The Portland daily press., 1876-01-28
The Winslow Forgeries.
How the Banks Were Taken I'm.

The Boston Herald in long account of the
operations of E. d. Winslow tells how he man.
aged to delude the banks. 1t says:
His method OF operation with the banks was
peculiar if not original. He made it a point.
whenever he obtained genuine note or en-
dorsed signature, to fist exhibit it to as many
bank officers as possible, to familiarize them
with t5e fact that A, b OF G had loaned him.
or given for value his name. When he placed
the note for discount he contrived to have the
cashier, president or director call upon the
party and see that his signature was all right
The Interview thus brought about would call
forth some such conversation as this: "What
about this Winslow?" 81 believe him to be- n
smart, energetic man, bound to succeed"
Inc lndorser couldn't, at least consistently,
run him down, after show ing by his recorded
act that he had confidence in him. The bank
officer would not be likely to forget Winslow
or his lndorser, or at least their connection.
after such an interview. A similar experience
extended to the officers of several-ten or
twenty-banks would place him on q footing
OF credit and confidence with them, especially
when new Endorsements of notes by the same
parties would indicate a continuance of their
former expressed faith in his capacity and his
integrity. And thus was opened a rich field
for fraud. To make his position still stronger
Wihslow was in the b abit of exchanging checks
and notes with well-known business men. A
check from another might naturally mean a
eAohooNuOh Wltu tudb person 10 LlaL extent.
while his own check could be exchanged in
such way as to make the other pay for It. In
thls manner he created an impression that his
transactions were large and genuine when
they might have been purely fictitious. To
utilize the credit at the banks thus acquired in
his peculiar way was an easy and yet difficult
matter. 1t was easy to get note with famil-
lar indorsing names discounted, but it was not
always easy to provide that none of them
should go to protest, which would have been
fatal TO his Schpmas Ia
while forging several names obtain genuine
signature, in addition, OF a gentleman who
might be over-persuaded by the eloquent
Winslow and the strength of the names his was
to be associated with. Thus, in case of acci-
dent he had one genaine party to fall back up
on, who could be persuaded TO give his name
again, in the other but equally respectable
company, in order to have the old note taken
up on maturity. To smake the compliant in
dorser feel safe, collateral in the shape of forg-
ed notes or doubtful stock would be given him
in liberal quantities. He never went to the
same bank with the new note. He selected the
diHerent names to accompany the new indorse-
ment OF the genuine indorser with special ref
erence to the bank in which the note was to be
placed, and thus, while covering his tracks he
left his record at the bank hold
ing. the first note good for another.
raid OF the same character. Where, however,
his transactions became necessarily large-as in
the case where he had to raise $3.50, 900 in cash
for the purchase of the Boston Post newspaper,
he was compelled to pay heavy game, utilize
all banking and other sources of supply, and
make collateral where he did not have it. 1t is
supposed that greater portion of the money
used in that transaction was obtained on forged
notes and collateral.
A slight stratum of genuine names as already
explained, undoubtedly ran through a portion
of his paper But to the promptness with
which he concluded his negotiations for the
property, and the formation of a company with
capital stock of nearly double the amount he
paid for it, which enabled him to use large
portion of it to sell and as collateral, he was
indebted for being saved from earlier exposure
by obtaining to replace much that was spurious
by genuine representatives of value.
The following is partial list of the forged
notes and Endorsements. On some of the notes
there or four Endorsements, so that the amounts
appear twice:
Il. +. Porter, about. ........... S1500OO
W. e. Sheldon ................. 104, 900
Daniel Chamberlain of Auburndale, about. $4,000
FRANK b. Hayes. ........ ...."........... 10000
LeoPoll MoIse ''s..'''..s'..,,...., $4,000
D. Il. Poland. Observation-Disclosures. 5000
Joseph Fl. Chadwick, A. j. Harrington and
Charles Roberts. .......,....,............ IL 900
Persons whose names were refused ......... 25,00o
s3soO0O
This, of course does not include any of the
stock fraudulently issued, which may amount