Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-01-14
RAISED BANK CHECKS
HOW SHREWD PROFESSIONALS
DO THEIR WORK.
State of Affairs Long known to Bank
ers and Secret Service Men Is Made
Known to the public-All Safety
Devices Are "Beatcn."
Great skill Shown.


The recent arrest of the ringleaders
Of regular check-raising and forging
syndicates has been revelation to the
public. says the New York World, but
has made generally known a state OF
affairs which bankers and secret-ser-
vice men have been aware Of for many
years.
The Government offered reward
many years ago for a writing ink which
could not be removed by acids or other
chemicals. There were hundreds or
inks offered and not one of them met
the requirement. Those that actually
were ndelible were worthless for writ
ing and would not flow, while the best
of those that would flow were only in
delible when allowed to lie a long time
on porous paper.
What is true as to ink Is true as to the
thousand and one mechanical devices
for protecting commercial paper which
have been put upon the market There
are four or five firms in New York alone
which have made from million to four
million dollars each by the manufacture
and sale Of articles Of this kind, not one
Of which but has been ''beaten" scores
OF times, and not one Of which Is OF
the slightest value except as against
the efforts Of the merest tyros In the
check-raising industry.
SO profitable has become the forging
and check raising industry that capt.
~ tAS u -
tine gang or the Becker gang-havc de-
liberately engaged in 1t and have stolen
great sums in an incredibly short time.
The Becker gang Is estimated to have
obtained 100000 In this way within
three months, and were only caught on
one draft raised from $12 to 500, 900 and
successfully cashed in San Francisco.
Carelessness in making out checks Is,
| Of course, Il fruitful source Of crime, MS
in many instances the possibility Of
making safe alteration is glaringly be-
| fore the eye. The temptation has
brought many young man to ruin, but
| the losses from this source are trihing
compared with those from the regular
professional check-raisers. These gen
| try have an equipment of tools and
chemicals as complete in their way as
the tools used by burglars, and the
manufacture Of these articles, especial
| ~ for criminal purposes, is quite as ex-
| tensive MS Is the manufacture Of burg
lars tools. The outfit consists of three
or four kinds Of acids for removing ink;
all the various cutting machines used
| for cutting out figures In the body Of
| the check, a device at one time suppos-
| ed to be invulnerable, but one Of the
easiest OF all to beat; a complete supply
! Of twenty different kinds Of delicate
| brushes and palette Of artists colors.
These colorS and brushes are used to
restore the lines In tinted paper after
| the tint has been taken out by the acid
| In removing the ink. Great sums of
money, by the way, have been spent In
| the manufacture of this tinted paper
money entirely thrown away, as the
knaves have processes which restore
the tint wherever their operations may
have destroyed 1t. and restoring 1t SO
perfectly as to utterly defy detection.
The nippers are used especially to
beat the figures out Of the check or