St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-15
PRINCE OF FORGERS.
Napoleon Ives Scheme to Rob
the Estate of Millionaire
Meyer.
He Aimed to Make the ES-
tate Liable for His
Debts.
Seven Million Dollars at Stake
He Forged the Dead
Mans Initials.
"Jim the Penman" Totally
Eclipsed by the Unserupu-
lous Young Finaneier.


OF bold scheme on the part of Henry
S. Ives, George H. Stayner and E. W..
Woodruff to swiLdle the late Christie
pher Meyer, millionaire manufacturer
of New Brunswick, N. j., out of
100000, and charging them with
forgery. The paper vouches for the
truth of the story, and says that
while it is not its business to
tell how the information was acquired,
it can be fully substantiated. The ar
ticle goes on to state that Stayner had
previously had business relations with
the said Christopher Meyer, which re-
suited in the loss to Mr.. Meyer of $780,
600. 1t says Stayner was indebted for
about that amount to Meyer, and after
going into insolvency compromised the
debt, leaving many thousand dollars
unpaid. Subsequently when Ives and
Stayner became pinched for funds to
carry out their scheme to capture the
Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton road,
Stayner called upon Meyer and. while
asserting that the law had exempted
him from all further liability for the
money due him (Meserl, he (Stayner)
was now happily
POSSESSED OF SUFFICIENT FUNDS
to discharge his indebtedness. Meyer
was of course delighted, and therefore
gave implicit credence to all of Stay
ner's representations. Stayner soon
syndicate formed by Messrs. Ives. Stay
ner and Meter. He agreed to receive
from them when purchased and brought
to New York a total of 6,OO0 shares of
c.. ii. & D. common stock at an average
price of not exceeding lis, and to carry
it for them receiving six per cent for
the use of the money. 1t was agreed
that Ives and Stayner should cast
the vote upon it at all elections of
the load and stockholders meetings. The
agreement was carried out to the letter
by Meyer. The stock was held in his
name during all the existence of the
swindling firm of II. s. Ives Il Co., and
when the inevitable exposure and crash
came it was still SO held. But long be-
fore the crash came Meter was squeezed
out of the syndicate, Ives and Stayner
agreeing to pay him for his alleged in
terest in the eXpectant profits $3.50, 200.
Of this amount Meter was paid 100000
out of the S2.000.000 of the Cincinnati,
Hamilton & Dayton roads money, which
they had received as self-appointed de-
pOsitaries for that company. The ex-
posure, with the daily mention of his
name in connection Herewith, was so
keenly felt by Meyer that it
DROVE HIM TO HIS GRAVE
in few months. Within three months
after his death there was put in opera
ton through Ives, the paper charges,
scheme to impoverish Meyers estate.
and to open up to his cOnfederates and
himself mine of S7,000,0O0, OF this
scheme the article relates in substance
the following: ''In the fall of 1888
there was begun in an Ohio court suit
by Albert Meter against Henry S.
Ives, George Ii. Stayner and the execu-
tors of the estate of Meyer for the bal
ance of the purchase money due him for
his syndicate interest. The collusive
character of this action was soon re-
vealed. Ives and Stayner were nomi-
nally defendants, but they were the
principle witnesses whom the plaintiff
called to prove his claim against them
selves. As neither of them was solvent,
the only responsible defendant was the
estate of Meyer. To make the estate
answerable 1t was necessary to prove
that Meyer had been partner of the
BILE for all losses. Meyer being
dead, could deny nothing. Ives and
Stayner swore that he was a partner,
but in the absence of any documentary
evidence they could not fully prove it.
To overcome this Ives decided to draw
up an agreement of partnership and
forge Meyers name to it. The alleged
forged agreement which the paper pub
fishes was drawn upon a letter head of
the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton
road. 1t was written in pencil, and
fully binds Meyer. The article goes on
to say that the document is wholly
IN THE WRITING OF IVES.
This document was subsequently put
in evidence and more extraordinary
than the document itself was the way its
appearance was explained. StaynOr de-
ciared that he had entirely forgotten it
and found it at his home by the merest
chance. He said it was only a prelim-
mary draft of an ink-written agreement,
which had been thereafter executed in
the same language, signed and sworn to.
He further stated that he held the ink
written document, but when the crash
came Meyer begged him not to ruin
an old man and implored him to des-
troy the copy of the contract he held.
He declared that he was so moved that
he did not surrender his copy to Meyer,
who tore it up. Stayner then related
the circumstances of making the draft,
and declared that it was at Meyers re-
quest. He Swore that the initials sc.
NJ" were genuine-(only the initials of
all parties we're signed to it, those of
Woodruff's in the capacity of witness).
Ives and Woodruff swore sub
stantially to the same things as
Stayner and for the time the scheme
seemed to have worked. Within
few months Ives and Stayner were i'm
prisoned in Ludlow street jail for the
misappropriation of railroad funds, and
in another month both of them, together
with Woodruff, were indicted by the
grand jury for grand larceny and frand-
ulent issue of stock. At this vital time
Woodruff became alarmed and made
confessions in all directions and the
FORGERY OF THE AGREEMENT
by Ives came out. On certain Sun
day in December, 1883, all three, Ives,
Stayner and Woodruff, met at Stayner'S
house for dinner. After the neal they
adjourned to Stayner's study, on the
top floor of his residence. In a short
time Stayner brought out some letters,
according to w Woodruff, at Ives request.
Ives asked Woodruff to look at the let
tiers, which were all in Meyers hand
writing. The latter. after examining
them for some time, was asked by Ives
which of the signitures was the best, and
be replied that they were both good.
After some consultation between Ives
and Stayner they agreed upon one as
the best suited for their purpose. Ar
irving at this decision Ives took a sheet
Of letter pad from his pocket, having
the heading of the Cincinnati, Hamilton