The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-04
MANY MERCHANTS FOOLED.
A SLICK STRANGER PASSED
FORGED CHECKS ON THEM.


He Looked Like WOrl<ingman,
Told "a Plausible story and Checks
Were Accepted without Question.
The WORK Was Done Saturday At
ternOon, But the FOrgeries Were
Not Discovered Until Yesterday.
The Name of p. Hagan Used by the
FOrger.
Savannah is q soft mark for the sharp
ers. This is a common saying around po-
lice headquarters and one that seems to
be frequently verified. Hardly a week
passes that some sharper does not get in
his work and he Is usually gone before
the victim gives the alarm. If the police
are notified promptly they usually succeed
in catching the fakirs.
The latest fal1ir to work the city was
very smooth article, and must be given
credit for doing his work smoothly. Sew
eral Broughton street merchants are re-
GREETING their confidence in human nature
and the fact that they were so easily de-
ceived by appearances.
Saturday afternoon a neat looking
young fellow having the appearance of a
workman, presented himself at Byck
Bros. shoe store and after purchasing a
pair of shoes presented in payment
check for Sl4, apparently given by Mr.. p.
Hagan, proprietor of marble yard at
No. 2l3 York street, west, on the Merchants
National Bank and made payable to James
Malone The young man stated that he
was in the employ of Mr.. Hagan and that
the check represented his weeks wages.
The bank having closed, he said he would
be unable to present it until Monday morn
ing and as he needed several articles he
was anxious to have it cashed.
The authenticity Of the check was APP
parently borne out by the imprint Of a
rubber stamp across the case, "P. Hagan,
marble cutter" This and the fact hat
Hagans marble yard was only a snort
distance away, taken in connection with
the young mans appearance, apparently
established his statement. The check
was accepted, and the young man was
given the balance in cash, after deducting
the amount of his purchase.
The fact that 1t was Saturday afternoon
and that trade would be too brisk in the
stores to admit of giving much time 10
Identification had evidently been taken
into consideration by the sharper. In like
manner the Falk Clothing Company Met
ropolitan Clothing Company, Collats aud
A. S. Nichols were also visited. and IN
a check of $l2 to $l4 drawn in the same
manner as that accepted by Mr.. Byek
was rendered and exchanged for goods
and cash.
Being Saturday afternoon the checks
did not reach the banks with which the
several firms deal until yesterday morn
ing, and it was not until 2 o'clock that
the merchants Interested were notified by
the banks that the checks were fraudu-
lent. There was quite furry on Brougn-
ton street for a while, as merchants and
employees went from store to store to find
who had been duped and who had not.
Mr.. Hagan was as much surprised as
anyone at the manner in which his name
had been used He had issued no such
checks, he said, and furthermore he had
no rubber stamp such as had been used
to make the imprint on the checks. The
stamp had evidently been made by the
forger himself, or procured from a dist
ance, as none of the local stamp makers,
who were seen by the detectives, had
made any of the kind. Mr.. HagaL was
satisfied that the checks had not been
given by anyone IN his employ The forger
must have obtained some information
concerning him, however, as none of the
checks were presented at places where
Mr.. Hagan Is in the habit of dealing.
The matter was reported to Chief Nc
Dermott. who put the detectives to work.
The latter had some difficulty in securing
an accurate description of the forger, as
no one seemed to have taken any note of
his appearance beyond the fact that he
appeared to be a workman. His story
was so plausible that no one entertained
any suspicion that he was not what he
appeared to be.
AS the checks were passed Saturday
afternoon and the forgeries were not dis
covered until yesterday afternoon, over
forty hours after, the forger mad all the
time he wanted to put distance between
himself and his victims, and being slick
article, he has doubtless done so. Two
other forgers, who tried the same game
not many months ago, but who were not
quite so slick, were arrested and are now
doing time for their familiarity with other
neOnlaS, names