The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-07-27
FORGED HIS PARDON.
REMARKABLE PENMANShiP OF ,
CLEVER cOlORED, CONVICT.
The Notorious Career of George Lewis.
Started by Signing Forged Orders In the
War Experimentation He Raised .
Draft From 81 to $4,000.

The authorities Of Leavenworth coun-
ty, Kan, are exerting every means at
their command to capture George Lew
is, the notorious colored forger, who is
wanted in Topeka for ~swindling a num-
Der of wholesale merchants ont of a
large amoun of goods.
Lewis has q remarkable career, is q
man Of superior attainments and has
always been "a genius for forgery and
conspiracy. He is about AZ wears old,
well educated and cultured in manner.
His parents, i'll southern France, are
we'll to do, and he received his educa-
ton in one of the famous polytechnic
schools Of that country. When he was
j boy, his father removed to America,
and shortly after the war located in
Providence. He afterward went to Vir-
ginia. The fortunes of the elder Lewis
went amiss, and when George was ap-
preaching his majority he was left to
his own He enlisted in the
Ninth cavalry, and there attracted the
attention Of the officers by his bright
ness Of mind and was given important
assignments Of duty, finally becoming a
messenger in the war department at
Washington. 1t was while in that posi-.
ton that he committed his first forgery.
He learned the details of the business
system OF the war department and be-
came acquainted with the signatures Of
all Of the officers. He was a splendid
penman and began to initiate them. In
this way he was very successful, and he
uttered numerous orders on the quarter
master of his regiment for supplies.
which were invariably honored. Final
ly he grew holder and was caught. He
was convicted and sentenced to ten
years Imprisonment in the p~enitentiary
at Lansing, Kan. which at that time
was used for government prisoners.
While in prison he was given Il posi-
ton in the warden's office and was
granted many privileges. On account, Of
his good behavior he was given credit,
and in 1883 had but three more years
to serve.
1t was at this time hat ne conceived
and executed u daring plan to secure his
liberty. He wrote to a friend in Wash
ington and requested that he be sent
blank letter heads and envelopes from
the war department. These We're snug
gled to him in the prison.
On one of these letter heads he wrote
a letter to John Fl. Smith, at that time
warden Of the prison, ordering his own
release and forging the name of the
then secretary Of war, with whose sig
nature he had become familiar by hav-
ing frequently seen letters from him to
Warden Smith concerning government
convicts. He sent the letter properly
addressed to Smith in a war department
envelope to a friend in Washington,
who dropped it in the mail. 1t was re-
ceived by the warden and was about to
be honored when the warden's suspi-
script requesting him to return the or
der to the department after Lewis had
been released. The warden then tele-
graphed the department at Washington,
and learning that the pardon was a for
gerry had Lewis taken from his position
in the warden's Office and put to work
in the coal mine. Lewis never could
tell the reason why he added, the post
script. At the same time he wrote his
wi pardon he prepared a way to get
money for himself. Through a friend
he purchased a draft from the Leaven-
worth National bank on a bank in
Lynchburg, Va, for e.. He also pro-
cured a blank letter head and envelope
Of the bank. The draft he raised to
$50, 900, and ON the back of it wrote an
Endorsement, showing that 5000 had al
ready been paid on the draft and leav-
ing a balance due of $40, 800. With a
pen he forged the banks stamp, copy
ing it from stamps on the back of a
check that came under his observation
in the warden's Office. The cashier of
the bank received the draft and said
that he would not have hesitated to
have paid the money, as the draft and
letter bore every indication of having
come directly from the cashier of the
Leavenworth bank .-Portland Orego-
MAN.
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