The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-21
Mr.. WORTH'S TALENTED PEN
A Pen-and-Ink Sketch Which Resulted
in the Capture of a Cunning FOrger.
How Livingstone Raised SIS, 900 by Initiating
Cornelius Vanderbilt's Signature, ard
How WOrth's Pen Caused His Arrest.

NEW DIRK, Nov. ~ Two pictures Law on tho
desk before Inspector Byrnes, chief of the de-
tectve police. when called. One was photo
graph of a gray haired and bearded man. who
looked like anything else than an ideal detective.
but whom recognized as George Elder, NOM
Der of the force whose funeral Byrnes had at
tended that day. "He was a daring, cool
headed man, and it was to his memory of faces
that he was indebted for his success ia many
cases" said the chief. ''John Livingstone was
the son CT wealthy man, who lived in fne
place up the Hudson. and had the opportunity
20 remain respectable but he preferred crooked
ways and got into much trouble that ne was
cast off by the family. For a time he was
employed as an express messenger in New York,
and in that capacity he acquired familiarity with
business methods that he subsequently made usa
of in carrying out an audacous piece of rascal
ity. In July, 1867, Livingstone drove up to the
city bank in an express wagon drawn by two fine
horses entered in a business-like way and pre-
sented to the paying -teller check for SIS, 900,
purporting to be signed by Cornelius Vanderbilt
and drawn to the order of Henry Keep Thesig-
natures seemed all right, and as the man had Of
ten been seen in the bank while he was actually
in the employ OF the express company, no sus-
picion was aroused at the size of the check. It
was a common thing for Commodore Vanderbilt
to have large amount of money on deposit and
to send for the whole of it 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 rail to window behind the
cashier remarking that he had new horse in
his team and was afraid the animal would
not stand. By this ruse he got into
casual conversation with the cashier.
ana then told him he wanted the money
put up in certain way. The cashier said il
would take time to do that, about half an hour,
and Livingstone said he would go down the
street to attend to some other business and re-
turn for the money. Had word been sent to the
Commodore while the fellow was gone, the
scheme would have miscarried but Livingstone
calmly relied upon the cashiers acquaintance
with the Commodore's 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 whether or not he was
good for the amount or had the money in bank,
and then dismiss the messenger with a volley OF
unique but forcibls profanity. When the sup
posed express messenger returned, the package
of $780, 900 was ready for him. He carefully ex-
amined it to see if it was all right chatted with
the cashier for few minutes, sauntered out got
upon his wagon and drove away. It was seven
weeks before the bank officials knew that the
check was forged. The signatures were perfect
ly initiated, and would have deceived Wander
bit himself but of course the Commodore knew
that he had given no such check"
Here Chief Byrnes took up the second Of the
pictures. It was pen and-ink drawing of fat
fellow, in costume formerly worn by express
''This little sketch he said, ''made a famous
artist of its maker and sent the subject to State
prison. The teller of that bank was Thomas
WORTH now we'll known in the artistic world.
He could give no verbal description by which
the thief could be identified but he seized his
pen and piece of paper, and in a few minutes
produced free sketch of the man. AS soon as .
Elder saw it he said: That is John Livingstone,
I'll bet my life and, taking the picture, he
started out with definite clew"
Had Livingstone left the country, as lie could
have easily done, he would have been safe, but
his weakness for fine horsefesh proved his ruin.
He kept the team he had driven away from the
bank, and started for the West with H. Elder
found the dealer who sold the horses to Living
stone, got a minute description OF them, and
traced them through Buffalo and other cities to
Chicago. He learned that the man who owned
the team had purchased other fine stock at vari-
Gus places, explaining that he was going to run
stock farm. At Chicago the trail was lost for
time, but Elder argued that a man who had
many horses would need saddles brides and
harnesses, and 80 he made patient inquiries
among the large harness houses of Chicago. At
last he found OUT that some harness had been
shipped to q gentleman who had purchased q
large farm about forty miles from the city.
Taking two or three friends with him, the de.
tective paid a visit to the farm. ostensibly to
m fnnl nod hvf ha yvoof hvf
gentleman. Approaching John Livingstone, who
was standing on the steps and stepping up to
him he said: Good morning, Mr. Liyingstone.'
The forger turned pale and was bewildered for @
moment, but quickly recovered his natural cool
ness and denied his identity.
How did you leave everybody in New
York; blandly inquired Elder
New York, sirY l never was there In my
life. don't know the place
"'Wcl, rejoined Elder. you'll have a fine
chance to get acquainted there when you go back
with me, and, slipping the handouts upon Liv-
ingstones 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 ont OF
Illinois with his prisoner as speedily as possible.
Livingstone's love of good horses aided the Of
ficer. Elder hitched up the same pair OF blacks
that had carried the forger away from tie bank.
put his prisoner into the buggy and drove for
Indiana. closely pursued by Illinois lawyers with
writs OF habeas corpus. 1t was about twenty-five
miles to the line, and the horses flew over the
road as they never had travelled before They
crossed the line half an hour ahead Of the pur.
suers. The detective lost no time in getting his
prisoner aboard train bound east and soon
landed him safely at headquarters in this city.
The value OF Thomas Worth's pen-and-ink
sketch led him to quit the bank and devote him
self entirely to art He is known to-day wher.
ever illustrated papers circulate.
Elder recovered about $50, 900 of the stolen
money The rest had been spent by Living
stone captured by lawyers or lost in the forced
sale of farms and stock which had been pur-
chased at high figures. Moses Taylor, who
stands with the saints in the stained glass win
dow of the church at Elberon, just erected to
his ever blessed memory, was president of the
bank He paid the detectives expenses. but re-
fused to give any reward because the whole OF