New-York tribune., 1878-11-20
THE UNION TRUST FORGERY,
AN EXPERT CRIMINALS CONFESSIONS.

ur TELLS HOW THE FORGED CHECK FOR
1000 WAS MADE.
The trial of Charles II. POntez, the clerk In
the New-YOrk Life Insurance Company, charged WIN
having given to Charles Becker and Frederick EHot',
two of the most accomplished forgers in the world the
means OF perpcang the $Gi 900 forgery ON the Union
Trust Company In January 1877, was continued yes
terday before Judge Davis, in the Court OF oyer ana
Terminer The charge Is that Pontez, Elliott ana one
Charles Becker. who has turned States evidence got
up the forged check and laying onehali 10 the men
who pushed" II, divided the other half In gold cer
Gates among themselves The evidence given on MOD
day was merely to prove that the check was forgery
that cancelled checks had been taken from tina
vaults the Insurance company by some one, ana thaS
Pontez might have done this.
Yesterday Mr. Fay paying teller OF the Union Trust
Company, was called to close up technical question OF
proof the payment Of the forged check The cashier OF
The Insurance company also called to prove that
another check No 1922, drawn the Central National
Bank and returned by that bank AS paid cheek on DC
tobrr II. 1876 was missing from the box In WEich u
should have been found This box kept III the same
place as the the Union Trust Company and the
object Of tDis evidence appeared later
While this going on Charles Becker, the actual
forgcr OF tie check had into court He Is indicted
with Pontcz He pleaded guilty. and sentence being de-
ferred was placed on the witness stand. He is Ger
man. apparently, though hts English Is perfect man
under the medium height, s4uaIe-sh0uldered ana
strongly built with a face which gave little promise Oi
the intelligence or humOr MS testimony deVelopeu'
The prisoners junior counsel. Thomas " Gator rased
the objection that Becker had been convicted at Con-
stantnope Of infamous cImea forgery or notes at
smyrna-and was therefore, unable To be a witness.
The Dstrct-AtOrney admitted the conviction, ana the
prisoners counsel made an ingenious argument hat he
new CIyIl Code did not permit criminals TO tcs'ly III
criminal, but only IN civil cases. Judge DAVIS over
ruled the objection holding FIRST that the provision In
the new allowing criminals 20 testify was general
and applied to all OF cases. and second, that the
rule never applied TO extra State cOnyctIons first be-
could not In such cases grant PARDON
aud, second, because what was disqualJing offence
in one State not such an offence Ia another fcr-
Jury for instance, only misdemeanor In England.
While Becker was being sworn, Elliott who was to
give evidence for Ponez taken from the court In
charge Of tho Dstrct.Attorney Becker then testified
As follows:
Ny name IS Charles Becker. have seen the prisoner
before The first time at SXh-aye. at Joseph Chap
mans house some years ago. have been twice To
Europe. oncc shortly after met Pontez IN 1871 or
1872. I went with Chapman and Frederick Elliott
EuOtt the man who has Just been removed. EiOtt,
Chapman and /, went t. The East there We were im'
pHsOued. Elliott got to London two weeks before me.
Chapman STAYED IN the East returned 10 tnis c0un-
try IN July 1875; Elliott came wan me L
met Fontcz hero three or four week aner came back
the election in 1875, met mm IN saloon III
Eshihayc.. Elliott handed me several checks, thnH
three, OF the New-IOrk Life Insurance COMPANY ana
asked me II could cngrlye one Of tAem tOoh hrst
100000 check but rce ed II because there was hoe
punched through the Nlgnette Ll'lott hahdtd II 70
PuncZ Three or four day, after similar check was
brought tO mo at The same place POuttL hauded 10
Elliott aud LluOit gave II 10 me,
now THE CHECK WAS FORGED.
This IL the cneck, continued witness, Tor Sl5O0OO
took IL and from made the ensaying-that Is made
ntuosraphIc stone. THE cnec. and stone were here
producedJ After 1t was done met Pontez ana Elliott
at Houston-st aud Firstaye showed PROOF To them
Ponez thought 1t very well, but the tint OF the
proof was too green or blue. forget which took
II away ana printed twelve or eighteen copies. Tho
printing was done about the middle Of December THIS
forged check one OF those Impressions TINS stone Is
the stone. The engraving on il Is quite plain
Mr Pueps showed the stone TO tue jury VINO were un
able to see anything IT, when the witness sld There
Il a nttlc shade on 1t II you will look closely"
Mr rnsps TO you caa5 Sl lie IL any @ Pr@fr
the stone with chemical! preparation ana SLOWLY part
The Witness contInued-I saw Pontcz again about
Christmas. IIe with Elliott, aud lot an impression
OF the punch aud M, was given 10 me As .no u
signed several CHECKS one 0f them i TINS forged checA
Next day got orders To do nothing further on jan
nary l. 1871, Elliott 10 and told me TO Ret one
OF the chccks h1sd Nv 1d So iLI't hi,1H ~ ''IG
Is put on IN water col"r".
Letters purporus To Dc siHued by officers OF the com
pauy facilitate tie negotiation Of the forged check
were shown the witness who said: This paper
was written the I'd of January this on the 3D.
TIncngs tbese signuturcs were made on the letters
and then followed with pen IN free hand. The sigma
turc Oh the check done carefully and with
brush"
The witness continued Il was shown about n week
before Christmas chccG another bank. | made n
tracing from hut did not engraye H. saw Pontcz
again on January 4. at Worth and Broadway Elliott
was there too. We went into small supper room.
Elliott took ont some gold certificates. lie had one
$4,000 note and smaller ones, and handed them
To Pontez. soon after, accidentally net Ponez IN
barber shop. was excited aud he told me no; to speak
too as loud trouble IN the Office about it,
met accd, ntally about eight nine weeks ago in
car H. wished me not Ia recognize hIm.
irst part OF the cros5rxannatOn was funny, the
wtnesr Purposely tr!ng to bant Mr. Dos Passof who
sought first to show that the "tncs, was under police
survcil ancc. In answer to the questions he SAID "
here from the Astor House with Colonel Austin,
friend of Dr. Kcaruey, believe was there all last
nign-Coone Austin took The room for me lie did not
at my home Thrty-fonrth-st. A Mr.. Everett.
introduced by Colonel Austin about week age,
visited me lie was there about half an hour We may
talked about stewart BODY.
Q.-wero you engaged In tbati A.-Mnybo was.
Q.-Are you not sure you wero engaged IN thatt A
WHAT
o.-Puroiung stew9rts bodyi A-No; that is not
on further 1annation Baker said he escaped
from Consutnople as soon ~ he could lie had no de-
stay Dcro lie not the torger Of Central Pa
clnc Railroad bonds though he had been engaged in
many schemes lie had sought Mr.. Knox TO eXoneratc
MI Beers from certain suspicious The FIRST statement
PERSONS. That he refused 10 make. His attention was
called TO his own answer IN cly snll, and he stated
that was not u" AMI when ho testified to 10 he sup
posed It only general denial. Mr.. Dos Passos here
cd to rest him on the ground of perjury but Judge
Davis denied the motion.
The Rev. Dr. George II. Iioughton was called to prove
the marriage oi l. mott under the name OF Riley, and
that POntcZ witness To the marriage. sylvester
Blood. who bought the gold certificates merely as
broker testified In regard to MS purchase OF neu lOr
Maxwell He said delivered the certificates to Max
we'll This closed the prosecution and the days WORK.
The defence will he opened This morning.
THE WASHINGTON MARKBT VAR.
A CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY.