The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-04-27
A Prince Of FOrgers.

The New York Sun says: A tele-
| graphlc message was received from
London recently saying that VIM. S.
Gray, the Wall Street forger, had been
examined in the Bow Street Police Court
and remanded for extradition. His So
llcitor asked for his discharge, saying
that he had been to the United States
several times since the forgeries, and
had been unmolested.
Gray's operations were on two conti-
nents. Capt. Thomas Sampson, the
detective of the Stock Exchange, says {:
1.-The first l knew any thing of Gray
was In 1868. One day ten $1,000 regis
tered Governments were received at the
Sub-Treasury from Jay Cooke & Co.
for redemption. The bonds had been
stolen and the names altered, and
caveats had been filed against them in
Washington. Mr.. Cooke told me that
he got them from w, e. Gray, a broker
at A Broad Street. Gray said that he
had taken them from a man who had
departed for Honduras. l doubted his
story, but had no evidence on which to
arrest him. He gave me ten good
bonds. When impaired my suspicious
to Sub-Treasurer Van Dyck he ex-
claimed, Tom, it can't be. You
are mistaken. Why, he is the
son of the Chaplain of the United
States Senate. Some of the boys in the
office went to college with him. In the
fall and early winter of 1869 Gray bor-
rowed S250,000 from several rich bank
ing houses on New York bounty loan
certificates, each of which he had raised
from 81, 900 to $4,000 He fled to Lon
Idon withsthe money, also taking with
him quarter of a million in registered
bonds that had been stolen and altered.
In London he was known as James
Payne Morgan. He had forged letters
from United States Senators, and he used
these as an introduction into society.
His whole desire was to swindle. 1t is
said that he spent over 800, 900 in max
ing presents, and he gave the British
nobility the impression that he was the
pOssessor of immense wealth in this
country. He kept a stud of American
horses, and on several occasions he got
up sleighihg parties and had the Duke
of Edinburgh to accompany him. After
he had been in London about year,
and had successfully established him
self, an opportunity occurred for him
to get rid of the $250,0OO in stolen and
forged United States registered bonds
that he took from here. Mr.. Chatteris,
an opulent Londener, invited Gray to
become partner with his son in bank
ing, each partner to invest S25O,00O.
Gray consented. Young Chatteris put
S250,000 in gold in the firm, and Gray
used the stolen and forged bonds to re-
present his share of the capital. The
money of young Chatteris was squan-
dered by Gray within year from the
starting of the firm.
81 arrived in London in 1862 with a
mandate for Gray. Two secret service
officers of the Treasury had been over
after him before went, but they failed
to get him. / found him living in style
in Upper Bloomsbury Square, opposite
to Dickens's house. An English officer
arrested him, but was frightened by his
lofty bearing, and let him escape, sup
posing that he had made a mistake.
He fled to the Continent, and heard
that he engaged in a gold mine swindle
there, and victimized large number of
bankers on the Hague. He appeared
in Paris about two months under the
name of DR.. Francis w. COletzo, and
subsequently returned to London.
that all his money is gone"
Gray is tall man, of elegant address,
and has light complexion, hair, and
He is the son of Rev. DR..
H. Gray, who was Chaplain of
the United States Senate from 1861 to
1860