The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-04-30
SPENCER FONTAINE PETTIs.
The Most Remarkable Criminal of Mod
ern Times.
A story of Romance and Crime.

A Story of Romance and Crime.
written expressly for THE NEwsl
The death of Spencer F. Pettis. by yio-
lence, at his own hands, within the walls |
of the Massachusetts penitentiary, closes
up the eventful career of one OF the most
remarkable criminals of modern times.
This man, whose aliases were many,
was one of those criminals of the higher
order who bring 20 the aid of their ne
farious work the arts of the engraver,
the secrets Of the chemist, the advantages
of liberal education, and the applica-
ton of every known invention that can
IN any manner contribute to their sue
cess. Being Il man of
PERFECT AND HANDSOME PHYSIQUE,
sharp-eycd, clear-brained, a graduate Of
Yale college, an elocutionist of fine abil-
ity, and possed of sufficient means to
make fair start in life, 1t seems most
singular that Pettis should have yielded
even momentarily to the first subtle and
insinuating steps that led him into
his own hands, friendless, alone, and in
felon's cell; but so it was, and the cold
gray light of the dawn struggling
through the prison bars found him hang
ing by the neck, silent exemplar of
the gospel truth that 'the way of the
transgressor is hard"
After graduating from Yale college,
Pettis went to New York city. but with
out any settled resolves as to the line of
life he would pursue. He might have
become eminent at the bar, popular upon
the stage, or celebrated in the field of
medicine and surgery; but he had de
termined that he would first give some
little time to enjoyment, and it was ow-
ing to his procrastination in the selection
of a legitimate business, and TO the fur
ther fact that he was possessed of some
means. that he drifted gradually into a
course of crime.
His pleasures were expensive and re
quired larger means than he was the
Possessor of, larger even than he could
acquire by ordinary business methods,
| and between the two problems Of aban-
doning his pleasures and leading an
honest life. or maintaining them by
criminal practices, he did not hesitate.
He was for years unknown TO the po-
lice. The shrewd detectives attached 10
the metropolitan force became aware
that new light had arisen in the crimi-
nal horizon; that hand more cunning
and ingenuity more skillful than any
| they had encountered was in the field ;
that exquisite forgeries of notes and
checks of faultless execution and fer
/ large amounts were occasionally coming
to the surface, and with no vestige, MOTH
! ing about them anywhere affording a
clue by which their author could be
traced
II must be remembered that forging a
check is, under ordinary circumstances,
a confederated crime, similar to counter
feiting in THIS, that it requires the ser
vices of several persons for its consum-
nation.
When 1t is designed to forge check
upon we'll known house, some one of
the combination of forgers makes it a
point to secure a check issued by the
concern for small sum of money; and
this is often done through the medium
of parties who are utterly ignorant OF
any wrong doing, but the procedure
serves to give the character and kind OF
check used by the concern, and the indi.
vidusl or firm signature, as the case may
be, and from this the manipulation of the
scheme has an imitation made by a
third party in the combination, known
in slang terms as the scratch or pen
man who writes the forged signature
and adds the certifcation Of the bank up
ON which the check appears drawn
The check is then ready TO be LAID
down" which is the professional term
for presenting the check for payment
This service is performed usually bye
fourth man in the combination, who
must be person of good address.
PERFEcr cooLEEss OF MANNER
and strong nerve. Pettis was the. fouI
men combined in one. He had no CON
| federases, and hence the mystery sur
] rounding his operations.