Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-05
A se6.oOo Forgery.

Sherry & Barnes-HIs Arrest i'm Chicago
 Yields up all but 95,OOO-ThOusands of Dollars secreted-JOhn Van ArsdaIe
 Arrested as am AceOmplfce-Jafled fn
 Default of S9,f % BaiI-An Order For
 hObbe's Arrest.
 Sperry & Barnes the pork packers of Long Wharf, whose exchange clerk E. H. Kobbe of New York city, robbed them of $91, 1000, as has been reported, by forgery. state that their total loss in the case will amount to but $5,oOO and that the total amount of which they were robbed was about $65, ,OOO. Kobbe had charge of certain work for the firm in New York and was also in- trusted with the sale of bills of exchange drawn on the Liverpool firm of Bamforth Brothers, of which Sperry E Barnes are the American representatives, being required to deposit the amount of his sales with his employers bankers Quite 8 number of drafts containing the firms signature were left in his charge, the amount of the exchange to be filled in by him when sold. By care full manipulation of the books he succeeded in filling out some of the blanks. which he sold to Jessup, Patton $ Go. of New York, and had the checks, amounting in all to $92,O ,OOO, made payable to his own order. He then opened personal bank account, collected the amount of the checks from Jessup Patton Co.,, and invested largely in govern ment bonds.
 l December 20 Kobbe was missing, and after l a baffling search WAS arrested in Chicago by I Robert A. Pinkerton, of New York. Kobbe had been dissipating in Chicago with com- 1 panion, John R. Van Arsdale, and the two had squandered about $5,OOO, mostly in ex- cessss in Chicago. Van Arsdale returned to New York and. refused to disclose whether he knew anything about Kobbe, or where he had been. A Chicago hack driver gave the detectives valuable hints. On the day that Kobbe was arrested he was to have left for Mexico with one of the fast women he had encountered in Chicago, and whom he had supplied with an elegant wardrobe. When searched in Chicago Kobbe had only $90O on his person and totally refused any informa- tion regarding the rest of the $91, ,O0O, but at last waiving Q acquisition was conveye to New York where he made clean breast of the affair. He then went with the officers to an uptown residence and $2O, = GOO in securities were found buried in an old cistern, used as dumping place for ashes, in such 8 way that they would have been se- cure for years. They were lightly wrapped around broomstick and covered with oil silk. They were then placed in piece of iron pipe about two feet in length, which was dramatically sealed at both ends. Another parcel containing $25, 900 in securi- ties and done up in the same careful man ner was found buried in an outhouse in the ut skirts of Brooklyn. A person to whom he had loaned $2, GOO also gave that sum. The entire amount recovered, including the cloth ing found in Chicago, amoutned to $50. 900. Van Arsdale got through with $2,0UO and Kobbe squandersd about g, 500 more while in Chicago. none of which was spent in gam bling houses. The officers hope to recover the balance.
 Kobbe is about twenty-six years of age and decidedlyl good looking. He has light brown hair, a dropping mustache of sandy hue and is stylish dresser. He was once shore purser of the Inman Steamship line, of which his brother is at present chief clerk. His capture in Chicago was a clever one, as few hours later he would have been on his way to Mexico.
 Messrs. Sperry $ Barnes relate az follows regarding the affair: Kobbe was one of the smartest exchange clerks on the street Gin New York; and had the confidence of all whom he encountered in business. He is a young man of about 30, married residing in handsome flat in New York and very re- specially connected. He was not our ex- change agent exclusively, for there were sev- eral other concerns by whom he was simi- larly employed. One of these was 8 CIeVe- land, Ohio, concern. One of our firm had 8 power of attorney from Bsmforth Brothers, Liverpool, and Kobbe supervised the ship ment of our goods to the European steam CTS after they had been sent from New Haven. He was not stinted in income. He received from us 1925 8 week for two hours work per day. Bsmforth Brothers placed great confidence in him, based on high recommendations both as to his charac- ter and ability. I think Van Arsdale, who accompanied Kobbe to Chicago and partici- pat ed in revelry with him there, was Kobbs's evil genius and at the bottom of this affair." Kobbe had splendid chances for preferment and we had expected to advance him in posi- ton and salary. The statement that the forgery in all amounted to $1OO, ,O0O is exag- gerated. It amounted to $65, 1000 and all but So, 900 has been recovered from Kobbe. I don't know as he was caught in a house of ill-fame in Chicago or that they spent $5,0OO in that city in dissipation. There are other developments of which I cannot now speak, but if they come out as we expect it will be bad for Van Arsdale also. ARREST OF VAN ARsDALE--AN ORDER FOR HOBBIES
 ARREST.
 Van ArsdaIe was arrested in New York yes- terday and taken to jail in default of $9, GOO bail. A sheriff got him in Exchange Place, between Broadway and New street. He of fered no resistance and said that he could not furnish any bail, having spent all his money. He is now lodged in jail. An order for the arrest of Kobbe has also been granted in similar suit, and it was expected he would be taken in custody by the officers of the sheriff before night.
 Van Arsdale is the defendant in suit just begun in the Supreme court in New York by Edward Bamford and Charles Bamforth, composing the firm of Bamforth Brothers, who carry on business at Liverpool, England, and other cities. They charge in the papers upon which the order for the arrest of Van Arsdale was procured, that between the 27th day of November and the 9th day of Decem- ber last, Edward H. Kobbe, their clerk in New York, presented for sale to certain brokers there three drafts. purporting to be drawn by them, through their attorney in this country, upon themselves, payable at sight. They allege that Kobbe sold the drafts and fraudulently procured checks to be drawn to his own order in payment for $65, ,133 73. This amount of money, they assert, he converted to his own use and then abscond- l ed. They charge that Van Arsdale was an &C., 1 complice of Kobbe, and that he took part l in the plan to secure the money and l
 
 Van Arsdale, in connection with Kobbe, in vested large part of the proceeds in certain 1 government bonds, concealing a portion of l the same in the house of his mother, and in | addition receiving $2 800 in cash. As soon | as Bamforth Brothers learned of these facts, 1 they made exertions to recover some of their | property, and recovered g considerable | amount of the securities, but could not ob- | tain any of the money which Van Arsdale | had received A considerable amount of the | money not recovered was spent by Kobbe | and Van Arsdale, and Bamforth Brothers | seek by this action to recover $S, 800 frem Van Arsdale.
 Detective Robert A. Pinkerton in an afi- davit said that Kobbe absconded on the 18th of last month. He found that Kobbe was &C., quainted with Van Arsdale and had been in his company and was with him in Chi cago, although when Van Arsdale returned to New York Kobbe was not with him. Kobbe was captured and brought back to New York and made full statement of the embezzle- ment.
 About $25, ,OO0 of the bonds, part of the proceeds, were found concealed in the