The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-15
The Napoleon OF swlndlerg.

NEW YORK, Sept. 1.-The EUeRing Sun in
its last edition prints a sensational story
Of an attempt to rob the estate of the late
Christopher Meyer of $4,000 600 by means
of forgery, ard charges Henry S. Ives with
the crime. The SUMS headlines are as fol-
lows: lives as a Forger. Details of His
Bold Scheme to Rob Christopher Meyers
Estate S7,000,0O0 Was the Booty. Ives
Traced The Dead Mans Initials and Stay
ner Touched Them Up. Perjury but An
In cident. 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 columns as master thief, also ranks
high among fOrgers. The narrative will
show that he, by the forgery of two initials,
G. and M, was in fair way to obtain at
least 100000 in cold cash. and open a till
which contained something more than
81, 100000 Ives has added to his previous
crimes that of forgery in the latter part of
last December. This fact is published tc-
day for the first time, and can be substan-
eASlated whenever 1t becomes necessary"
, For several years back Meyer has had
dealings with Stayner which had resulted
the worse for Meyer to the tune of about
one hundred thousand odollars. Stayner
was indebted for about that sum TO Meyer
and after going into insolvency, compro-
missed the debt, leaving balance of many
thousands of dollars unpaid.
When Stayner and Ives became squeezed
for funds, Stayuer bethought himself of a
novel and effective expedient for recaptur-
ing old Meyers confidence and making him
a contributor to the scheme in which he
had embarked with the thieving Napoleon.
After drawing on the Mineral Range fund,
Of which Ives & Co. had made themselves
repositories Immediately after they had
got control of the road, Stayner
presented himself to Meyer in
a high moral attitude. He declared to
Meyer that he had come to perform what
ne considered his duty as a christian and
en- honest man: that he was nav happily
in funds sufficient to discharge the last
cent of his obligation, and that it was fer
that praiseworthy purpose that he had
called Meyer from that time on gave
implicit credence to all of Stayners de-
claratjons aud was soon persuaded by him
20 give his aid TO a syndicate formed by
Ives, Stayner Il Meter. He agreed to re
receive for them. when purchased and
brought to New York, total of COCO
shares of the Cincinnati, Hamilton &
Dayton common stock at an average
price not to exceed ll5 per cent and TO
carry it for them, receiving . per cent. for
the use of MS money, an arrangement
which was practically a loan by Meyer to
that extent upon the stock, since it was
agreed that Ives and Stayner should cast
The vote upon that at all elections of the
YFOad and at stockholders meetings. This
agreement was carried out by Meyer to
the letter. The stock was held in his
name during all the existence of the
swindling firm of H. $. Ives & Co., and
when the inevitable exposure and crash
came it was still so held.
The exposure of Ives and Stayner's I'M
scrupulousness, the daily mention of his
own name in connection with them, and his
keen sence of disgrace drove Meyer TO his
grave in few months.
In the fall of 1888, suit was begun in an
Ohio court by Albert Meter against
Henry S. Ives, George Stayner and
the executors of the will of Christ
Okher Meyer for the balance of the
purchase money of his syndicate re-
ma nlng unpaid. No sooner, however, had
the plaintiff begun the case than the collu-
siye character of the action was revealed.
Ives and Stayner, nominally defendants,
were the principal witnesses whom the
plaintiff called TO prove his claim against
manifest intention was to turn to the only
responsible defendant the estate of Chris
topner Meyer TO make that estate
answerable, it was necessarily to prove
that Meyer had been partner of the Ives
gang, and as such responsible for all their
losses. Never was dead and could DENY
pothing. Ives and Stayner therefore pro-
1duced document which fully met the
case
The Sun then gives in full the agreement