The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-21
DFFRAUDsNH BANKS.
SAYINGS BANK FoRGERlEs AND How
THEY ARE DETECTED.
A New York Treasurer Tells About the
Difficulties in Keeping Track of Peopl.
Who Try to Draw Money from the De-
positories of the Poor.

Few people from the outside ever gel
closer to the business secrets of saving:
banks than in the lines that file continu
| ally before the little windows behind which
sits the teller If there are close moutheC
people in the world they are the men whC
conduct the business of these repositories
of the earnings of the poor. From the pres
ident, back in some carpeted recess, to the
watcher at the front doors no Information
is ever volunteered by them, and answers
to questions of bewildered inguirers are
given right to the point and as short as
proverbial pie crust.
Therefore, when a savings bank official
talks of his business he generally says some
thing the public knows nothing about
Il Will tell you something that will sur
prise You" said Treasurer Quinlan, of the
Greenwich Savings bank, to a reporter re-
Gently, in a burst of confidence. You
wouldn't think that scarcely a day passes
without attempts at forgery in big city
savings bank like this. 1t is no sinecure
TO be paying teller in this or any other
savings bank IN this city"
With that Mr.. Quinlan tapped bell and
a boy responded.
ASK the women's teller TO bring in some
of those attempted forgeries, said the
treasurer. The boy departed and pretty
soon the women's teller brought in lot OF
receipts and put them before NJ Quinlan.
They were stuck on file and the lot was
nearly a foot high
''All these were filled out within a few
months" said Mr.. Quinlan, and this is
only the showing 10 the womeu's depart
ment. The difference IL the signatures on
these receipts from the genuine signatures
kept by the bank is ali that enables the
teller to spot them as forgeries.
INNOCENT FORGERY,
Sometimes the signatures are close
enough 10 raise n doahJ rs TO their gern-
ineness. In most cases the applicants an
swer all the test questions. 50 you see a
paying teller has got to exercise consider
able judgment"
DO You prosecute all these cases."
con my, no. Some Of them are limo
cent attempts at forgery and some are
criminal"
TIE reporter confessed hrs ignorance Of
what was an innocent" attempt az for
gerry.
An innocent atteudrt. - said VT Q1inIan,
sis where a person signs a receipt for. say.
Ma 'Ot4c>- 844t4tslf-tlt A44N - ALA=r
the teller SAYS This is not the signature
Of Mary Jones oh. Mary Jones is my
sister. IS the reply. she sent ne here 20
draw the money for her
Then thc teller tells the sister 70 20
back snd get an erier. or 10 tell Mary Jones
10 come and draw the money herself n L
Is an innocent case the sister COS away
and does - she Is directed Il there i any
crooked work the alleged sister storms and
fumes and insists and the teller quietly
hands her over o the police and pro-ectItes-
Sometimes the guilty ones so away
without making auy fuss IE every case
however, guilty or innocent. vve make a
note Of the circumstances n q book and
look out sharply that the proper person
get tie money on hat account thereafter.
OF course We keep the receipt with forgesl
signature
SEvERAL accounts
Do ron ever Tsay or 10 the wrong per
son
Seldom Indeed SosBefInes. h0Tcvrr.
the shuewdest teller viii get caught. One
yogng man wens up 70 sing sing yssseF-
day FOR Eve years for extracting small
sun from this bank On forged signature