Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-06-20
ANECRO'S INGENUlTl.
George Lewis, a Negro Convict IN
Kansas. Cleverly Raises a
Bank Draft.
The Prison Authorities are Deceived
by Him. and He Actually Draws
Money.
He Had War Blanks Printed and
Forges a Letter for His
Pardon.

ne stldftcSl al IUuHu lpi4tI Ia td1o
country is a negro soldier IN The Ninth
lcolol ed United states cavalry, at Lansing
Kan His name is George Lewis, and he
has recently proved his cleyerness by a
scheme which is unparalleled in the his
tory of crime. The most experienced de-
tective never met piece of roguery like
that which has come to light of Lewis lu-
vention and the ingenious Mr.. Gaborlau
never conc0cted . complicated French de-
tective story like this.
Lewis is military convict In the Kan
sas state penitentiary at Lansing, and yet
from his prison cell and under the eyes OF
his jailers, ne managed with complete sue
cess a double achievement. First he
forged and transmitted draft Tor $50, 600
on a New York bank so claverly that it was
received without question. Second he
forged and had sent to the jail from
Washington a letter from the secretary of
war announcing his 1.-THE convict 81 pardon
and ordering his immediate release. This
document, too, was so well executed that
it's authenticity was not disputed The
merest accident revealed the truth.
Either one of these achievements is re-
markable wnen you remember that it was
the work of a prisoner away off III Kansas
and as for both together they make the
case, as have said, unique in the annals
of forgery.
George Lewis is an enlisted soldier in
Troop /, ninth United States cavalry H
is a very dark negro, but has a bright, in
telligent face, with an innocent expression
which is mighty deceivin', for he now
turns out to be the shrewdest rascal of his
race. He is fine othletic specimen of
manhood, six feet one inch in height,
broad shouldered, slender wasted, with
an erect, military carriage, 1.-the as a cat
and altogether what used TO be called
Gown south "a dandy nIggah. Lewis
was born in Virginia and is 30 years old.
He had much better education than
most men of his color wrote fine business
hand, ahd when he enlisted in Washing
ton he was found to be so clever with the
pen that he was detailed as clerk in the
office Of the auditor general Of the war de-
partment, aud learned things about the
Office which he has recently made strange
use Of. And when he left Washington
Lewis was promoted for good service as a
soldier to be first corporal and then sue.
! cessively sergeant and sergeant mayor of
/ the Twenty-fourth (colored) United States
! infantry He was a corporal In the Ninth
cavalry in 1889, with good record, when
/ he forged a commissioner order, was
| tried by military court, convicted for for
gerry and theft and sci fenced 20 five years
/ Imprisonment IN the Kansas peniten-
/ tiary at Lansing.
/ He reached the prison June II, 1889
4 The negro prisoner vas SO quiet, obedient
and 'genteel that he won the indul-
genca of the warden, Geo h Chase. and
/ particularly of the prison chaplain, w. i.
| Poinsett, with whom he earned a reputa-
/ ton for great piety Poinselt made him
! his servant and clerk, and as Lewis had be-
come what is known as a "trusty "a
prisoner who had good behaviour is al
lowed certain privileges he was permitted
to handle the prison mail. all or which
went through the captain s office.
Subsequent discoveries made it evident
that it was at this time Lewis began the
preparation tor his great scheme There
was another negro in the prison under a
military sentence. His name was Samuel
/ Bryant. III had half a dozen aliases, and
he was just completing a five year term
1 from Shawnee county for robbery His
! time was out on the 4th ot March last
Before his departure BRYANT became
Lewis accomphce to get him out of Jail
and into possession Of pot Of money By
one Of the most ingenious schemes ON rec
ord
/ Lewis forged the name of a Captain
1 Hiiies To q note addressed to Dodworth &
/ Co., printers, at LeayenwortE. ordering
! twenty-five sheets of official paper with the
letter head of the War Department at
Washington printed across the top. His
/ knowledge OF the stationery used bc the
/ department enabled him to copy the style OF
4 type used so that the printers were en-
abled to initiate it successfully.
Meantime, as early Us February H..
Lewis had obtained possession of a draft
for 81 drawn by the First National bank
of New York Il is the custom Of pris-
oners to pay for the newspaper subscEip-
tons, little extras, &c. and the money al
ways goes through the chaplain. who pro
cures from the Leavenworth bank the
drafts, always for small sums, for c0nven-
fence in the mails Lewis position in the
Captain $ office gave him am opportunity
to steal one Of the drafts He somehow
obtained the proper acid, eraced the name
of .ho payee and the amount, 81 wrote in
his own name and raised the amount to
$50 900
Under date of February II and dating
/ from Hardness, Kan, be wrote to the
/ Grand Fountain Savings bank, of Rich
mond, Va, enclosing a draft for $50 600
and explaining that be was ranchman,
who had just sold his ranch In Washing
ton state to an English uoblemau, Lord
Randlett, and that he wished tie money
held for him at the Richmond bank until