St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-10-12
Our New York Letter.

"BIRDS OF FEATHERm-THE ERA OF
FORGERY-PIETY AND RASCALITY-
THE PROFESSION IN NEW YORK
WIN. H. LYMAN, STENOGRAPHER-
THE NOBLE RED MAN-OUR INDIAN
POLICY-A TIMELY FLOoD-THE BAT
THING TRAGEDIANs.
NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 1877.
To the Editor of the CaledOn,an:
Last week l made passing allusion,
honestly intended to be humorous, al
though blame no one if it wasn't taken
that way,) to the present extraordinary
condition of our banks, trust companies
and similar institutions to which some
events of the past few days have called
still further attention. Every one who
has paid attention to the statistics of
wrong doing of any kind must have
noticed the curious way in which crimes
of any certain class, like evil birds of a
feather, incline to flock together. Sea-
sons of burglary recur in irregular
cycles, train robberies usually tread on
each others heels to the number of half
IA dozen or so, murders shock the con-
munity in rapid succession. The same
odd laws appear also to- govern, at
least TO some extent, what are common
ly called accidents. Thus railroad men
have told me that when, after a season
of freedom from such disasters news
reaches them of serious accident of
travel. they feel morally certain that
two or more of a similar character will
follow at sufficiently short intervals to
connect the three in one group. The
same principle seems to prevail in con-
nectiOn with large fires, and so on.
Our epidemic now seems to be forgery
and misrepresentation of funds. Take
the last two weeks. Without taking
into account ten cases which involved
sums ranging below $25, 900 each, there
has been the fraudulent issue of almost
a million dollars of railway bonds traced
to President Morton of the Permanent
Exhibition of Philadelphia, the detec-
ton and flight of William C. Gilman one
of the most high-tOned, gilt edged bro
kers of Wall street, after series of
practical fOrgeries amounting to nearly
$500, 600; and later the discovery that
two important and lOLg established in
surance concerns, are defaulters in the
amounts of $4,000 and $l25,O00 re-
spectively. The question in every
| l. IL. IL
can be relied on !" and no one appears
inclined to venture reply. Were !
called upon to answer the cOnundrum /
should say that until laws we're passed,
and enforced too, under which great
and awe-inspiring criminals could be
railroaded from their luxurious offices
into the penitentiary with the fewest
possible stops along the route, the COM
munity has no reason to expect any
thing different and is served just right
for its failure to protect itself.
But to show that the ancient and
honorable profession of forging has not
yet passed entirely into the hands OF
the piOus church members like those
above indicated, the detectives have
just brought to light another series Of
operations of this sort performed by al
expert professional gang during the last
eighteen months and amounting tC
about $4,000. These have mostly beer
accomplished by buying small draft
on New York or some neighboring coun-
try bank and obliterating parts of the
writing with chemicals and filling uI
the draft again with sums to suit. Thus
draft for $50 was made to collect
"a 900 and so on through the list The
detectives have been after this gang fol
long time, but only succeeded i'm run
ming them to earth this week. The
head and front of the forgers was found
to be quiet gentlemanly looking man
| who for some time past has occupied an
Office in Park Row near the Postoffice
the door of which bore the sign "Wm
Fl. Lyman, Stenographer." In this
| office Mr.. Lyman was captured, together
with various colored inks, chemicals
brushes and other appliances of his
crooked art, which were sufficient te
establish his guilt beyond doubt. II
turns out that Lyman is we'll known
He has served two terms in Auburn fol-
forgery. While there he was made a
bookkeeper and distinguished himself
by altering prisoners sentences on the
books, so that many were discharged
before they had served half the terms
for which they were put in. Fifteen
year men he would reduce to seven.