Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-03-29
A CLEVER SWlNDLE.


| st. Louis Banks Relieved of Several Thou
| sand Dollars by Some Individual VINO
| Has a Slick Scheme-Unique Operations
Worked by q Young Man Who is Skfled
| Penman.
ST. LOUIS, March 26.-Several st.
Louis banks have lately been swindled
by very clever young man by means
of forged checks. His method of opera
ton was unique, and his skill with tho
pen such as to deceive the cautious
tellers of the banks who cashed the
spurious paper.
| From one of the interested parties it
is learned that six checks for $500 each,
or $4,000 in all, were successfully ex-
changed for currency by the forger.
The banks are very reticent, absolute
ly refusing to talk about the matter,
and in one case vehemently denying
that the concern had been swindled.
The persons whose names were forged
refuse to talk, as they had prom
ised the banks to remain silent.
The police were not notified of
the crime, but the matter was placed
in the hands of Thiel's detective
agency, and of course the detectives
refuse to say anything.
''It looks" says well-known officer,
''as If the banks were ashamed of their
| blunders. A well-known business man,
as rule, has to be thoroughly identi-
| lied before he can get draft cashed.
A crook can walk into the banks, get
| forged paper cashed and depart with
out question:
Two of the checks used by the forger
were the autographed blanks of the
| Charles W. Melcher Machine Co, of 61O
North Fourth street, and T. E. Little
| & Co., feather dealers at 7O1 North
Main street. They were obtained by
strategy from the Woodward & Tier
| nan Printing Co. The means employed
| to secure them is not known, but as
samples are usually given to anyone
| upon application, it was not hard
| matter to secure them.
In order to learn the current serial
number the forger, who was we'll
known young man, wearing a neat,
| dark blue business suit, being of me-
dunn height, light complexion, hair
| and mustache, called at the office of
Mr.. Melcher and stated that he was
| employed by the Woodward & Tier
nan Printing Co.; that there had
been some complaint about the ink
used in printing and that he had
called ITO examine Mr.. Melcher's bank
checks to see if they were of poor
workmanship. If SO the firm proposed
to reprint the order of Mr.. Melcher.
The young man was shown the check
book, and, hastily examining the pa
per and printing, pronounced it good
work. With bow and the remark
hot 1,a 1ol oh
ing was satisfactory, he left. While
he had the book in his possession he
obtained the serial number.
This was on Friday, March 16. The
next day, just before the Continental
bank closed for the day, the young
man appeared with a check for $500,
signed by Melcher. The check blank
was the same as Mr.. Melcher used, and
the signature was SO much like Mr..
Melcher's that the teller never chal-
lenged it, paying out the money with
out question. The check was properly
Endorsed and appeared to be all right.
On the following Monday the same
young man called at T. f. Little &
Co.'S Office and repeated the same tao
tics, with the same result. Tuesday he
appeared at the Citizens bank with a
check for $500, signed f. E. Little &
Co. The check blank was the same as
Little used, and as every thing appeared
to be all right the check was paid.
Julius Labsap, of 7Os' North Seventh
street, was visited in the same man.
ner, and his name forged to another
$500 check. This was cashed at the
Bank of the Republic. This check bore
the imprint of Buxton & Skinner,
Third and Chestnut streets: Two other
checks forged and cashed were also
from the presses of that firm.
When a reporter asked Cashier For
man of the Continental bank to affirm
or deny the story of the forgery he
said: Gas far as this bank is concerned
it has not lost a dollar; as tar as the
other banks are concerned I know
nothing
Mr.. l.. A. Batalle, cashier of the Citi-
zens' savings bank, also refused to dis
cuss the matter, saying that the detec-
tives were hard at work on the case
and expected to have the criminal
within short period. If he would di-
vulge anything it might in jure the
case
President Bullen of the Bank of the
Republic says his loss did not worry
him. but would not discuss the matter.
The officers of the st. Louis national,
Fourth national, International. Bank
of Commerce, State bank and Laclede
national bank. all said that their banks
had not secured any of the spurious
paper Several of them had heard of
the forgeries, but would not discuss
them Mr.. Frank Little, Mr.. Charles
Melcher and Mr.. Julius Labsap
all admitted that their names
bad been forged but stated
that as the banks were the
losers and had requested them to not
divulge the particulars, they could not
and would not be interviewed ON the
subject Mr.. Woodward, of the Wood-
ward & Herman Printing Co., said that
the Melcher and Little blank checks
had been printed by his firm. How the
forger got them he knew not, but he
would in the future see that no more
sample checks left his house without
being punched on the signature line
Mr.. Games, of the Thiel detective
agency, who is personally working on
the case. refused to say anything about
it beyond the assertion thah''they were
not at sea- on the case.
Met Horrible Deaths.
OTTAWA. Ont. March 24.-Tl1e Cana
dian Pacific express from, Winnepeg,
due here Thursday afternoon, met
with an accident near Cartier station.