The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-07
TO SWINDLE THE BANKS.
Bogus Checks on the Merchants Ma
tiOlal Bank Being Worked.

tiOlal Bank Being Worked.
Two Of Them Received From Banks in
the West Where the Scheme Started.
The Checks Printed as Those of the
Merchants Bank With the Names of
a Bogus President and Cashier-An
Original Swindle and Well Calcu-
lated to Succeed for a While.
A scheme 70 swindle the banks has come
20 light here within the last few days.
The National Bank of Savannah re-
ceived yesterday from It's correspondents.
a bank in Monette Mo, what purported
70 be a check on the Merchants National
Bank for sl35 in favor of c. :. Bonsall,
drawn by c. s. Bonsau, cashier, and
signed by J. W. Wetherfeld. president.
whose names are also printed on the
check as president and cashier of the Mer-
chants Bank. The check is indorsed by
William Westerfield and c. :. Bousau.
and was forwarded by the bank in
Monette to which it was presented. It
was at once referred TO the Merchants
Bank, where is was identified as the sec
ond of its kind that has been received
within a week
DISCOVERY OF THE FRAUD.
The first was a check for SOS, received
through the Chatham Bank from its cor
respondents 10 Ozark, Ark, where 1t had
been paid. II was the same style of check
as that received through the National
Bank of Savannah, and was similarly
drawn and indorsed. There is nothing
TO indicate whether the Monette
check was paid upon presentation
there, or whether it was deposited for
collection. Both checks were returned
by the Merchants Bank.
The check or draft is printed on
light straw paper and is a check
Of the Merchants National Bank
of Savannah, except that in the up
per right hand and left hand corners are
the names c. S. Bonsan, cashier, and j.
w. Westerfield, president In its style il
is unlike any check that has ever been
used by the Merchants Bank
When the first one was re-
ceiyed II was referred to the oldest
employees Of the bank, but they had no
recollection of having seen anything sim
liar to it in style.
TOOK PRECAUT1oN IN TIME.
The first intimation Of Westerfeld's
transactions was a telegram to the
Merchants Bank, over a month ago from
Tue Dduh VI conway, AEA., llQu1I1DH II j.
W. Westerheld's check for $50 was good
Cashier Rogers replied no, as no such
person was patron of the bank or was
known here
About week after that the bank re-
ceived a letter from a Autograph
ing firm in ST. Louis inquiring
if an order from J. w. Wester-
field was good, and inclosing a sample
check and order for book of checks
on the Merchants National Bank, similar
to that described The order purported
to be from Westerield, and was from
Conway, Ark. The instructions were to
rush the work and not send proof, as the
checks were wanted Immediately The
sample check was made by a Autograph
ing firm in Cincinnati
wEsTERFIELD MYTH.
The bank replied that no such man as
Westerfeld was an officer of the Mer-
chants Bank or was even known here,
and referred the st. Louis firm to the
firm in Cincinnati, BY which the sample
check was made. No reply has ever been
received to the letter. It is evident, how
ever, that the work was refused, as the
checks received here were printed IN
Topeka, Kan.
This is the only information or knowl-
edge here of the scheme, which has evil
IDENTIFY just been put into operation from
the fact that but two checks have so far
turned up. The one received yesterday
was dated July 30.
The scheme is an original one, ana is
we'll calculated to defraud. The checks
on their face are, to all appearances, all
right, and by many banks are likely to be
readily accepted. The swindle seems to
have originated In the west. The checks
were printed there and have so far been
presented only to western banks. u is
evidently the purpose of the operators of
the scheme to flood the country through
their agents with the checks, and to get
as many Of them cashed as possible and
discovered. 1t Is not believed that
Westerheld and Bonsall are the names of
the parties behind the swindle, but are
assumed to cover the identity of the real
swindlers