Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-23
A CLEVER NEGRO PENMAN USES
GENERAL GRANTS NAME
TO ADVANTAGE.
BY SIGNING THE PRESIDENTS
SIGNATURE HE IS FREED
FROM PRISON.
FROM PRISON.

George Lewis f>3lsrc.}}, formerly
member Of che Ninth cavalry, Who had
been serving Il long sentence in the
penitentiary for forgery, was arrested
on anot!cr c!2l-..~11c OF - SEM kind as
he was leaving the prison gate theothe
day, after having completed his last
sentence, says a Topeka KAN CORE
spondent of the New York Times.
There was nothing remarkable in this
except that his arrest recalls u story OF
forgery that is without parallel in the
history of crime, at least IN the west.
Lewis had been d messenger in Wash
tngton, detailed on duty ut the war de-
partment. 1t was while there that he
committed the first forgery that led to
his imprisonment. He had been in
prison less than q year when he pro-
cured through the assistance of friends
q blank pardon, such as is used by the
president of the United States This
he filled out and signed the names Of
President Grant and the then assistant
secretary of war. Having completed
this work, he Struggled it into the pris-
on mail, opportunities for which were
plenty, as he had been detailed as clerk
in the warden's office. IL due time the
friend in Washington to whom it had
been sent telegraphed the warden that
the pardon had that day been transmit
ted, signing the name of the presidents
private secretary to the dispatch.
When the expected pardon was re-
ceived by Warden Smith the signatures
were compared with others known to
be genuine, not that there was suspi-
cion, but merely as a matter of precau-
ton, as had been customary. The par
don was pronounced correct, and Lewis
was called III and informed of its re-
ceipt and notified that he was a free
man. Had he been satisfied with his
freedom he would soon have been at lib
erty, and detection Of the forgery might
not have occurred for years,
When the warden told him to prepare
to change his clothes for those of cit
izen Lewis asked that he might have
the pardon, in compliance with a mar
ginal note i'll the paper. This request,
showing a knowledge Of the contents
of the document that had not been
shown him, excited the suspicion Of the
y
what he wanted it for The answer
was ready: For purposes of idCntifica-
ton" He was ordered back to his cell,
and the warden then telegraphed to
President Grant inquiring if the par
don had been issued on such date. In
less than four hours the answer was re-
turned that it had not been issued then,
and that if such a document had been
received it was fraudulent.
When confronted with this message
Lewis denied all knowledge of the trans
action for a time, but the dark cell soon
caused him to confess. 1t was only
then that another and equally bold
forgery came to light, which was q part
of his scheme for providing for himself
when free.
He had in some manner secured a
draft on a Virginia bank, payable at
one of the Leavenworth national
banks. The amount on the draft was
one dollar, which he sl1illfully raised to
twenty thousand dollars. This he sent
to the First national of Leavenworth,
with an order that two hundred dollars
be paid upon the amount and the bal
ance deposited in Richmond (Va.)
bank to his credit. The two hundred
dollars was paid and the deposit made
as directed, but it was soon discovered
that the draft had been raised. Lewis
had miscalculated only two or three
days in the time he had arranged for
the pardon to arrive. He had intended,
as soon as released, to take the pardon
with him for purposes of Identification,
secure the nineteen thousand eight hun
dred dollars, and then leave the United
States.
After the complete exposure of all
his schemes he was asked to write the
naslc of Gen. Grant, which he did so
perfectly that the most expert could not
distinguish it from the genuine sigma
ture placed beside it. Lewis claimed
that he could reproduce the signatures
of most of the public men in Washing
ton of that time from memory
This LIST arrest was for forgery and
obtaining money under false pretense,
being the utterance of the draft for
twenty thousand dollars. He will pass
the remainder of his days in the Kan
sas penitentiary, which is used as a
military prison as well as for state con-
victs. His forgeries were committed in
She prison office, where his work as
clerk gave him opportunities and
brought him into communication with
outsiders. His coniaderates We're never
discovered.
Disastrous Earthquakes.
Kart lya shocks yyCra