Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-15
IVES AS A FORCER.
Another Accomplishment of tho
Young Railroad wreoker.
A Shameless Attempt to Wreck the
Meyer Estate.
EXPOSED BY A NEWSPAPER.
The Part That Staynor, His Partner
Played.
EXPOSED BY A NEWSPAPER.
AN OLD BENEEAcroR DuPeD.
The Young Napoleon OF Finance
Proves Himself the Great Mas
ter ThIef-Of the whole
United States.


n Great COnspIraCy.
New York, Sept 14-The Evening Sun
in its last edition prints sensational story
of an attempt to rob the estate of the late
Christopher Meyer of 1000. 900 by means of
forgery, and charges Henry $. Ives with the
crime. The Sun headlines are as follows:
lives as a forger Details of his bold
scheme TO rob Christopher Meyers estate.
Seven million dollars was the booty Ives
traced the dead mans initials and Staynor
touched them up. Perjury but an incident.
The master thief calmly told Woodruff the
details he was to swear to-"
The Sun says: Henry S. Ives, who has been
so often and so truly referred to in these col
umns as the master Thief" ranks high
among forgors. The narrative shows that
he, by forgery of tho initials, "A. c. and an
M" was in fair way to obtain Sl0O 900 in
cold cash, and to open till which contained
something more than $1,000, ,OOo. Ives added
to his previous crimes that of forgery in the
latter part of last December. This fact is
published to-day for the first time and can be
substantlated whenever it shall become ne
cessary.
For several years back Meyer had had
dealings with Staynor which had resulted in
loss to Meyer of about 100000 Staynor
was indebted for about that sum to Meyer.
After going into insolvency he compromised
the debt leaving "a balance of many thousand
dollars unpaid. When Staynor & Ives be.
came squeezed for funds Staynor bethought
himself of novel and effective experiment
for recapturng old man Meyers confidence
and making him a contributor to the scheme
in which he had embarked with the thieving
After drawing uD the Mineral Range fund,
OF which Ives IL Co. had made themselves de-
positories, Immediately after they had got
control of the road Staynor presented him
self to Meyer in high moral attitude. He de-
clared to Meyer that he had come to perform
what he considered his duty as a christian
and an honest man; that he was now hap.
PLY in funds sufficient to discharge the last
cent of his obligation and that
it was for that purpose ne had
called. Meyer from that time on
gave implicit credence to all of Stnynor's
declarations, and was soon persuaded by him
to give his aid to tho syndicate formed by
Ives, Staynor & Netter. He agreed TO re-.
ceive for them, when purchased and brought
to New York, total of 5000 shares Of
Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton common
stock at an average price not to exceed 115
per cent and to carry it for them, receiving
per cent for interest on his money, per ar
rangement, which was practically loan by
Meyer to that extent upon the stock since. it
was agreed that Ives and Staynor should
cast the vote upon it at all elections of the
road and at all stockholders meetings. This
agreement was carried out by Meyers to the
letter. The stock was held in his name DUR
ing all the existence OF the sWindling firm Of
| FL. S Ives ~ Co., and when the inevitable
| exposure and crash came it was still so held.
| The exposure of Ives and Staynor's un-
scrupulousness, the daily mention of his own
name in connection with them, and keen
| sense of disgrace, drove Meyer to his grave
| in a few months. Within three
months after Meyers death there was
| put into operation through Ives agency
| a scheme to impoverish Meyers
estate, and to open to himself and his con-
| federates mine of S7,G00.00O.
In the fall Of 1855 there was begun in an
| Ohio court suit by Albert Meter against
| Henry S. Ives, George H. Staynor ana the
| executors of the estate of Christopher Meyer
| for the balance of the purchase money Of his
| syndicate interest remaining unpaid. Vol
luminous depositions in that action were
taken in this city during all last fall, but
| only the most meagre outlines of the case
were ever made public. No sooner, how
ever, had the plaintiff begun his case than
/ ble COlluSlVe CnuTdCJcT Ot IUG uCJOu WlS re-
vealed. Ives and Staynor were nominally
| the defendants, but they were the principal
witnesses whom the plaintiff called to prove
his claim against themselves. Neither of
| them was solvent and the manifest inten-
/ ton was to turn to the only responsible de-
fendant-the estate of Christopher Meyer.
10 make that estate answerable it was neces-
| sary to prove that Meyer had been partner
| of the Ives gang, and as such was responsible
| for all their losses. Meyer was dead and
could deny nothing The ready lips Of Ives
| and Staynor swore with affected reluctance
| to everything essential to prove his partner
| ship. They produced duplicates OF all their
| own letters TO Meyer, which, il accepted,
| would nave made him partner. But un-
| fortunately for the scheme, outside of their
| own declarations they could prove no accept.
ance by Meyer OF their Offers Ives appre-
clated the difficulties of the situation and
| proceeded Enthusiastically to overcome
them. II was necessary to produce somo
writing binding Meyer None such was in
| existence, and the very fact of such a thing
| had been disclaimed by Ives and Suaynor IN
| their depositious. But TO "Napoleonc'
| mind such obstacles are trivial. If the doc.
ument did not exist IL must be made to ex-
| lst The project was no sooner conceived
than executed. Facilities were not wanting.
Staynor had been an engraver In his youth.
Ives himself was not unsklllful with the pen.
Accordingly at the next meeting there was
voluntarily produced by Staynor document
which met all the conspirators' REQUIRE
ments. Without the slightest PRIOR sugges-
ton il was sprung into being fully matured
and ready fer business. OF course 1t clearly
showed Meyer 10 be partner of Ives, Stay
nor Il Meter, and therefore responsible for
all claims against them to the full extent Of
] his estate.
A Sun reporter this morning had an inter.
view with Ives and he still insists that the
| initials were genuine.