The morning news., 1889-03-02
FORGER NORTON'S TRICKS
FLORIDA BANKE ERs BREATHE EAsI-
ER SINCE THE ROGUES ARREST.


ER SINCE THE ROGUES ARREST.
The Way Detective MoWatt Scooped
in the Man with Many Aliases-Ari-
zona's Ex-Governor has a Narrow
Escape-some OF Norton's Work-Tne
Way He Got Around the Officers OF
the Orlando Bank.
Detective Mowatt was IN the city yester-
day and gave the MORNING News an inter
esting account Of bow he captured at Tar
pom Springs, Fla, one Of the most accom-
plished rascas that has ever worked Ia the
south. an accounto Of which was telegraphed
tho MoRNING NEWS at the lime.
The prisoner is now lodged ia the Jail at
Orlando, and is a fellow Of many aliases,
who after doing a term in New York. had
no sooner got out than he worked the
banks al through TENNESSEE and Ala
bama, and was working them sue
cessfully in Florida when Mr.. Mowatt
swoopcd down on him. This forger is the
celebrat New York crook, John Norton,
with the following Aliases; John {. Hart
John W. Raymond, John S. Ford, John
Leslie f. T.. Clark and John Hammond
and when he was arrested lie had just
finished forging his passport 60 Cuba IN the
name Of John Burton Bell, age 30, occa-
patton broker, hight six feet
half an inch, weight -, complexion
fair, black hair, dark mustache"
Hart started out by forging checks AMI
drafts purporting to be signed by James
Gordon Bennett, Of the New York Herald.
On Feb. he caught bank in Pensacola
for $75 On forged draft Of Tiffany & Co.
on the Park National Bank, giving his
name as +. p. Clark AS John Leslie he
got $45 from Palatka bank on forged
check of Arnold, Constable ~ Go. Under
another alias he struck Key West bank
for $500 on forged check for the Mlnhat-
tan Trust Company, and he got $35 from
an Orlando bank on a forged check Of
Harper Bros
MowATr ON THE TRAIL.
The Florida Association Of Bankers put
the matter in the hands Of Detective Now
att, who soon run lis bird to cover at Tar
pom Springs The forger was stopping at
the Tropical hotel under the name Of John
Hammond, and when the detective walked
into Hammond's room the forger was at
work on II draft which was intended to have
been made upon the Park National Bank by
II. G. Chaplin, secretary of the United States
Mutual Accident Association. Hammond
carried bond paper, and evidently is
lithographic artist, for the letter heads Of
Tiffany &c Co., Arnold, Constable 81 Co,
and his unfinished draft, show him to be an
accomplished designer aud letterer, and
rude sketch Of the town marshal Of Tarpon
Springs and his deg, which picture is labeled
"rhe Inspector Byrnes of TarpOu Springs,n
show that Hammond not only has a sense
of the ludiorous in the etching art but that
he is a close observer
Hammond intended to have Ex-Governor
Stafford of Arizona, now a resident of Tar
pom Springs, and president of the bank
there, cash his forged check for $l80, and
the forger had so thoroughly ingratiated
himself into the ex-governor's good graces
that lie would have cashed the brokers
draft for 81 900, as he informed the detec-
tive.
AFTER THE EX-GOVERNOR.
Hammond's plan was a shrewd one. He
had been cultivating Gov. Stafford, and iu-
cidentally showed Gov. Stafford a letter
purporting to come from Mr. Chaplin, ask
ing the broker to buy him lot and cottage
in some quiet place, where he could bring
an invalid wife. Hammond sat down and
answered hls friends letter, ana exalted
Tarpon Springs to the highest p int. Both
the letters were submitted to the eX-gov-
ernor, who was highly dehgnted with Ham
mond's reply. and he said 1t was the finest
descriptive work he had ever read. The
ex-governor had lots to sell and could fully
appreciate the result IL the secretary Of the
United States Mutual Accident As ociation
would invest in Tarpon Springs property.
Hammond left and destroyed his glowiug
picture of Tarpon Springs as an Euto Jia
The next time he met Gov Stafford he eX-
hibited a telegram from his friend Chaplin
saying that he had mailed him a d aft on
the Park National Bank, and hoped he
would have no trouble in getting it cashed.
The ex-governor assured him that there
would be no trouble on that score, and
with that assurance Hammond was very
painstakingly manufacturing the forged
document when Detective Mowatt dropped
in and saved the ex-governor his Sl60,
and spoiled Hammond's contemplated trip
to Cuba.
SHREWD ROGUE.
Detective Mowatt describes Hammond
as sunken-eyed an opium eater, with the
appearance of an invalid, educated, D lished,
and of the most suave disposition, but a
keen observer, a close student of human
nature, brilliant writer, whose orthog-
raphy is faultless, and who commands the
best language. When he presented
the forged check on Harper Bros
at the Orlando bank, and they
declined TO cash it, he expressed
surprise, and with a p lished smile and "A
'pardon me, but will you please note your
objections on the back Of tue paper and |
will return it to the house. there was that
air of sincerity about his manner that dis
armed suspicion, although the bank officials
then knew that just such looking stra ger
had mulcted other Florida banks in he
same way. Pictures of tho forger have
been taken for future use, but from present
indications he is in the tolls for some time
10 come.