Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-13
4 F0RGER In PRISON.
GEORGE LEWIS ALMOST WINS FREE
CON AND A SNUG LITTLE FORTUNE.
matt Raised from ei 60 SEQ, 600
nsaRers IN Three Cities Interested
in the Case.

4
,..,o-v Of clever piece Of forgery which
t.e already been reported in the DIsPAToH,
- bv which the oolorcd peoples savings
~ Of this city was muIcted out Of
go little moro than half of which will
rorhsps be recovered.
serics OF bold and skilful forgeries
attenti0n OF bank officers in three
New York. Richmond, Va, and
yCsseuworth, Han, has been called TO a
i.~yict-a colored man at thAt-who made
4srin- effort TO obtain freedom and
a1~lrctency at the same time, and very
,-s-lv succeeded in doing so. That he
t.fet was due to an error of Judgment
.t,,f a comparatively unimportant detail,
-, 4 was a sufficiently serious mistake in
~ -csnlt 10 promise HIM long residence
L,lud the bars.
George Lewls-at least that is the name
~ which hc is ofiiclallylknown-is q mill
,srv sojourner in the prison at Lansing,
IA. Tie Is described as a fine-looking
80. very black as 10 color, very erect as
,,r,rriagc. and very skilled as TO the imi-
,.,.nn OF other mems handwriting. He is
s- inch over six feet IN height. broad
.Sorlderod. and we'll developed physi-
C,lv. He is well educated and naturally
light Morally he IA sadly lacking.
yRGINIAN by BIRTH.
lewis was born in Virginia thirty-three
,f,rs ago. When he grew up to manhood
Isdrificd into the army and was soon one
n the most oasbing priYates la Troop /,
Ninth cavalry. Owing TO his good looks
is education. and his general ability he
y,s detailed for duty in one of the War
ppartmont offices at Washington. There
is had a chance 10 learn some things
shout the workings of the department and
femproved the opportunity. 1t was this
knowledge, in fact. upon which he after
Var1 relied in his attempt TO get out Of
prson.
LEWIS got into the Lansing Institution
through writing a name which did not be-
',, 90 him. The courts called il forgery,
Al sentenced him TO ten years imprisOn-
gent. That was early in June, 1892 BY
re higher powers the sentence was re-
triad rs rather excessive. and Lewiss
I'm was reduced 10 FIVE years.
IN the Lansing prison the negro was
-.lcl convict. So we'll did he behave, in
s.' that before very long be had very
h,.fably impressed the warden, George
H. Caace and had won the favor of tho
..srlain, the Rev. w. Il. Poinsott. His
.,l 10 office.wOrk and his good conduct
l.. t5 his being employed as sort of clerk,
al for time he attended TO his new
t.t..- IN most satisfactory way.
lt is the custom at the prison to allow
Oh. conylcts 10 use money that they have
,rm.y earntO make little purchases Of
ElI which meets the approval of the au-
,s.r,i,s. As a rule the money Is spent for
...-euptions TO newspapers or magazines
- ur little luXuries craved by the pri-
sr.rs OF course the amount of money
r.ei IN any one purchase Is small. but
-.r..ps twenty-five or thirty men every
T. nth improve the opportunity to make
.e.r existence more comfortable. This
money is sent out in the shape of drafts,
Il 90 81 e
Itaytnworth, Kan, upon the Mercantile
National Bank of this city.
IT GREW RAPIDLY.
Part q Lewis's work lay in writing let
t-- and sending out these drafts, and
shout the middle of February he under
'.ka bold operation with one of them.
Il lal been drawn for 81, but when the
lsrr, had finished his operations upon 1t
/. called for $4,000. incidentally the
ysue Of the payee had been altered to
George Lewis. The changes were made
with such skill that il was not until long
ar,rwar1 that anybody suspected that
ANYTHING was wrong with the draft.
