The New Orleans bulletin., 1875-10-30
THE FORGERY CASE.
More About It.

The circumstances attendant on the case OF
forgery which led to the arrest OF JAS. Wood
and w. F. Dunham are as follows
After taxes are past due and the time in
which they can be paid without penalty has
expired list of delinquents, with description
of property, is filed in the Office of the Re-
corder of Mortgages, and the proper record is
made and the amount due for taxes stands as
a mortgage, the mortgage being the State,
and this mortgage being under the law
seizure, no transfer can be made until it is
cancelled.
To have this mortgage Cancelled, certif-
cate that the tax has been paid, bearing the
signature of the Auditor and the seal of the
State, has to be presented at the Office Of the
Recorder of Mortgages.
Some time ago several pieces of real estate
owned by JAS. Wood, and several other pieces
of property, the owners of which he repre-
sented, were described in the document ac-
companying the delinquent list.
In July last certificates of redemption for
these several properties, all apparently proper.
ly stamped with the seal of the State, and all
bearing what appeared to be the genuine sig
nature of the Auditor were presented at the
office of the Recorder of Mortgages, and the
mortgages and records of seizure were can
celed.
All was serene and lovely for time. and
that time expired when among other pieces
of property advertised for sale, of non-pay
ment of taxes, appeared one or two of the
several pieces OF property Wood representa- d,
oh ha at a.
corder's office as having been redeemed.
Wood applied in each instance for writ of
mandamus, to prevent the sale, and in each
instance the writ was granted.
Other pieces of property represented by
Wood, were advertised tor sale, and again ap-
p,ication was made for writs to prevent it.
Suspicious had, however, been aroused, and
Wood was called on to produce his tax re-
ceipts. He failed to do it, giving as reason
that he had placed them in the hands of his
lawyer, the late ALI Phillips, Esq.
The matter was placed in the hands of Mr..
Chas Hill the Auditors examiner, who ascer-
tanned that Mr.. Phillips was not the regular
lawyer of Wood, and he Immediately arrived
at the conclusion that the statement of Wood
was false, and his natural conclusion was that
the certificates were forged, and, on examina-
tion of the certificates of redemption, he found
that his conclusions were correct, that the
certificates, which are signed in blank by the
Auditor, had been fraudulently filled out.
Mr. Hill ascertained that these forged GER
tifcates had been presented by one W. F..
Dunham, who probably obtained possession
of them signed in blank by stealing them from
the office of some assessor, for certificates so
signed are distributed among the assessors
On this discovery warrants were issued for
the arrest of both Wood and Durham on an
affidavit made by Judge Dibble, under section
1888 Revised Statutes, which specifying the
crime of forgery, and fixing as penalty, on
conviction, imprisonment in the State Peni-
| tentiary.
Dunham was undoubtedly the man who
committed the forgery, and he was charged
with being the principal in the crime, and
Wood, who was benefited by the forgery, was
charged with being accessory before and
| after the fact.