The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-08
PAY CHECKS FORGED.
Extensive System of Fraud
Against the Pennsy1-
vania Railroad.
HOW FAR DOES IT REACH.
The Imitation Is So Exact as to
Deceive Even officials Of
= the Company.
The Discovery Made by Cashier
Hardenberg Through the
Duplication Of Numbers.


which involves the counterfeitiug of the
pay checks of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company has come TO light in this city,
and several saloon keepers and trades
men are lamenting their implicit faith in
the great corporation. The Pennsylvania
Company pays its men in this vicinity
about the 18th or 14th Of each month for
the work performed during the previous
month. The men are paid In checks.
which are sent on from the
auditors Office In Philadelphia The
checks are printed on light but very
tough bond parchment paper, and are
simple in design. They have, however.
many private marks and letters ana are
numbered with peculiar style OF figures
which make them almost as difficult to
counterfeit as government bank note.
When they come from philadelphia the
payee's name is omitted and they read,
''Pay 10 the order of - or bearer on
order of K. r. Brooks" VINO is now act
ing as Superintendent OF the New York
Division during Mr.. Crawford's illness.
Mr. Brooks name on the checks Is print
ed In a bright green ink, and they are
payable at the Hudson County National
Bank of this city. The name of the en-
ploye is flied In at Mr. Brooks Office and
the Superintendent's endorsement Is put
on the back by stamp In duh red Ink
HOW THEY ARE cAsHED.
Rather than stand around the bank in
lire waiting 70 get their money the men
have been in the habit Of taking their
checks to various saloons in the neigh
borhood of the station and getting them
cashed. As they always spend a portion
of their wages before leaving the saloon
the proprietors have always expressed
a willingness to cash the drafts.
The two men who have heretofore done
the heaviest business in this line are
Henry Albers Of the Weldon building and
Fuller building. 1t is said that Albers
has cashed as many as eco, 900 worth of
the checks in a single day.
SOMETHING WRONG.
On Monday afternoon Mr.. Warren
Hardenberg, cashier OF the hudson County
National Bank, called upon Mr. Brooks
at'his office, and told him tlat something
was wrong with the pay checks for May.
The clerk In the bank who has charge of
the pay account of the company had
discovered three checks with the same
number. Mr.. Hnrdenberg produced the
checks and Mr.. Brooks examined them
closely. They were to all appearances the
company's checks. They were in the
regular form, numbers and marks
looking. perfectly natural. The signa,
checks for the auditor. appeared
genuine, his own name was printed
in the right shade of green ink,
and his signature on the back was
evidently mado by the same stamp
and In the same dull colored red ink which
was used for that purpose In his office.
He could not account for the fact that
three checks have the same number, and
he concluded to send them to the audi
tors Office and let them explain the mys-
terry there. In short time word came
from Philadelphia that the checks were
spurious. Although such good counter
teirs that the only way they were discov-
cred was from the fact that the number
they bore was higher than any which the
company had issued for that month.
Seven of the spurious checks have thus
far been discovered. One each Of four of
these was passed OH Police Commissioner
Kelly, Hotelkeeper Steup Of Exchange
place; Patrick McArdle, whose saloon is
next to Stsup's Hotel. and James Fitzger-
aid, who keeps saloon near the ferry.
None of these checks exceed $36
TRIED TO Work TAYLoR's HOTEL
On Sunday afternoon a slim, well
dressed young man with slight black
mustache came Into the barroom OF lay
lor's Hotel and leaned against the bar for
a while. Then be went mp to Cashier
John Glenn and asked him 10 cash
small check Tor him. He said that ne was
little short aud wanted to get pint of
whiskey. Mr.. Glenn asked him to let
him see the cheek and the stranger
DIOuuttU cuuofAfdukd pay CutCk
dated some time in May and calling for
SAG. The check was so fresh aud new for
one issued over a month ago, as
Mr.. Glenn knew the Pennsylvania
pay cheeks were. that he refused
the young mans request and the stranger
young man answers that given by the
bartenders of Kelly. Steup, Fitzgerald
and McArdle's places, of the man who
swindled them.
EXTENT OF THE swINDEE UNKNOWN.
Although only seven checks have come
to light, thus far there Is an uneasiness
about the officials as to the extent of the
swindle. If the counterfeits are
so good as to deceive the railroad
officials as they have, they were evidentlys
the labor and expense they did or run
the risk they have for the pal
try sum they received on the seven
drafts which have thus far been dis
covered. 1t is believed by those who are
acquainted with the methods OF this class
of criminals that many thousands of dol
lars worth of The spurious papers was
hoated some three weeks ago when the |
railroad men were paid.
As the checks come from the main |
office OF the company at Philadelphia they |
all 90 back after having been paid. The |
spurious drafts. the experts say, were |
presumably paid by the tradesmen |
IN various parts OF the city. |
many OF whom did not |
turn them into any bank until the lapse |
of several days, and it will take some |
time before the checks pass through the |
clearing house to the Hudson County Ma |
tional Bank and are sent by the bank |
back to the Auditors office, Philadelphia. |
In view of this 1t is said that 1t will be |
some little time yet before the Auditor /
gets all the checks so as to strike his bal |
snce, and 1t will not be until he has COM |
pared them with his stubs that it will be i
definitely known how much money the |
swindiers secured.
CHIEF MURPHY OPINEs.
Chief Murphy this morning in talking |
of the matter. said:-"It was very good |
game very badly played. II these men had |
waited untilSaturday afternoon theyceuld |
have taken in from 1900 to 5000 on |
Newark avenue alone. The cheek is a |
very cleverly executed piece of work. |
Superintendent Brooks signature is a |
perfect facsimile
"As II now stands the men made hardly |
enough money to pay for the ink The |
deception was not discovered until Mon.