National Republican., 1879-11-20

tits becoming evident that the rush of business
IN the downtown banks, consequent upon the
vantage of by an organized gang of forgers to
further systematic scheme Of swndling. In the
majority of cases the bank officers il imposed on,
prefer TO submit to small loss rather than to allow
the details tU bo made public. Hence there is
reason TO believe that tho operations of the gang
have been more widespread and successful than
appears on the surface, The rashness of forger'
in trying his game second time on the National
10 the exposure of that transaction OH Monday
Yesterday, about noon, well.drcssed man, ap.
parcntly twenty eight or thirty years Of age, en-
Bank corner Of Cedar and Nassau streets, and pre-.
se9nted to the paying teller, Duncan MeGregor, a
in favor Of William Cook for slO82. The
check was, an almost perfect imitation of
those used by the firm On subsequent
close comparison difference was detected
in the figures and 8 of the date 1879
the heavy stroke of the 3 being on the wrong side
and the tail of the being straight in the forgery
while II is curved in the genuine. Otherwise the
plate from which the spurious blank was printed
was perfect imitation. The person who filed in
the body of the forged check was not so good O
penman the clerk who does that work for the
firm, This and the fact that the blue ink used was
of paer color than usual struck the tellers eye.
Otherwise there was nothing on the face of the
cheek to arouse suspicion at hasty glance. The
peculiar signatEc Of Fisk Hatch was faultlessly
Initiated, and SO was their private stamp punched
across the figures in the lower lefhand corner.
Sir. McGregor turned the check around. First
there was the Endorsement William Cook
IL
less Imitation Of Fisk Hatch's signature and be-
low this perfect fac-simile of the official stamped
indOrsemcnt Of the First National Bank with the
name Summereld written across II. The forger
had oYerdone the matter, there being person of
that name at the First National with authority to
indOrse for the bank. Mr.. McGrcgor whistled the
private signal which calls the banks detective TO
his assistance but the latter happened to havo
gone 10 the sub-rreasury with a messenger who
| bad some gold certificates in charge, a fact
Whichehe iurgcr doubtless knew and had taken
| advantage Of The whistle seemed to alarm the
| man, and he asked what the matter was. Mr.. Nc.
GTegOr cndeayOred 70 renssure, aud at the same
| time detain him by asking questions rs to the in
dOrsemenS on the back OF the check, lie had,
meantime noticed at the end of the line Of waiting
clerks colored porter in the employ of Fisk Il
Hatch, and had managed to secretly put the check
into his hands, with Instructions 10 show Il to his
employers. He hoped that the porter would bring
| Fisk Hatch's defective back with him but he
was not able for fear of rousing suspicion to state
! Hatch, knowing that the bank employed its own
detective doubtless did not consider IL necessary 10
| send theirs, When the porter returned with The
| news that the check was forgery, the stranger
turned around and walked leisuTely out This fur
/ tEer confirmed the teller In the belief that he was
| an accomplished hand at the business, for had he
shown undue haste and thus encOu ntered the de-
ectiye returning his chances Of escape would have
| been few. As II was, he disappeared completely
I before the pslOnished crowd through which he
passed could realize from the shouts of the teller
what the matter was The officers of the bank
have placed the matter In the hands of Pinkerton
| Detective Agency They propose TO leave no stone
forger aud his acComplices. Mr. McGregor is
positive that he viii be able to identity the man
should lie ever see him agaln.-NcO York Times
1911,