Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-10-09
A FORMIDABLE FORGER.
Record of the Life aud Operations OF
Notorious Counserfeiter.
st Louis Globe Democra-

y
for some time past engaged in hunt
ing up the record of the man John
Holcombe. arrested Aug. 10 In this
city for attempting to sell TO Van
Raalte, the pawnbroker, some bogus
metal plated with gold. Holcombe
was possessed when arrested of three
counterfeit $50 bills, printed from the
plates made by the Brockway gang.
1t was matter that puzzled the Off
GERS t" know where he obtained these
bills, as in 1880 all the bills Of that
issue National Broadway bank of
New York; and the plates were sup
posed to have been turned over to the
secret service officers, and the chief of
the gang, who became the government
witness, was released The enigma
is still unsolved, but Holcombe's
record, as the detectives tell it, is very
complete. He is one OF the shrewde
and most uncompromising scoundrels
In the country. If it were not that he
possesses d passion amounting to a
mania for gambling scarcely any cap
itaiist in the country could show more
money than he, for at various periods
in his career Holcombe, or rather
Walter Sheridan, for that is his orig
inal name, has possessed by illegiti-
mate methods immense sums. Sheri-
dan, alias Garter, Charles Raisston,
John Holcombe, etc, was born in
New Orleans about 1882. In 1860 he
was a horse thief in Missouri, and was
run out of the state He went to
Chicago, and there, with Joe Moran,
a noted horse thief, was arrested for
working" hotel and sent to the
penitentiary for five years. After the
expiration of his sentence he engag-
ed with Charles Hicks Ia robbing the
First National bank of Springfield,
Ill. They secured $4,000 and were
arrested. Of this sum Sheridan got
1922, 600; secured two trials, and on
the second trial, having packed the
jury, was cleared. Hicks was SEN
fenced for ten years. Early in the
| 70's Sheridan was again heard of in
connection with the bold and success
ful robbery of Judge Blatchford in
broad daylight, on the corner of Mas
sau and Liberty streets in New York.
of $150,000 in bonds. The robbery
was the most celebrated of that time
Judge Blatchford had the bonds IN
q tin box and was carrying them to
his banker. He stopped at the corner
mentioned to buy an apple. Sheridan
engaged him In conversation; his pal
grabbed the box and ran with it.
Sheridan disappeared during the ex-
citement. Only portion of the
bonds were ever recovered. His next
venture of prominence was the bur-
glary of the Office safes of the Mary
land Fire Insurance company at Bal
tlmore, in which he and his pals
secured $120,000. Hanley's bank, al
Scranton, Pa, was soon afterward
touched" by the same party, and
$37, 900 was secured. This sum was
divided between Sheridan and Geo.
| Carson, another notorious crook. In
1873 Sheridan rented an office at No.
90 Broadway, New York, for the sale
Of fancy stonework, under the name
of Charles RalstOn. He became a
member of the produce exchange, and
there formed the acquaintance Of the
president of the National Trust com.
pany, of New York, from whom he
subsequently, borrowed $50, 900 on
counterfeit New York, Erie and Buf-
| falo railroad bonds. He secured a
loan from the president of the New
York Guardian and Indemnity COM
| pany, WsOse acquaintance ne had
gained on change, on the same kind
of collateral Before the bogus char
acter of the securities were learned,
Ralston became somebody else, and
the office at No. 60 Broad way was
vacated. Between 1876 and 1878 he
| became connected with a gang com
posed of Gleason, Roberts, Mcdonald
and two BIdwells, all notorious crooks
and counterfeiters. The object OF
| their combination was to make ESQ
Bank of England notes: but before
tne work had proceeded very far
Mcdonald and the BidwelIs cut Glea-
son, Roberts, and Sheridan out of the
scheme, and removed their. base of
operations from Detroit, Mich, TO
some other point The reason was
that Sheridan had become involved
with q woman, and the crooks
with their sharpened knowledge of
men and motives were afraid to trust
a man who had a woman attached to
him. The other two men were in
competent The three men mentioned
manufactured their notes and circula-
ted them largely IN England and the
colonies. They were apprehended,
escaped to this country, but were
returned, and are now serving terms
under sentence IN one of the penal
colonies for their offense.
After being cut out of this job
Sheridan became connected, it is
tn ought. with the Brockway gang of
counterfeiters in New York and New
Jersey. He was convicted of burglary
IN Pennsylvania three years ago, and
sent to the eastern penitentiary for
three years. He was released June s,
1884. In his statement after arrest
here Sheridan claimed he was unmar-
RED, had never been married, and
had no living relatives; that he was
born ia Louisville, KY, and had Just
come from Elk Creek, in the San
Juan valley. He has wife aad child