The herald., 1896-05-06
Carpenter, hamm and Mitchell
in the Police Dock
STATEMENTS MADE BY THEM
And Also by Other Actors In the Now
Celebrated Case
Attorney Rogers Tells How the Thing Was
Wsrked-Strange and Carnicle Make
Observation-Disclosures Set

Judge" A. M. Carpenter. Frank
Hamm and George Mitchell, the men ar
rested on Monday afternoon by Detec-
tives Hawley ana Bradish in the office
OF Earl A. Rogers in the Nolan & Smith
block, for fraudulently issuing and nego-
tiating bogus time checks, were ar
raigned in Justice Owens department of
the police court yesterday afternoon on
two charges of forgery each. and time
for their examination set for Mays.
Hamm was seen in jail just previous
to his arraignment and protested his In
nocence in the matter. saying that all
the checks he ever handled had been dis
counted in good faith and had been by
him received from the original owners.
He admitted having shaved to 8. Carter
Smith all the checks he holds except
four, which he said were paid direct to
employed by Mr. Creasinger to hunt up
the men whose checks he had cashed in,
and he found them all to be correct.
Smith wanted him to do the same for
him but offered only small sum, which
he did not accept as Creasinger paid
him more. This latter party has, ac-
cording to Hamm, twenty-nine of the
checks, all of which Hamm says are
good. When told that Mitchell had con-
fessed and given the whole scheme away
Hannm WINGED perceptibly, but still per-
sisted that his actions in the transac-
tions were all straight. He steadfastly
denied that he had ever signed any name
but his own to any of the instruments,
yet had handled many Of them. Hamm
was formerly employed as night watch
man on the block. and in this capacity
says he knows or did know nearly all the
men who worked there. and that every
check he ever handled is genuine.
Mitchell. the confessor. was also inter-
viewed but refused to talk. He expressed
himself as sorry that he had said what
he did, and that II he had kept his mouth
shut he would stand good show of es-
Gaping from the trouble, while now he
looked for term in the penitentiary.
He admitted having forged the sigma
lures to some of the checks and said that
Hamm likewise signed many of them
with fictitious signatures. Asked the
direct question whether or not his con-
fession was not literally true and that he
was self-incriminated forger and per-
1urer, he said 1t was and that he would
nave TO take the consequences. He had
peen drawn into the scheme only lately
and now too late saw histerror and the
dupe that he had been made by the de-
signing swindlers.
Contractor Fred Strange's position is
rather anomalous one and it now seems
possible that he is but a dupe and had
nttie or nothing to do with the scheme.
put was used by the others to further
their own designs. Strange says that
ne accepted the contract for the building
out sublet 1t to a Mr.. Wiffenbach, who
runs cornice works on Buena Vista
street: To the sub-leasing of the Job
Newell & Cannon interposed an objec-
ton and told him they would deal with
no one but him. Wiffenbach went ahead
with the work and yet all business be-
tween Newell & Cannon and the con-
tractor was transacted by Strange and
he signed all checks
In I'd <o l..
checks Strange said that 1t was the GUS
tom for Wiffenbach and. Hamm to send
lot OF checks to him for signature, and
these he would sign without knowing
the men or what work they were sup
posed to have performed. In order to
save trouble he had affixed his signature
to a lot of blank checks which were filled
out by Wiffenbach as they were needed,
and 1t Is probable that Hamm by some
means managed to get hold of some of
these. Strange Is employed in planning
mill on Central avenue and his time was
50 taken up by his work that he had lit
tic left in which to look after the Newell
block or its construction.
. r. T. Carnicle, the architect had little
to say. His only connection with the
matter he said had been to on several oc-
casions verify Mr.. Strange's signature
on the checks. AS architect he did not
Know, nor could he. all the men working
on the building, and whenever a check
was placed before him for verification he
did no more than attest to the genuine
ness of Strange's signature.
A totally different story is told by
Earl A. Rogers. S. Carter Smiths attor-
ney. He states that on one occasion at
least when Smith discounted three
checks, he did so for and paid the money
directly into the hands of Mr.. Carnicle
The latter gave him the checks and, call
ing his office boy, divided the money into
M ao1-
amounts called for by each check, placed
It in three envelopes. marking on each
the name Of the man to whom the check
was supposedly issued, and told the boy
to deliver the envelopes to the men when
they called. These men cannot now be
found by Rogers or Smith and payment
on the checks cannot be had.
Before Smith had ever discounted one
check Carnicle had told him that the
instruments were all right and repeated
ly after he had begun cashing them was
Smith assured by Carnicle that there
would be no trouble as to payment.
Rogers first had his suspicious arous-
ed by the actions of Carnicle in asking
that the $40 for securing the addresses
and names of the men who appeared on
the checks be paid in advance. When
later on Carpenter appeared and offered
to do the work, Rogers carefully had all
the original checks photographed before
into those Of Carpenter. The latter was
suspiciously prompt in securing the sig
natures to the mechanics Liens and even
more so when he went out with Mitch
ell and in little over an hour had sup
posedly rounded up the eleven different
men, taken them to eleven different no.
taries public and had their signatures
attested.
:. The conspirators were so eager to get
hold of the $40, and so afraid to trust
each other that instead of only one
coming to deliver the papers and get the
money the whole trio walked into the
trap and were caught with neatness and
Q1spatch With Mr.. Rogers was o. A.
V1ckrey. who assisted in working up the
case and who held the check from the
hands OF the ravenous gang while Rog-
ers was examining the papers to see If
all were there and in due form.
NOT the least peculiar part Of the
Wnoie AFFAIR is the actions of the eleven
notaries public who were each and all
80 ready to accept a fee that they did
not stop to assure themselves that the
party who wished to swear to his sig
nature was who he represented himself
70 pe, as Is required of them by law
only one notary to whom the swindlers
went was shrewd enough not to get
caught, and he has had experiences in
this line before, having been nipped in
the Green bogus mortgage deal a wear
or Two ago. Not knowing the parties
ment "'eu6
The whole affair 10 a r,.tu