Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-12-09
AFAMOUs DETECTIVE.
How George Elder Followed John living
stone. the forger.
LII. II.
New York Dispatch.

anything else than an ideal detective, but
whom recognized as George Elder,
member of the force whose funeral
Byrnes had attended that day. HE was
daring, cool-headed man, and it was to
his memory of facts that he WIS indebted
for his success in many cases." said the
chief. John Livingstone was the son of
a wealthy man, who lived in line palace
up the Hudson, and had the opportunity
to remain respectable, but he preferred
crooked ways and got into so much trouble
that he was cast off by the family. For a
time he was employed as an express mes
senger in New York, and in that capacity
he acquired familiarity with business
methods that he subsequently made use
of on carrying out an audacious piece of
ra.scality. In July, 1867, Livingstone
drove up to the City Bank in an express
wagon drawn by two fine horses, entered
In business-like way aid presented to
the teller check for $4,000 purporting
to be signed by Cornelius Vanderbilt and
drawn to the order of Henry Keep. The
signatures seemed all right, and as the
man had often been seen in the bank
while he was actually IN the employ of
the express company, no suspicion was
aroused at the size of the check. 1t was a
common thing for Commodore Wander
bilt to have large amount of money on
deposit and to send for the whole of il
unexpectedly. The teller, however, never
paid large checks without orders from
the cashier, and he passed the check over
to that official Meanwhile Livingstone
stepped behind the cashier, relnarking
that he had new horse in his team and
was afraid the animal would not stand.
BY this ruse he got into casual CONVEX
sation with the cashier, and then told him
he wanted the money put up in certain
way. The cashier said it would take time
to do that. about half an hour, and Liv-
ingstone said he would go down the street
and attend to some other business and
return for the money. Had word been
sent to the Commodore while the fellow
was gone, the scheme would have mis-
carried, but Livingstone calmly relied
upon the cashiers acquaintance with the
Commodores temper to save him from
that danger. Nobody in the bank cared
to take one of the Commodore's checks
to him and ask him if it were all right.
The old man was liable to storm, and
demand wether or not he was good for
the amount, or had the money in the bank,
ana Lubu tlHiulSS tilc IhNootbBNt NAph q
veil of unique but forcible profanity.
When the supposed express messenger
returned the package of $4,000 vas now
ready for him. He carefully examined
it to see if it was all right, chatted with
the cashier for a few minutes, sauntered
out, got upon his wagon aed drove away.
1t was seven weeks before the bank
officials knew that the check was forged.
The signatures we're perfectly initiated,
and would have deceived Vanderbilt him
self, but of course the Commodore knew
that he had given no such check
Hare Chief Byrnes took up tho second
of the pictures 1t was pen-and-ink
drawing of fat fellow in the costume
formerly worn by express messengers.
This little sketch" he said, made
famous artist of it's maker and sent the
subject to State Prison. The teller of
that bank was Thomas Worth, now vol
known in the artistic world. lie could
give no verbal description by which the
the thief could be Unidentified, but he
seized his pen and piece OF paper, and
in few minutes time produced free
sketch of a man. As soon as Elder saw
il he said "That is John Livingstone,
I'll bot my life," and taking the picture
he started out with definite clew."
Had Livingstone, left tho country, as he
could have easily done, he would have been
safe. but his weakness for fine horsefesh
proved his rum. He kept the team he
had driven away from the bank. and
started for the West with it, Elder found
the dealer who sold the horses to Living
stone. got minute description of them,
and traced them through Buffalo and
other cities to Chicago. He learned that
the man who owned the team had pur-
chased other fine stock at various places,
explaining that he was going to run
stock farm. As Chicago the trail was
lost for time, but Elder argued that
man who had many horses would need
saddles, brides and harnesses, and so he
made patient inquiries among the large
harness houses of Chicago. At last he
found out that some harnesses had been
shipped to gentleman who had pur-
chased a large farm about forty miles
from the city. Taking two or three friends
with him, the detective paid visit to the
farm, ostensibly to admire the fancy stock
owned by the wealthy gentleman. APP
preaching John Livingstone, standing on
the steps, and stepping up to him, he SAID:
Good morning, Mr.. Livingstone The
forger turned pale and was bewildeEed
for moment, bnt quickly recovered his
natural GOODNESS and denied his indemnity.
How did you leave everybody IN New
York;" blandly impaired Elder.
New York, sir? | never was there IN my
life. | don't know the place.
"Wen." rejoined Elder, you'll have
fine chance to get acquainted there when
Won 90 back with mo-" and slipping the
handouts upon Livingstone's wrists, he
informed him that he was under arrest
for forgery.
There was danger that lawyers would
make trouble and delay, to say nothing
of the expense of legal fight and Elder
decided to- get out of Illinois with his
prisoner as speedily as possible. Living
stones love of good horses aided the
officer. Elder hitchsd up the same par
of blacks that had carried the torger away
from the bank, put his prisoner into the
buggy and drove for Indiana, closely
pursued by Illinois lawyers with wrlts or
hapeas corpus. 1t was about twenty -hye
miles to the line and the horses flew over
tho road a. they never had before they
crnss.d the line half an hour ahead OF the