The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-08-24
A R0ld on EOrDerS.
THREE swINDLERs ARREsTED-How THEY
RAISED CHECKS-THEIR OPERATIONS
BELIEVED TO INVOLVE MIL
LIONS OF DOLLARS.


CHICAGO August ia report was pub
lisheG here yesterday by one of the morn
ing papers, relative to the arrest of certain
parties supposed to belong to gang of
fcrgeIs, Who had been operating extensive
ly in this city. New York aud other places.
Inquiry Of the officials here failed to elicit
any definite facts, and the story was gen
orally discredited. II is now known that
Yesterday morning constable Hartman ar
rested in this city two mer naned Weston
and Gesner on a charge of forgery. 1t ap
pears HAT these men, working i'll cornec-
tion with n man named Stevens and other
accomplices throughout tie country, have
fer some time been carrying ou system of
furgeries from which they have realized
large sums of money. In January last the
Third National Bank of New York was de-
frauded nut of twenty seven thousand dol
lars by means Of checks pnrpurting to lave
been drawn Ivy WiiIslow, Laiier & Co.
About the same tire check for forty
thousand dollars, purpvrtinC to have been
drawn hy the New York Life Insurance
Company Oh the Union Trust Company of
New York, was presented aid paid. There
had been other similar operations known,
but never made public. Representatives
Of New York houses employed to iEvesti
gate these forgeries have been following up
suspected parties fer several months, aud
have found the leader of the gang. lie is
man of wealth and respectahility, named
Stevens, alias henderson, who has been
known here as n SreculatOr III grain ard
stocks. Next ~ him comes Nelson A. Ges-
ner, a wealthy man of Minnesota, and for
merly member Of the Legislature Cf tnat
State. Associated with them was one f.
b. Weston, Of this city, formerly real
estate agent. Upon examining Gesner' :
trunk, after his arrest, it was found to con-
tain a large assortment If implements lie
ccSSary to his profession, including inks,
microscopes, acids, brushes, pens, tracing
implement, &c. In Weston's possession
was found n number of washed drafts, on
which everything hal been obliterated by
acid except the cashiers signature. When
dealing IN drafts it was the custom to buy
them for small amounts, and then ObliteT-
ate Will, acid all ink marks except the
cashiers name. Before this was done,
however, a careful tracing was taken.
! Then when larger amounts were written i'll
on the face of the draft they had on the
tracing fac simile Of a number of the let
ters and Of the figures which were usetl i'll
the greater amounts. In dealing in checks
they would learn from some one in n bank
nf1ice of a firm denositng i'm particular
bank just how the ,ier,,sit stood, in order
not to overdraw the account. 1t is said
that some forged checks have been drawn
for sums as high as seventy five Thousand
dollars. The developments So far indicate
that these men are part of an organized
gang of the most dangerous forgers that
las existed for years. 1t is estimated that
they have swiud,ed numerous banks out Uf
milliCnS of dollars. Stevens was arrested
near Grand Haven yesterday, aud is now
on his way to New York. The officers hav-
ing in charge Weston and Gesner left for
New York with their prisoners yesterday
evening.