New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-06-05
THE COURTS.
THE GREAT BOND FORGERIES.
AN INNER VIEW OF TIE PLOT-AN ENGRAVERS AID


Central R,road and other railroad bonds was DeSun
Yesterday Mr.. Phelps having recovered IRON MS mus
position Of the day BEFORE Eleven jurors M"
been secured and it took only short tme yes'eru' "
obtain the twelfth Mr.. Phelps Ia assisted IN 'ne po'
ecuton OF Roberts by Messrs. Knox and Hewitt. VINO
appear for the firms and persons swihdieu w wv
forgers. For the prisoners are ex-Mayor h'i'' ca
Recorder Smith, and ex.Assstant United States DIS
trictAttorney Purdy. 80.
After all the witnesses IN the case had been sent o
of the court ROOM at tho request OF MI Han. the DIS
enlightened the Jury as to the fac's Oh ~
case which he felt confident OF showing. he uesc''o
how financcrs here and in England were greatly agr
oted acme time ago by the discovery of vast scheme
OF forgery the perpetrators OF which in England were
detected and punished there. Following closely upon
this came startling scheme In this country oy WHICH
many merchants and brokers were defrau'ed Vi iaiSo
sums OF money, the scheme embracing iorgeries vi
securities OF railway companies ana other coTporaonS'
and bonds of the NewYork Central and Erie RAILROADS.
the Western Union Telegraph Company, the NewJersey
Central Railroad one of the Pacific Railway corpora
tions ana Others The most important OF these ror-
reries was that on the New-York Central Company
which the Dis,rictAttorney described as Deins le
markable for the skill displayed. 1t was ior
this latter branch of tho forgeres that ROBERTS was
indicted Jointly with Valentine Gleeson ROBERTS was
to be tried separately. The forged bona "uou !. 'no
basis Of the charge against Roberts Is for $1,000 ana pur
ports IN no signed by the President, Treasurer ana
Register of the New-York Central Railroad anu INC
prisoner II must remembered Is also charged Win
having committed q second ofepse Tor whieh NC was
convicted and sent to prison in Connecticut DIT. fheip
concluded by saying that the scheme OF "ou
be proved was devised and arranged by Roberts ana
Gleason They procured genuine BOND from t"o 'o'n
pauy and 1t would be proved that the deed was auo
and delivered TO the prisoner and was used by MN.
Before any testimony given motion Dy 'ii
Hall 10 strike out the fifth count charging the IeoS ~
Connecticut was overruled, and Francis W. Hoiorooh
OF the Merchants Credit Bureau was called. ihe tea
mopy promised generally to be dull, ana the chiel III
torest of the proceedings lay in the objections raised
and discussed and the occasional, though ih'arapy
good natured reors by the counsel Mr. Hail raiScd an
o,iection TO allowing SIR. Hoi0rook TO examine Tue
forged bond because 1t had SEAL ana there was 10 scar
40, nm IN the indictment and description OF seal
Afr pheIps, claim that it sufficiently Indicated III
the words Of the ndictment-"purporting 10 DC ssneu
by the zeal OF said corporaton"-had more weight WIN
Judge Brady who overTued the objection The point
Of Mr. Holbrooks testimony that in August, 1873.
Leonard Brown and Charles j. Wlliamson GANG 70 nS
office and asked him to negotiate 80 IT Ionked over
them that they were iorSeries' and hao 'uo ih'"
arrested. -. :, xy,,,, ror.rol
Road testified that the bond was not genuine, AID iden
titled impression from the genuine seal OF tDe
Railroad Company. He also said that the signatures or
Corning and Wilson close limitations and very de-
ceptve the first glance but were undouOteay Forged
number OF objections from Mr.. Hail were disposed or
10y the Court aud the witness went on to say mat IN
ninety nine cases out Of hundred ne had oeen preseno
when the put TO the bonds Inc seal was so
ndistnc that he could not tell whether IL was genuine
or not The number had been changed II it was rgnt'
the difference would not be apparent TO the jury. put
this was disposed OF instantly by the production Of
genuine bond from the Observation-Disclosures table, and
tho witness pointed out the variation between tue
bonds
TIE ESGRAvER's CONFESSION.
The event OF the days proceedings was reached when
Mr. Phelps called John A. Olmstead," an engraver.
who told story the stand which received by the
audience with many significant smiles and nods. He
told Roberts called upon him last year and the two
took walk and a drink. In the witnesses words
Mr. Roberts said he wanted to me about getting
work. He took a bond from his pocket, showed
me seal: and asked me II could make one lke IT,
told him going away, but would let him know
the following Wednesday On that day saw him at
On sunday he came into the house and we walked to
the OF tue garden, where bond was again pro-
cause the seal was 50 indlstnct., He promised
to procure another bond, and three days
bonds, $1,000 bonds and $500 bond He told
by Of the three could make one perfect seal.
him III ten days-fhe time had promised to have
the seal dOne-but told him 1t would take a week
longer asked hun for SIS in the mean time but he
did not want to know how much that seal would
house, s No sSS West went where he paid me-
s3o week after that met him again. (Iere the
remainder of the sum charged for the unlawful work.
reading about bond forgeres and It at once struck
Mr. Purdy tsharply)-I object to what struck you.
Well said the witness. was reading about the for
geries and became alarmed
Mr.. Purdy offered an objection to ANYTHING that took
was overruied and witness to say thar ne
Roberts and said that he was afraid he had been
Roberts told him You, ana Gleason aud are the only
that % know Ss pd s shut
Eghth-ave. stopping to get the customary drink and
Roberts asked his alarmed companion If he didn't want
want money at that time. and told Roberts he
would like to borrow some money as he had to pay some
house aud :. borrowed" couple of dollars of MIN.
was asked i he knew that seal, and what the ,mpres
sion taken from Objection was raised TO this but
Judge Brady a nt n sp aseGn had
nation with glass. said that the impression was from
witnesses examination he gave proofs of the most pain
full embarrassment and agitation and his story
frequent drinks which he took, that after a while, as
soon he mentioned walk every one In, court smiled
IN anticipation Of what was sure " come.
A SHARP DISCRIMINATION.
Mr. Purdy undertook :as sTSSss ana it
was one which the witness Will remember for long
time In response to mild preliminary questions Ohm
stead said that he born at the Of Broome and
Ezabethsts, and was ~ years old. He detailed the
various places he had lived In In this city. He went
wSrn At bis trade IN @ az the IHfner OF Spruce and
there his time out then went to live with his mother
afterward with Ell Cohen, playing card mannfacturer
aud left him to go into business for himself at the cor
ner of Spruce aud wiuiam-st. He indignsatly denied
that he had done anything that was NOT legitimate
in bis business, and added, rather until
this matter" and then corrected himself by saying
that he thought when he making this seal that
he was doing something perfectly honest He did not
inquire Of his customers what they going to do as
al was not his business" Mr. Purdy said: You
would take order TO make imitation Of stamp
on q greenbackr "Oh no, Sir" replied the witness;
you not right there SIR would know that was
W Mr. RI
preston Of his mouth though he going to give
long WHISTLE you would know better than to do that