The San Francisco call., 1896-05-14
Charles Becker and James Cree
gan Wanted for the Nevada
Bank Forgery.
EXTRADITIoN PAPERS READY
Detectives Seymour and Whitaker
Will Start Tonight to Bring
the Crooks Here.

The two men who were indicted by the
Grand Jury last Friday and about whom
so much secrecy was maintained were
arrested yesterday morning in Newark,
\. j., and Detectives Seymour and Whit
taker Will leave tonight with the neces-
sary papers for their extradition.
The men are Charles Becker and James
Creegan, both known to the police of two
continents as the princes of forgers. They
were indicted last Friday for the forgery
of the So, 900 check on December II last
on the Nevada Bank and for which A. H.
Dean is now in the City Prison awaiting
trial.
Speaking OF the matter yesterday after
noon Captain Lees said: Becker and
Creegan fed from here on December Is to
New York. Ever since then, in conjunc-
ton with the Pinkertons and the Bankers
Protective Association at its heaquarters
in New York, l have been endeavoring at
this point TO collect sufficient evidence to
procure that indictment. / succeeded and
the result was the finding OF the indict-
ment.
ANY previous publications on the mat
ter have been made without my knowledge
or consent in any shape or form, and were
against the interests OF public Justice. 1t
men should be arrested before any knowl-
edge that they We're indicted and to be
arrested could reach them, and l was fear
full by reason OF these publications that
we should not get them. In faCt they did
fee from their usual hauntS in Brooklyn
10 New Jersey, and there concealed them
selves.
1T required the utmost efforts of the
Pinkertons and the consolidated banks to
catch them. They had all preparations
l. No,r- ~ -
Montreal or Quebec, to Europe. Every
effort was made, and with success, to pre-
vent that and arrest them before their
flight.
Il am fully satisfied that if the publica-
ton here had been repeated in the New
York papers, so that the two men could see
them, the efforts to arrest them would not
have succeeded. The parties in New York
seemed to have more influence with the
papers there than l have with the papers
here, as they succeeded in keeping the As
sociated Press dispatches from being pub
lished by direct interCession with the
papers, and the result is the arrest of the
two men.
Il have been assisted in my efforts by
Detectives Seymour and Whitaker, and
desire to give them credit for what they
have done"
a large amount of telegraphic CORE
spondence has passed between Captain
Lees and the Pinkertons in regard to the
arrest of Becker and Creegan. They were
arrested in Philadelphia two o. three
weeks ago and the money, $164Q found
upon them was attached and Captain Lees
will bring suit for its recovery.
Yesterday morning the captain was de-
lighted to receive a dispatch from Robert
a Pinkerton. New York, as follows:
Have just caused arrest of Becker and
Creegan in Newark, who are being held by
the police, but may be discharged unless
we can show some authority for their ar
rest. The men had money and had en-
ployed attorneys"
The captain at once sent a reply that the
two men had been indicted by the Grand
Jury and the extradition papers were be-
ing got ready. He had also requisite the
District Attorney TO communicate with
the District Attorney at Newark, and
asked that the men be held till the officers
arrived with the papers. The captain also
wired to Henry Hopper, Chief of Police OF
Newark to hold the men at all hazards
and received a reply that they had been
committed in default of SIS 600 bail for
examination on May 90. By that time
Seymour and Whitaker will be there with
the necessary papers. Governor Budd
who is in the City, promised to telegraph
to Governor Griggs OF New Jersey to issue
the necessary extradition documents.
Captain Lees emphatically denied that
anything was discovered from Dean regard
ing Becker and Creegans completely in the
Nevada Bank forgery. 1t was not true
that Dean had ''squealed." The captain
and the Pinkertons had their suspicious
from the start to the identity of the
two men and had been working hard since
then to confirm their suspicious. Although
the captain declined to say whether or not
Becker had been the author of the clever
forgery on the London and San Francisco
Bank about four years ago it is believed
that he was the man. He Is wanted fol
forgeries in other places also.
Becker is accredited with being the
prince of forgers. lie is an engraver by
trade, and at one time was employed by
the American Bank Note Company. III,
is about 80 years of age and married
man. He has served two terms in his life
time-one for forging 1000-franc note OF
the Bank OF France, the plate for which ht
engraved himself.
He got six years and SIX months for thi
crime in Kings County Penitentiary, n
Y. Previous to that he had been con
victed at Smyrna, KY, of large numbe
of forgeries of letters of credit. His com
panons in crime in Smyrna were ival
Sisoovitch, Joe Riley, alias Joe Elliott
and Joe Chapman. While in prison ther
they broke Jail and made their escape witt
the exception Of Chapman, whom th
others deserted. After lodging the polio
for some time Becker. Liscovitch ant
Riley succeeded in escaping in a smal
sailing vessel and arrived in London, Eng
land.
They went to lodge with Joe Chapman
wife at Chelsea, near London, and she wa
found murdered one morning in her house
The London police believed that Sisco
witch murdered her and stole her jewelry
He fed TO the United States, and tn
London police issued large circula
about the murder and offering a rewart
for Siscovitdh's arrest.
In April, 1873, Captain Lees went iron
here to Cincinnati on receipt of Telegram
that two mon had been arrested there. II
identified Siscovitch, and be got twelv
years in the penitentiary. Tie Scotlant
Yard authorities did not want him, as th
evidence against him was but slim.
Creegan is a bachelor; Il, company will
Jim Farrell, John Flanagan and Johl
Gilbert alias w. Galbraith, all well-knowl
forgers he was arrested in Baltimore Nd.
under the name of James Russo, for forg
ing check on the Merchants Nationa
Bank for $270. He was convicted on Feb
ruary 3, 1885, and got years and 81,
months Subsequently, he and Jim Far