St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-22
CAPTURED THE CHIEF.
Hale, the Leader Of Notorious Gang Of
POrgsrs, Caught in Chicago.
The Lancaster Bank Defaulters
Brought TO Trial.
q Pennsylvania Judge Arrested--
Thirty Negroes Pardoned.
A Splendid Catch.

CHICAGO, Jan. 21.-AbOut July, 1885,
Western bankers became uneasy regarding
tie operations of gang of forgers who were
engaged in passing forged drafts. letters OF
credit and certificates OF deposit. a number
of banks having been vletimized. The
operators would visit bank and purchase
letter of credit or certificate by
making a deposit of money. They would
then find out the banks correspondents at
distance, forge or reproduce the letter
heads of the bank. and have a confederate
apply for the money at the same bank i'll a
distant city. Among the banks whose pa
per had been used in this way were: The
Stock Growers bank of Cheyenne, Wyo.;
First National bank of Albany,
Or; Butte City bank, Montana. and banks
at Lima, o.; 81. Paul, Clinton. Wis; Au-
rOra; also South Bend. Ind; LaPOrte, Ind !;
Charles City. Ia: Joliet. ILL.,; Toledo, o..
and First National bank of Chicago and
Fourth National bank OF New York city.
The work was most eieverly done, and in q
number OF instances
THE RAsCALs SUCCEEDED
in getting sums ranging from $500 to
ST. 500. The names used included Howard
Wood. George w. Meeker, J. +. Hale and
George w. Fuller. On the pretense that
they were about to start bank they were
allowed by a Chicago lithOgraphing COM
pany, about year ago. 10 look over a lot of
samples of checks, and it is believed
they stole samples which they afterwards
reproduce for use in their schemes. Finally
Lyman Gage, ce-president of the First
National bank of Chicago, called TO his
assistance W. a. PinkertOn OF Chicago.
superintendent of the western division OF
the PinkeTton agency, and the workings of
the gang were soon laid bare.
About Jan. q man giving the
name Of j. L. Hale presented To the
Floyd County Savings bank of Charles
City, Ia, a draft payable 10 himself, puT-
porting 10 have been drawn by the First
National bank of Joliet. LII. Hale also had
letter of introduction from the Joliet
bank. The draft was
DEPOSITED To HIS CREDIT,
and on Jan. 9 he wrote TO the Floyd county
bank from Chicago, enclosing his receipt
for the draft and asking that the money be
sent by the United States Express company.
Mr.. Gage told PinkertOn of this, and ar
ranged for the agent of the express COM
pany to notify Hall that package was
waiting for him. The result was
the arrest of Hale, a South Halstead street
salOonkeeper named Henry Richards. Hale
was recognized as the man who had passed
much forged paper. One OF the detectives
went to Fort Wayne, Ind, where Hale had
lived and captured the latter's valise, in
which was found a large number of
counterfeit checks and certificates. 4 de-
scriptiOn OF the prisoner was sent to Robert
A. PinkertOn OF New York, who recOg-
nized in Hale a noted forger named ]. C.
Hogan, alias Robert Bowman, who was
convicted in that state. Hogan was a con-
federate of William III. Lyman, who died
in prison two years ago. 1t is estimated
the banks have been defrauded out of $50
600 by this gang, of which the prisoner is
the supposed leader.