bonds amounting in the ag-
gregate to 1927, 900, they, it is alleged,
having been acquired out of the profits
of the forgery. The loss to the Bank of
England is stated at $4,000. The Roth
schilds are mentioned as one of the firms
on which the forged drafts were drawn,
but no other names are given.