The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-05-14
BIG FORGERS CAPTURED
Robbed a San Francisco Bank Of
Twenty Thousand Dollars.
ONE OF THE GANG HAS CONFESSED.

a Check for Twenty-two Dollars Raised Co
Call for Twenty-Five Thousand, and the
Work Was So slsiIifuiiy Done as to Es-
cape Detection by the Bank Oficials.
NEWARK, II. j., May 1.-Two men al
legged to be noted check raisers, ,forgers and
swindlers were arrested here yesterday
They are two of gang of four, the other
two members being under arrest in San
Francisco The two arrested yesterday
are James Cregan and Charles Becker the
specific charge against them being that
they raised u check for S22 to call for S22
600, in conjunction with Forger A. II.
Dean and another now In custody. They
secured the money, Cregan and Becker
making their escape. This was in Decem-
Der of last year.
The check was presented at the Bank of
Nevada by "a H. Holmes" a merchan-
disc broker, who had been doing business
with that bank, depositing and withdraw
ing large sums of mony for many months
previous. The check was made to his or
der on the Crocker- Woodland bank, of
San Francisco, and $40, 600 of the sum was
paid over in gold without question, $4,000
being left on deposit. The raising of the
!
defy experts, and it was not discovered
until many hours afterwerd, when the
record of the original S22 check was
searched out Shortly afterward Dean and
one of the others were arrested but it has
not been definitely ascertained whether he
or Becker was the original Holmes.
Search has been made all through the
country for Becker and Cregan, and in
/ April last they were arrested in Philadel-
phia, but were allowed to go before the
| Importance of the arrest was found out.
| They were located in Newark few days
ago and have been under surveillance
ever since Yesterday afternoon they We're
followed and were taken into custody be-
fore they had chance to resist or to make
their escape On the way to police head
quarters Cregan tried to drop an envelope,
but was prevented from doing it. When
the men were searched they were found TO
be well supplied with money and valua-
bles Cregan had $1,000 bill, twelve 500
bills, number of smaller bills and val
liable diamond ring. Becker had several
hundred dollars and valuable diamond
scarf pin
The envelope which Cregan tried to drop
contained a typewritten affidavit, which
sets forth that Charles Becker, one of the
defendants, being duly sworn, deposes thar
the defendants did not have at any time
in their possession draft for the sum OF
S22, dated Sept II, 1885 drawn upon the
Crocxer- Woodland bank, nor did they
ever have any knowledge that such draft
was in existence; that these defendants
deny that they, or either of them, raised
said draft from S22 to So, 600 or any other
sum" The affidavit also denies the re-
ceiving of $50, 600 in gold upon the draft
After the arrest several bank presidents
and representatives of banks visited police
headquarters and had consultations with
the police authorities.
Becker and Cregan were arraigned and
held in $4,000 each, as fugitives from
justice. They have been committed until
May 20 for extradition.
A San Francisco dispatch says Friday
last the grand jury found true bills against
two men whose names and crimes have
thus far been kept secret. The men in
dcted are Charles Becker, known foi
twenty years as the ''prince of forgers,
and james Cregan, who has no equal a'
negotiator of spurious paper. Bail was
fixed in each case at $4,000, and bencl
warrants We're issued by Judge Slack fol
the arrest of the two expert criminals. The
men were captured yesterday at Newark
n. j. The man now in Jail here charged
with the Nevada bank forgery, by whicl
n Woodland draft for S22 was cashed TO
S22, 900, and who is known as A H. Dean
Frank l.. Seaver and otherwise, has turned
states evidence