The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-07
A. H. Holmes, Alias Dean, Sc.
cured $4,000 On a Raised
Draft.
TWO BANKS ARE INTERESTED.
Croker. Woolworth and the Nevada
Bank May Have a Lawsuit
Over the Loss.

probably be called upon to determine
which, has been swindled, and very
cleverly swindled, out of $4,000 by a
shrewd sharper. who has disappeared
leaving not the slightest clew behind for
the detectives.
A. H. Holmes or A. II. Dean, which are
two of the names the swindler adopted,
came to this City several months ago and
re presented himself to be a merchandise
broker. He opened small account with
the Nevada Bank under the name of A. H.
Dean. He drew money from the bank on
several instances, but invariably replaced
it, and it is now presumed that this was
simply a ruse conceived by himself in
order to gain the confidence of the people
associated with the bank.
A few weeks ago he went to Woodland,
ostensibly on business trip, and during
his stay in that city purchased draft for
$I2 on the CrOcker-W oolworth Bank of
this City. The draft was dated Decem Der
IS, 1895, and on the 18th OF Decem Der it
was deposited in the Nevada Bank, but it
had been raised in the intervening DAYS
between the 18th and the 18th, to 500, 900.
The check had originally been perfo-
rated with a machine which was hereto
fore supposed to be a safeguard against
the efforts of the most skillful crook.
Dean nevertheless filed up these holes so
neatly that it takes strong magnifying
glass to distinguish this change He then
erased on the draft the letters 'tlve" from
the word twelve" and wrote in a hand
that can hardly be distinguished from the
original the remaining letters and words
necessary TO complete the draft After the
letters live" had been erased he added to
the remaining Tive" the letters 'nty"
and the words 1.-TWO thousand dollars"
In the lower corner of the draft are the
figures $1,000 over a delicate scroll, but
this was easily disposed of by adding
another cipher and doctoring the ''1'' into
neat ''2'' The draft was then reperfo-
rated for so 900 and the Job was complete.
The check thus raised came to this City
and was deposited in the Nevada Bank on
the 18th ult. On the day following, the
18th ult., it was taken to the clearing
house and cashed by the Crocker- W DOL
worth Bank. Dean Immediately drew
$4,000 of the so, 900, leaving $4,000 as he
said to be placed to his credit. He took
the $40 900 in twenties in four bags of $4,000
each and although this amount of money
is quite heavy it is evident that Dean was
not seriously hampered in making his
departure.
1t was three weeks before demand was
made on the Woodland Bank by the
Crocker-W oolworth Bank for payment,
and then the latter institution was in
formed that no such draft had been issued
by it. This fact led to a careful scrutiny
of the draft by experts and the fraud was
discovered.
Holmes or Dean is man of me-
dlum height, OF average build, with
black hair and eyes ana black beard,
rather short and of sallow complexion
that bore evidence of sickness or the use
of some drug presumably opium. When
last seen the swindler wore long blue
over coat with velvet collar and black
crush hat. His address was deliberate
and he seemed to be man of great self
possession. Taking it all in all he might
be called handsome.
1t is presumed that Dean has gone to
Japan, as a steamer for that country has
sailed since his disappearance and he often
talked about the Flowery Kingdom, ex-
pressing his opinion that he would like to
reside there.
President 1. w. Hellman of the Nevada
Bank claims that his bank is not one cent
the loser owing to the honoring of the
forged draft.
"a man by the name of A. H. Dean
opened an account with the bank some
weeks ago." said Hellman yesterday, de
posting considerable currency. AT tim s
he drew small amounts, but always re-
deposited the money and at times he
added to the amounts he drew when he
replaced it in the bank.
ION the 18th of December he deposited
draft from the Bank of Woodland, paya-
BILE to the Croker Woolworth Bank. That
check, during business hours on the 18th
ult., was sent to the clearing-h house for
payment and was paid by the Crocker-
Woolworth Bank on the 18th. If by mis-
take, forged check is sent by any one of
the various banks to the Clearing house
and is paid and the mistake not discovered
within certain number of hours and the
check returned to the bank from which it
was originally sent to the clearing house
the liability of the bank sending the check
ceases and the loss devolves itself upon
the bank paying the check. This being
the case in this instance the Croker
Woolworth Bank is the loser and we are
not ont cent.
every check sent by any bank which
goes through the Clearing house must be
stamped under the provisions of article II,
section 2, of the constitution of the San
Francisco Clearing house, which reads as
follows:
All negotiable paper deposited for clearance
by the mem bers OF this association shall bear
the stamp of the depositing bank. which shall
clearly indicate the name of the bank. its
Clearing-hou number and the date of clear
ance. The stamp shall be for Clearing house
purposes only and shall guarantee the validity
and regularity of all prior Endorsements on the
paper so cleared except the Endorsement OF an
original payee of a certificate of deposit and it
shall not be construed to supply a missing
Endorsement.
Further provisions are also made re-
garding the relation of the Clearing house
to the various banks. Article Is, section 2,
of the Clearinghouse constitution com
pletely covers the payment of the draft
forged by Dean. and under this section we
are not responsible for the loss, but the
Crocker-W oolworth Bank is the loser"
Following is the section referred to by Mr.
Hellman:
Section 2. Errors in the exchanges and claims
arising from the return of checks or from any
other cause are not to be adjusted through the
Clearing house, but directly between the
members who the parties to them; all
checks, drafts, notes or other items in the eX-
changes found not good or missent shall be re-
turned without intentional mutilation, or
notice of dshonor given directly to the mem
Der from whom they were received, as soon as
examined, or presented not later than two
hours on ordinary days or three hours on col
lection DAYS from the hour set for clearance in
which said returned vouchers were exchanged,
and the said member shall immediately refund
to the bank returning the same the amount
for which it had received credit through the
Clearing house for the said checks, drafts notes
or other items returned to it.
1.-The CrockerW oolworth Bank, . con-