The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1891-10-31


| know how particular you fellows are
What will they cost?"
The order was accepted forthwith. and
executed, and Mr.. Westbury. having re-
ceiyed a memorandum Of the amount ha
was to pay for them. took his departure.
he only went, however, far enough u
drop into the Office of neighboring firm,
where his business assumed the form of
an order to sell ten thousand of the same
st. Anthony bonds.
II bought them, you know, because
fancied them as an investment, but con
Guided not to keep them. By the way,
Re continued. ~ want to buy draft with
the money, and | wish you would get Ene
notes for the amount. I'll bring the bonds
in tomorrow at noon, and shall be in a
hurry
This order, too, was accepted and exc
cuted without question. and Mr.. West
bury passed in turn to every brokerage
house in the "street" which had been
honored with his acquaintance, and with
which he had paved way by his desul
tory speculations. To one set of brokers
he gave orders to buy various amounts Of
diversity of bonds or other securities.
and in each case gave orders to another
set for the sale of the same supplement.
ing it by polite request that the pro
| CeeuS DC nduueu nam III CASH With no uS-
| livered the bonds on the ensuing day.
| Westbury made his appearance about
noon at the office of the first firm on his
carefully prepared list, and took posses
sion of his bonds rendering in payment a
check on his bank with the usual certif
cation scrawled on its face. After little
of his usual pleasant chat, he left, and
then flew like the wind to the offices of
the brokers who had sold the same bonds
for him
Having delivered the securities and re-
ceived his money, which he carelessly
thrust in his pocketbo he departed
only to carry out the like programme with
two other houses to which he had in
trusted his precious orders. In short, by
this ingenious plan of obtaining bonds
and securities. paying for them with his
certified checks and Immediately receiv
ing cash for them from the houses which
he had directed to sell them, he became
possessed within a couple of hours of
something like 100000 in United
States notes. and although he was tread
ing on a volcano. and was liable to de-
struction at any moment, it was after
ward subject of remark among the vic
Tins that MIR. Westbury's manner was
never more charming and friendly, nor
did his blue eyes ever wear more honest
look and wholesouled expression.
He had almost completed his round,
and was in fact delivering to the last of
his victims $4,000 worth of certain
issue of bonds which he had but mo
ment before obtained from another firm
in return for his check. apparently bear
ing the certifcation of the bank, when
one of those contretemps which some
times overtake the ablest strategists al
most upset his calculations.
The firm in question had hut the pre-
a, ceding day sold precisely that amount OF
the bonds in question, and when Mr..
Westbury handed the head of the house
his package of bonds, the latter passed
them ON to his head clerk for examination
Z before giving Westbury the proceeds.
Now the clerk was sharp youngster
; and as soon as his eyes fell upon them he
recognized from the number that they
/, were the identical bonds which his firm
! had sold the day before to another house
2 in the street.
Without a word he slipped out the bach
door of the Office and ran to their Office
In answer to his hurried inquiry ht
2 learned that the young stranger had but
! a few moments before taken the bonds
8 away, having paid for them with a certi
= fed check. A messenger was at once dis
= | patched 10 the Dirk anu Lue CleFh new
] back TO his own office. full of suspicion.
T. Westbury, however. had already takel
J alarm at the delay, and pleading that h
was late in keeping an engagement, AM
u asking the broker to put the money to hi
s credit, he called cab and drove ava,
q Just as the breathless clerk came back.
y OF course the messenger came bacl
Il with the news that Westbury had draw
/ all his money out of the bank the day be
Is fore, and the news quickly went aroun
:, the street Some of the firms which ha
q been victimized with the forged certif
q cation kept silence with regard to thei
y loss, but enough was known to show tina
4 the clever scamp had made away with til
T sum of money which has been mentioned
Is The last known of Mr.. Westbury wa
y that he discharged his cab a few block
away from Wall street, and the entire dC
T. tective force failed to trace him. 1t wa
p perhaps a satisfaction to his victims {
. learn that just prior to his appearance o
70 these shores, the confidential clerk of
y leading London banker had been di
~ charged for dishonesty, and had only e.
capped prosecution by accident. AS
= correspondent in appearance with Nj
:. Westbury, it was judged that they wei
~ one and the same person. Gavin Pei
u dergast in Once a Week