The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-28
TECHNIC PERFECT.
HOW A MAN GOT TWENTY YEARS
FOR A PERFECT FORGERY.


Name He Wrote, but Was Too Previous
In His Dates-A Signature Involving an
Amputated Arm.
Ivan Ivanoff, one Of the most skillful
of Russian forgers, when sentenced to
90 years imprisonment in the mines Of
Siberia nonchalantly remarked:
81 am the victim of poor technic.
/ know my business better than most
men, but am human, and to err is hui
man. Had my forgery been perfect l
could not have been convicted. am the
victim of poor technic and careless
stroke of the pen. "
Strange as it may seem, an event has
taken place recently in the United
States which proves that Ivan Ivanoff
was mistaken in his theory and that the
absolute perfection of forgery may
prove the cause of conviction. The
story which contains the proof of this
assertion is not long one and is as fol-
lows:
About 90 years ago young man
named Richard Robinson, who lived in
the city of New York, bought 100 acres
of land near Kansas City. The land
was worth only SO or "a an acre at that
time, and Robinson, getting into trou-
BILE, decided the land to his lawyer in
payment of his fee. The lawyer gave no
attention to the property, and 1t was
sold for taxes, and his title was good
against all claimants except infant heirs.
When the land became valuable, owing
to the growth of Kansas City, an un-
scrupulous real estate dealer of st.
| Louis induced young woman OF that
| city to impersonate daughter OF Rob-
inson and to bring suit to recover the
property. The girl was proved to be an
impostor and the suit was decided
| against her.
The case attracted wide attention, and
the fact that the title to the land SEEM
| ed somewhat in doubt caused disbar-
| red lawyer named Reed, once resident
| of Chicago, to look into the matter care
| fully and finally to conceive plan to
| obtain possession of the land through
forgery. When everything had been pre-
pared, Reed brought suit of ejectment
against the man who had possession OF
the property, claiming that he had q
deed to it from Robinson dated prior tc
the one given by Robinson to his law
yer thus invalidating not only that
title, but all subsequent titles which
had been given.
The only way to break this claim was
to prove that the deed alleged to bt
signed by Robinson was forgery. Aft
er long search Robinson was discover
ed by the attorney for the defense, liv
ing in an obscure town in Texas. HI
had passed through many wild expert
ences on the frontier and in persona
encounter had received a pistol ball ii
his right arm, which made amputatioi
necessary. Subsequently he had served
as county clerk in Missouri. and his sig
nature was thus readily accessible t
the forger. Robinson was brought t.
Kansas City by the defense, and his ties
timony was relied on to prove that tn
l signature attached to the deed was
forgery.
When the case came to trial and tn
deed had been offered in evidence, Rob
inson was placed on the stand. He ex
amined the signature with the creates
care, and to the astonishment and cha
grin of the defense he testified that tn
l writing was his, not line or dot in tn
| signature differing in the slightest de
gree from his usage. 1t seemed as thong
r the willy Mr.. Reed had gained his case
] when the attorney for the defense, tax
ing up the deed, glanced at it me
r ment, then, dropping it upon the table
he suddenly asked:
y "Mr. Robinson, when did you los
your right arm?"
o about 8 years ago, =" was the reply
"Is your signature to this deed writ
o ten with your right or left handT'
n "With my left hand"
2 "Did you ever employ your left han
in writing before you lost your rigt
y arm?"
"Never."
d "That is ALL" said the attorney
"Call Mr. Reed to the stand"
. The plaintiff took the stand, and tn
attorney handed him the deed. "Yo
Il swear that this deed was made to 20
II by Mr.. Robinson?'
81 do, and he has identified his sie
t, nature" replied Reed triumphantly.
Il ION what date was that paper given!
l. "It is dated April 10. 1876. ="
II "That was six years before he lost b
u right arm. and yet this deed is signe
d with his left hand. How do you a
3. count for that?'
IS The witness was silent. He turnt
pale and then attempted to escape fro
e the courtroom. He was arrested al
a held on charge of forgery. His tecl
re- mic had been perfect-so perfect, II
it deed, as to deceive the man whose si
n nature he had forged-but he had mac
y the mistake of initiating the left ham
W ed writing of Robinson and had date
the deed six years prior to his loss
the right arm.
OF course the suit was decided III I
vor of the defendant, and at presc
"a Reed is serving 20 year sentence
IS the penitentiary for forgery, his ia