The news & observer., 1897-06-22
OPERATING IN THE SOUTH
THREE OF THEM HAVE BEEN
GETTING IN GOOD WORK.
ONLY ONE HAS YET BEEN CAUGHT
The Last One Came the Highest and Played
the Shrewdest Game of the Lot
He Worked the Towns as He
Came to Them,
Came to Them.

There is an organized band Of shrewG
forgers working in the South and hotel-
keepers are their victims
They have reaped a pretty rich reward
in North Carolina, but this State is not
the only place where they have been Op-
Grating. Reports from other Southern
States, notably Tennessee, South Caro-
lima and Georgia, tell the same tale.
Everywhere the same old plan is used,
getting checks cashed-always, of course.
with variations.
Heretofore a fellow would occasionally
come along and get a check cashed at
some hotel and satisfied with the raise,
would perhaps never be heard Of again.
But these latter-day forgers have gone
into the business on a more thorough and
systematic plan, travelling as drummers
and taking the hotels as they come to
them
The first one of the gang to come along
was a fellow calling himself A. Strauss.
he was Jew, and claimed to be rep
resenting Pittsburg, Pa, clothing firm.
he had check cashed in Tennessee,
one here and then jumped to Georgia be
fore making another raise. His scheme
was very simple, but shrewd one. The
checks he had cashed were signed by the
name of the firm he claimed to represent,
except that the "& Co" was left off. This
was done in order that he might not be
liable for forgery. His raises were al
ways just even $50. with his bill de-
Quoted.
The next man that came along calles
himself j. w. Smith, and claimed 10
represent the Asheville Mercantile Com
pany. He operated in the smaller inter
ior towns and victimized both hotels and
livery stable men. He always offered to
pay his bills with checks, usually for $25
drawn in his favor by the Asheyille Mer.
camille Company. He met with fine sue
cess in this, but was finally caught at
Norfolk.
The last swindler, and the shrewdest
was fellow who changed his name at
every town. Here he registered as Henry
Owens; at Durham he was John Golden;
at Greensboro he registered as III. III.
Watson and so on to Asheville, the last
place at which he was heard from. He
represented himself as a drummer trav-
cling for VickSburg (Miss.) house, and
at every place he registered from Nicks
burg and always offered drafts 10 be
cashed purporting to have been drawn
by First National Bank Of Ficilsburg,
Miss, J. Nj. Phillips, cashier, on the
American Exchange National Bank OF
New York. In every instance they were
for $S5. And in every instance the banks
were consulted, the name of the cashier
was pronounced to be correct, and being
a cashiers check it was promptly cashed
Raleigh, Durham Greensboro, Winston
and Asheville hotels are said to have
been caught, and possibly others.
1T is learned upon the best of authority
that this fellow has been operating for
months throughout the South. He is a
slim man Of about 35 years, 3 feet 6
inches high and weighs 80 pounds. His
nose and mouth are large and prominent
In looks he might be taken for jew,
though his speech shows very plainly that
he is not. He is fairly well dressed,
slightly bow-legged and walks with q
swinging gait.
Here he claimed to represent Vicks-
burg shoe house, at Durham it was
Ficksburg rubber house and at Greens
boro it was a clothing house. But it was
always and ever that identically the same
cashiers check and for that same little
$50, and he always got it.
The hotel men are wondering now what
kind of a scheme will strike them next
Has the whole of this gang of forgers
passed through or are there more vet to
come? Many believe that these fellows
are necessary evils brought South by the
Tennessee Exposition.