The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-25
A VERY CLEVER FORGER
STEPHEN @. BR0xDwELL. 4 Pro
yKssIoNAL, mas BEES CAUGHT.
He IL Guarded In Bis Room, Too III to be
Moved--Ipdicsed for Utterisg RAISED
prafts In Cincinuati--liis Career.


s.enaen c. Broadweli alias Thomas
Bunt alias Harris, who he's tho uheh'ia-
bic reputation OF being one OF the oo'dest
and most skiiifui professional forsers IN
the United States. has been under arrest
since Monday at his home. S6i west Twen-
tv-third street. says the New YORK Times
Of yesterday. While being sought by de-
tectiycs from Cincinnati and Detroit to
answer for clever forgeries by which he
swindled a number Of banks In those cit
lea he has been confined 10 his bed Tor
four months past. suffering from COM
pllcation of ailments which prevents his
removal from his home and his arraish-
ment IN court. His attending physician
gives IL as his opinion that his >onditlon
Is prccarious, despite which the oeaside Oh
ths patient is watched by day ana by
night by two detectives from the centrh
once, as the physicians would not give
their consent 10 his removal TO the prison
ward at Bellevue Hospital.
The forgeries for which Broadwell Is
now under arrest were committed In en-
cinnati and Detroit more than a year ago
Three banks in the former city ana two IN
Detroit were the victims, but II is certain
that many other banks In the West have
been victimized by him, and that the
amount Of his forgeries will foot UP e.
tween $4,000 and $4,000
The manner in which Broadweh WORKED
was 10 purchase sight draft from bank
for a small sum, SIS or slS. ana when
the draft was presented at the oank on
which II was drawn II called for as many
hundreds as In its original form II called
Ira wa
$3.50. and 10 overcome the necessity for
naturalization when presenting the draft
BrOadwell would indorse the name Of the
bank officer who signed the draft on the
back of the draft certifying TO the correct
ress OF his own Endorsement. He also
succeeded in rendering Of no account the
punching of the amount for which the
drafts were originally made out by filling
the punched-out spaces with paper pulp
OF the same quality as that from which
the paper of the draft was made. and then
repunching the raised" amount.
Broadwell is said to have been the in
ventor Of this process, and the work was
so skillfully done that II could not be de-
tected, even under powerful magnifying
glass.
on the 18th OF February. 1892. a draft
drawn by the First National Bank Of
Chattanooga on the Third National Bank
Of Cincinnati for 81. 500. in favor Of Thos
Hunt. was presented by Broadwel 1t
was Endorsed by the Cashier of the Chat
tanooga bank and WAS paid without hesi-
tation. On the same day a check for
81 100 was presented at the First National
Bank In the same city, and one for N,GDO
at the German National Bank, and they
were all paid 10 Broadwell without ques-
ton. Subsequently II was discovered that
these checks were raised from SIS, 81 and
sl6 each. the penmdnship and other Work
on them being done SO skillfully as TO
defy detection.
on the 18th OF May. 1892, two drafts,
raised to $3.50 and $3.50 from SIS and SIS
respectively, were presented at the Thii
National Bank and the City Savings Bank
of Detroit Mich. They were drawn by
= hank in Lansing. Mich, and were paid
10 Broadwell. When the nature Of the
drafts was discovered there was "a con-
sultation between the officers Of the VIC
timjzed banks, and as a result circulars.
giving TN accurate description of Broad
well. and an account of his method OF
swindling, were sent TO ell the banks
and banking houses in the country.
The Cincinnati banks offered $500 re-
ward for his capture, and this was sup
piemented by an offer of $500 from the
Detroit banks. Deputy Superintendent
4. 4. StdTkWedtneT, Oh DelrDlt, Null, anu
Chief of-Poiice Dietsch. of Cincinnati, sent
copies Of these circulars to the Detective
Bureau in this city. When Inspector
Mclaughlin took charge of the Detective
Office his attention was called to the mat
ter. and the efforts to find Broadwen
were redoub1ed That rhey proved un-
tuccessfui for so long time is Low ac-
counted for by the fact that the sought
for forger has not been out of his house
for four months.
Recently II was ascertained that Broad
well was In this city, and IL was suspected
that he was concealed IN the house No
ss4 west Twenty-third street, which Is
leased by his daughter. who lets out fur
nished rooms. The house is highly re-
spectacle. Detective Sergeants REILLY anc
Won Gorichten, under pretense or being
inspectors of the Health Department
gained access TO the house on Monday
last and found Broadweh In bed in q
room of the third floor. He was so weak
that he could not move. and was attended
by a physician and trained nurse.
The detectives placed him under arrest
but were at once confronted with the
problem of what TO do with their prison
err The physician in attendance abso
lutely farbade the removal Of his patient
and warned the officers that If they at
tempted to interfere with him Broadwel
would probably ole on theH nanuS' WHtl
this state OF affairs was reported TO In
spector Mclaughlin ne called in the ser
vices of Chief Surgeon 5. G.. Cook anC
Surgeon John II. Dorm. OF the Police De
partment. who examined the patient, an'
reported that he was suffering from en-
lsrcement of the heart, kidney disease
and asthma. and that II would not be SAT-
70 remove him from his home. There
upon guard of Central Once detectives
was established over the sick man.
A telegram was sent TO Chief Dietsch. o
Cincinnati, informing him Of the arrest
Rroadweli. and requesting that some per
son be sent 10 this city TO identify him
Yesterday Detective Ralph A Crawfor'
arrived here from the West. III respons
20 this telegram. He brought with bin
an indictment for forgery, which wa
found by the grand jury of Hamilto
county, O.. December 81, 1892, agains
Thomas Hunt. He MAS accompanied =
Louis T. Van Ausdol, paying teller OF IN
Third National Bank; George koebler IN
paving teller Of the First National BanH
and Gus.ave L. Stecher, who holds 4 sim
liar position in the German Nationa
Bank They went TO the house in ives
Twenty-third street and each OF Their
fully unidentified Broadwell as the ma
who had obtained the money from IN
banks named by the raised RATS.
Detective Sergeant REILLY appeared be
fore Police Justice White al the Jenet
son Market Police Court yesterday after
noon and made an adldavl. that iroad
well was fugitive from justice. IN
asked that he be reranded to await eN
tradition proceedings. Justice White gay