The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-07-20
FORCED and r,co.
now THE MERCHANTS NATIONAL hank or
BALTIMORE WAS swIyDLEp our OF S7,4o0
ny CUTE TRICK

tfuihcu VII s,"thfuhy Wy one OF tue UOst
daring and skilful swindling operations TO
be found IN police records. and which
shows the hsnGiwork OF the most knowing
of professionals. IL seems that Friday
mornings well.dres.ed young man entered
the Office OF Mr.. J. Harmanus Fisher, stock.
aud note.broker, on South street. and ten
dered for sale United States Government
per cent. bond, full value $780, Mr.
Fisher was absent, but Mr.. Harry 0rrick,
his book.keeper and right-hand man, al
though he did not know the man, nego-
tisted with bin for the purchase Of the
bond, and gave him a check for SI0S--tbc
market price OF tue bond-signed j. II.
Fisher y. p. III. Orrick, pay TO bearer, dc.
| Nothing more was thought OF II at the
time, and Saturday morning the man re-
turned and bought bsck the bond, paying
| for II In greenbacks, and, as this Is not an
unusual thing, 1t was also not remarked by
by Mr.. O,rck, who at first had recognized
In the man a striking likeness 10 young
| friend OF his.
| On Friday evening, however, Just before
| the close OF business hours, an elderly man,
Of about Gfty years, digniGed and business
like. came into the Merchants National
Bank and presented to Mr.. Morris, the pay
Ing teller, a check for 5000, drawn up in
J. II. Fishers name, and on bis own peculiar
blank, with Govern pent stamp IN the CEN
ire all correct. AS Mr.. Fisher has q large bal
ance in the bank, the money which The check
called for was promptly paid over, and the
man left. On Saturday morning the man
appeared again. this time with a check for
5000. Mr.. Morris scrutinized the check
very closely, handed 1t over TO the cashier
tor examination. took good look at the
msn who was waiting In 6isuitied silence,
and Gnsly turning to junior clerk Of Will
llism Fishers, who happened to be in the
bank at the time, held up the check with the
back bearing the endorsement OF the firm
toward him, and asked HIM IL it was all
right. The young man glanced at the back OF
The check at distance OF about four yards.
and gave il as his opinion that ii looked
all right He did not see the face OF the
check, nor did he know the amount for
which il was drawn. This check was also
paid, sud about O'Clock 4 third check for
$3.50 WAS brought in and cashed by the
same psriy. Mr.. Morris, a short time az
lterwards, looked at the checks a second
time, and finally, concluding TO Z" make
assurance doubly sure" sent them all three
around to Mr.. Fishers office, and was sur
prised and Mortified 10 learn that Mr.. Or
rick pronounced them forgeres. There was
no doubt about it. The checks were all
| three forged, and worse than that, the
sbarpprs had escaped Great CONSERVATION
ensucd, aud the detectives were at once
placed on the track; but too late-the
birds had flown. BY putting this and that
together, however, the whole system by
which the adroit game had been worked
was ferrctted out. The men had evidently
been engaged in the matter for some
time, aud had made every prepare
ltion. 10 the first place. by some
means check on Mr.. j. II. Fisher had
been gotten hold OF. Mr.. Fisher has blank
engraved by A. Hoen Il Co., with the lat
ter's name on the margin. The sharpers had
taken this, and had had beautiful fac
Simiie autographed, all en- roGle, with the
name OF A. lioen Il Co., IN very small let
tiers, in the proper place on the lower edge.
Then they had filed up three Of these blanks
for the amounts stated above and forged
the signature, 81. II. Fisher, per II. Or
Trick" All that was necessary then was ID
get the correct check numbers, and this was
accomplished by selling the bond as they
did Friday and getting check OF that DAVIS
date with the proper number-about 2,976.
With this IN hand they completed the other
three forgeries. Mr.. Fisher and Mr.. Nor
Iris both state that the forgery WAS so per-
feet that il could not be discovered without
lthe aid OF a magnifying glass. Then IL
lcoud be seen that the face was itho-
graphed, and that the signatures had been
carefully done. The Government stamp
was all correct, but the handwriting in
which the drawing Of the checks was done
was a strange one, and no attempt was made
10 COPY the handwriting in the body OF the
check either OF Mr.. Fisher or these OF bis
clerks who usually draw them up. The
tout ensemble was rendered perfect by the
exact counterfeit OF the manner IN which
the checks were torn from the book. AT
Mr. Fishers office small check-tearer,
with diamond points which perforate The
psper, is always used, and even The peculiar
serrated edges made by this instrument
had been copied. The original check Tor
SI0S, which had been Paid for the
lbond. was not presented, hut the num-
her which it bore was shown on the face
Of the first Of the forged checks pre-
scnted. The swndlers showed remarkable
cunning in covering up their tracks by re-
purchasing the bond, for this would nave
been about the only direct clue TO the Tor
gers, as there Is only one person who could
swear positively to the identity Of the man
, who presented the forged checks. As yet
| there are only two persons who were known
, | to be implicated in the afiair-viZ, the man
: who sold and bought the bond and the man
who presented the checks. The former was
q Young fellow with smooth face, and the
other wore a beard, and was decidedly an
elderly person. The two we're seen together
on SATURDAY.. The detectives are on then
track. The loss OF the S7,400 VIII fall upon
the bank.