Morning journal and courier., 1891-02-02
ARRESTED FOR FoReEnY.

| NASAS1sSA AaD O1e IT COAASrA1kS An Interesting Story sf Crime-How Clark W. Hatch Defrauded an In- surance Company.
 WORCESTER, Mass, Feb. 1.-The arrest
 of Clark W. Hatch for forgery in this city Saturday night opens up an interesting story of crime. One day early in August, 1890, man giving the name of Clark
 Wells opened an account with the Mechan-
 ics' National bank, of this city, depositing
 $250 in bills. The regular teller was absent
 on his vacation at the time but returned to
 his duties Monday, August 25, when Cash
 fer Merrill introduced him to Wells. The
 latter checked out his deposit of S250 and
 then offered check for s3,OOO, signed by
 the treasurer of the Travellers Insurance
 Company of Hartford. The check had
 been sent to Hatch & Weodman, general
 agents of the company in Boston, It was
 made payable to Mamie E. Smith and upon
 the back was the indorsement of Mamie E.
 Smith and underneath was written 'tpay
 to the order of Clark Wells" This last
 indorsement was signed by Sherman
 Babson." MT. Wells wrote his name on
 the check and handed it in for deposit, say
 luk uc olu uOU WAuU LQ0 money on 1L unCll
 tho bank had time to ascertain that it was all right. Wells called later for the money
 which had been received from Hartford,
 but the bank men had come to the con clusion that he would have to further identify himself before they would pay it over. He inquired if identification by William H. Jourdan would be satisfactory, and he was told it would. He then left the bank, and has not been seen since un- til arrested as Clark W. Hatch. Inquiry from the insurance people revealed the fact that the check was in payment of the death claim of Harry O. Smith, who was drowned at Narragansett Pier last sum- mer. The company said it had received the claim in the due course of business A few days after Wells failure to identify himself there came through the Boston clearing house check for $49S upon the Mechanics bank by Clark Wells. The check was returned unpaid. Next came a draft from Boston for the $3,0O0, signed by Clark Wells and made payable to the order of Hatch & Woodman, the general agent of .the Travellers Insurance compa- ny in Boston. This draft was sent back unpaid and few days later the local bank received letter from Hatch & Woodman saying they were not familiar with the regulations of Worcester banks, but that Clark Wells was all right and entitled to the money. The letter stated that he had been called out west and if the bank insisted upon further identifca- ton the matter would have to rest until he returned. Nothing further was done in the matter until after January when the firm of Hatch 6 Woodman was dis solved. This aroused the suspicious of the bank men, who were satisfied that Clark Wells Hatch and Clark Wells were one and the same person.
 Further investigation into the death claim by the insurance company revealed the fact that the statement of death, the physician's and undertaker's certificates and the signature of the justice of the peace, before whom the proofs of death were sworn to, were all forged. No such death of Harry Smith had occurred, and there is no such justice of the peace as Sherman Babson. The detectives also failed to find Mamie E. Smith, the beHe- ficiary of the death claim. Clark Wells Hatch was then looked up and was found to be on his way from Kansas to Boston, passing through this city Saturday night. His old partner, Woodman, William J. Lewis, of the insurance company, George E. Merrill, cashier, Moses H. Lowe, teller, and N. c. Reyes, bookkeeper of the bank, were at the station to identify the suspect. The last three identified him as Clark Wells, who tried to pass the check, and the others were equally positive that he was Clark w. Hatch. He was arrested by Detective O'Day of the local force. The officers of the insurance company aver that the present case is not the only one of it's kind in which Hatch has been engaged, and will institute stIict investigation into the validity of the claims paid through its Boston agency. Hatch achieved notoriety year ago when he was tried for the murder of his uncle, Henry E. Hatch, in Kit Carson county, Col. The evidence was wholly circumstsntial, and the trial resulted in acuuittal