It's shown by correspondence which has
srco passed between the banks interested,
tll, Lewis must have picked out the Foun-
tam Savings Bank of the United Order of
Tue Ref1rmers, a Richmond institution
much used bv the colored population, as
the one through which he would endeavor
n turn the draft into ready money. At
CIV rare. Il. T. Hill, cashier Of the Foun-
tan Bank. received a letter in which Lewis
tod very neat story. He was a negro,
the letter ran, who had gone West, settled
q, Hardness, Kan, prOspered, and bought
8 ranch The property had increased III
value. and he had Just sold it for $4,000 to
DE agent Of an English nobleman. In
Closed was the draft given in payment,
which the cashier was requested to put TO
tie credit Of George Lewis.
Iomase his tale more symmetrical and
O. supply other interesting details the
convict sent another letter TO Mr.. Hill con-
,.,luc q letter purporting 10 have been
written by John II. Scott. the British
l-,!s agent II was dated Trafalgar
square, CharinC Cross, London, January
Yl.l.n IL added some details about the
regulations for the purchase,of the ranch.
Lord Baudlet," it announced, was 60
re- make long voyage on his yacht
ali would be met at San Francisco by
SOFT who would 90 out from London to
JON bis employer there. Then the two
vI.i Journey eastward to Kansas and
least thor eyes upon the Hardness pro-
pug. for which Lewis had been paid the
$4,000. 4 typewriter had turned these
.f..Es ont very nicely.
THE DRAFT HoSoRKD.
Levi, was not satisfied even with oil this
-r.torltiye evidence of his honesty and
reliability. He told the Richmond people
'uUAs- INQUIRIES Of the New York bank
--l ascertain for themselves if there was
l-uan- the matter with the draft. Such
ll!ies were made, but the Negroes calcu-
-.-s had been made shrewdly. The
lays-w0rth bank had a eood-siZed
h.'ore m IT'S favor with its New York
respondent. and, of course, the answer
va, made that a draft for S20,0 900 would be
t-u'et As 20 suspicious of the genu-
te a. the draft, none had yet been
f-,ct, for the forger's work was excep-
t,a..y clever.
by tn, tine Lewis need an assistant ont
Hl- u the prison 10 help him along IN the
execution Of his schemes. and he appears
oiaye found a confederate without much
able. His plan was helped on by the
'a,' that the confederate could be fully in-
..'l.'"d 10 the part he was to play without
tie need q letter-writing, inGsmuch as ne
sa' ii.u IN the jail serving out the last few
Cav "a! BIS term.
ANS assistant was person OF several
,N's, but was called Sam Bryant at
I@-.ng. He, TOO, was colored trooper,
slo had earned five years. imprisonment
~ robbery committed in Shawnee
ol,'y March 4th he was released from
v.llement and was free TO assist Lewis.
richmond, where. so far as the plotteis
i-sS, u could be obtained If Lewis could
li' secure bis freedom. The next step
va % get him out of Jail, Some men IN
pr ar situation might have tried 10 tun-
y. iAe wall or kill a guard OF otherwise
s-s't lot Of physical force. Mr.. Lewis
"a 700 artistic for that: he simply feh
'eeA upon some more forgeries.
PApTE OF RELEASE FORGED.
lie first OF these was an order on firm
'Prnters IN Leavenworth. purporting to
: signed by Captain Hilles, of the regular
sly and asking the firm 20 strike on
twenty-five copies Of the letter-head OF the
w department. for use in official busi-
t,s, Lewis could describe the sheet well
ugh through his experience in Wash
.Nl, and before very long a couple Oh
.ei-heads, supposed 10 have been sent 70
49, q. proofs, were in his possession. On
L. % them he wrote q letter, dated at
5T'.ington aud bearing the signature OF
..Sn Reeves, supposedly a clerk In the
"a, DepaFiment. Briefly, this letter SAID
va s1i George Lewis was TO be released from
i-,loly by order Of the Secretary OF War.