The San Francisco call., 1896-07-02
DEAN BETRAYS
THE FORGERS,
Says He and Creegan
Planned the Nevada
Bank Forgery.
BECKER'S FINE WORK.
Alleged to Have Been Done
for Creegan in Oak
land.
CREEGANs EASTERN RECORD.
He and Dean Were Together in The
Maryland Penitentiary Over
Two Years.
CREEGANS EASTERN RECORD.

a vast amount of evidence was intro
duced yesterday in the trial of Creegan
and Becker for forgery. The morning
session was taken up with the testimony
OF the officials of the various banks that
handled the forged draft.
The testimony OF Frank L. Seaver, or
A. II. Dean as he is better known, was the
feature of the afternoon session. He told
IN the most matter of-fact way of the con-
spiracy into which he and Creegan had
entered, how they selected this City as the
best field to make little money and how
tney arranged every detail of the scheme.
He recounted every step of the operation
in such a deliberate and pleasant manner
that even Judge Wallace acknowledged at
the close of the days session that it was
the most interesting story he had ever
listened TO.
The spectato RS, who filed the courtroom
and gallery, were motley throng, con-
sisting of all sorts and conditions of men
from bank presidents to seedy denizens of
the slums.
C. F. Thomas, the cashier of the Bank
of Woodland, testified that about clock
in the afternoon of December 8, 1895,
stranger had come into the bank and
asked for a check on the San Francisco
bank for $l2 and Cashier Thomas had sold
him the check. Attorney Black here SUBJ
mitted the check, which was in a frame
and under glass. AS it reads now the
check is dated December Is instead of
December 8, as originally, and is for
$22, 600 instead of $12. The stubbook COR
responding to the check was identified by
the witness and submitted in evidence.
When asked by Attorney Black whether
he would recognize the man Dean, or
Scott, as he gave his name in Woodland,
Cashier Thomas declared that he would.
Dean was brought into the courtroom and
Identified as the man to whom he had
sold the check.
William H. Crocker, the president of the
Crocker- W oolworth National Bank, was
called by the prosecution. He testified
that the Crocker- Woolworth Bank had
done business with the Bank of Woodland
since 1888. He identified the raised check
in question, which he had first
seen in January, 1895, after it had
and had been paid by the Nevada
Bank. The check had been returned to
the Crocker Bank by the Bank of Wood
land.
0. B. Fogle, paying teller of the Crocker-
Woolworth Bank, identified the check,
which had come into his hands in Decem-
Der, 1895. 1t had come in an envelope
through the Clearing house from the
Nevada Bank. The Crocker Bank had
paid the check to the Nevada Bank
through the clearinghouse. After ex-
planning to the jury what the Clearing
house was and how it was CONQUERED Tell
er Fogle was excused.
J. F. Kavanagh, a clerk in the Nevada
Bank, who sometimes relieved the receiv-
ing teller and did the Clearing house
work, testified that he had received the
check from Dean and had had the book
keeper enter the check to Deans credit.
He had also entered the amount in Deans
passbook. He identified both the check
and the passbook. The passbook was sub
mitted in evidence by the District Attor-
ney. The deposit tag which Dean pre-
sented along with the check was also iden-
titled and offered in evidence. No other
person in the bank had seen the check be-
fore it went out of the bank to the Clear
ing-house.
George Grant, assistant cashier and pay
ing teller of the Nevada Bank, was shown
the check, which he had first seen in the
hands of Captain Lees. Cashier Grant
gave an account of the various transac-
tions of Dean with the bank, consisting of
the following items:
December A. H. Dean deposited $25OO in
green backs; December z, drew $400 in coin;
December II, drew 800 in coin; December
13, deposited $500 in currency; Dece m ber 49,
deposited check on the Angio-Califor MIA Bank
for $95; December l3, deposited $795 in cur
So, 900 in check on the Crocker-W oolworth
Bank; December II, drew $4,000 in coin; De-
cember 1S, drew $4,000 in gold coin.
Teller Grant had paid the $40, 600 to
Dean in four bags of $4,000 each, which had
come from the San Francisco sub treasury.
and which Grant had not opened. The
witness was requested to produce at the
afternoon session the daily balance for
December IL, 1895.
On cross-examination Grant said that
when Dean came into the Office there was
another man with him-a short man.
fOr ht,fG
him he could only give him greenbacks of
small denominations, which would m AXE
bulky package. Deans companion sug-
gested that he take gold coin. Grant told
Dean he could give him four sacks of
$1,000 each. The other m an then told Dean
he had better take the sacks. Grant then
went TO the vault, got the sacks and re-
turned to the counter. Dean put the four
sacks into a satchel and with his COM
panion left the bank. Both Becker and
Creegan were pointed ont to rant, but he |
could not identify either as tL companion |
of Dean.
Attorney Dunn questioned the witness
closely as to the resemblance between Nc
Closkey and the companion of Dean. |
Grant admitted that there was quite |
similarity between the two men, but not |
very great similarity. Dean and his COM |
panion were in the bank about five min |
utes. The witness thoughtit was no more |
than this although 1t might have been |
ten minutes. The court then adjourned
until o'clock.
Before the court convened in the after /
noon the bainff opened the gallery to ac-
commodate the crowd of spectators. The |
cloud OF dust started up by threescore
handkerchiefs sweeping the benches
threatened to stif1e everybody in the |
courtroom. When the door downstairs |
was unlocked the crowd came in with /
rush in spite of the efforts of Bailiff Curtis
to stem it.
Edgar L. Rourke, the youthful looking
hookkeeper of the Nevada Bank, was the /
first witness called IN the afternoon. He |
identified the entry of Deans account In
the current account ledger of the bank as
having been made in his own hand
writing. The corresponding entries in
the cashbook were also severally ex-
amined. as well as the balance-sheet for
December, which showed a balance in
Deans favor of $21,995 on the 18th and
1895 on the 18th.
Cashier Grant was put on the stand
merely TO answer several formal questions
as 20 the identity of the papers which