The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-10
ANOTHER FORGER CAUGHT
NE PASSED CERTIFIED CHECKS ON THE
HOTEL MEN.
Got Money in Raleigh, GoIdsboro, Durham
and Greensboro Now in Jail
in Missouri,
in Missouri.

awaiting his trial at the CRIMINAL term
of court next November.
His speciality was doing hotel men
with cashiers drafts, and by this means
he carried out of the State, certainly
$3.50 possibly much more, for all men
do not squeal when they have been
.AimfIammed. 1t is known certainly that
he got SS5 each at Goldsboro, Raleigh
and Durham, and 800 at Greensboro.
He was a shred fellow, and changed
his name at every town. Here he reg
istered as Henry Owens, at Durham he
was John Golden; at Greensboro he reg
istered as II. III. Watson and son on TO
-Asheyille. He represented himself as
a drummer travelling for the Vicksburg
Rubber Works, and at every place ne
registered from Vicksburg and always
offered drafts to be cashed purporting to
have been drawn by the First National
Bank of Vicksburg, Miss, j. NJ. Philips,
cashier. on the American Exchange Ma
tional Bank of New York. Usually the
check was for $50, though it was some
themes 500, $65, or $45. More often it
was $S5. An examination showed the
check to be an entire forgery. The
blank used was a yellow one instead Of
the white one used by the bank, and the
.drawee bank stamped on with rubber
stamp The date was stamped in the
same way and the serial number used
was out of rotation.
Smith began his tour of the South at
New Orleans, where he had his checks
printed, his rubber stamps made, and let
ter heads printed by different establish
ments for the imaginary firms of the
Vicksburg Novelty Company, the Vicks-
burg Rubber Works, the Vicksburg
Shoe Company, and the Vicksburg Cloth
ing House. Before leaving New Or
leans Smith prepared a series of letters,
which he addressed to himself under as
sumed names in various towns, as the
representative of one of his imaginary
firms. and inclosed in each letter one of
his fraudulent drafts.
Later he would put up in these towns
at the specified hotels, and the letter be-
ing delivered to him, he would open it
in an destinations manner draw out the
draft made payable to his order and ask
to have it cashed. In most instances the
banks were consulted, the name of the
cashier was pronounced to be correct,
and being a cashiers check, it was
promptly cashed. Goldsboro, Raleigh,
Durham, Greensboro hotels were caught,
and possibly others in North Carolina.
Before getting here he had one cashed
in New Orleans as an experiment, and
then he went to Mobile, Ala, where he
had two cashed-one for $50 and an
other one for $65; one for $50 at Mont
gomery, Ala, and one for $40 at
Richmond. After leaving this State he
got one check cashed at Newburyport,
Massachusetts, for S65, one at Ports
mouth, N. H., for SS5, and one at Ro-
chester, NJ H., for $S5.
Smith then returned to Boston, Mass,
and there struck up an acquaintance
with Lester Fagin, whom he induced to
join him in a trip to the West. On
July 10 they arrived at Jefferson City,
Mo-, and registered at the Madison
House. The next morning Fagin receiv-
ed letter at the hotel, and the inclosed
draft was presented to the proprietor to
be cashed. He declined to cash it as it
was dated less than twenty-four hours
back and could not possibly have come
from Vicksburg in that space of time.
he would return it. In the meantime
Smith made an attempt to pass a draft
at the Monroe House. Failing to do so,
he registered at the City Hotel as G. c.
Brooks and induced the proprietor to
identify him at the First National Bank
as one of his dodgers, and the draft for
$50 was cashed. The First National
Bank is a member of the American
Bankers Association and had in it's pos
session circular No. ~, on which the
methods of the men were given, together
with samples of the handwriting on the
checks. The news of Smiths operations
at Jefferson City and the account Of the
capture of the men at Sedalia were re-
ceived by wire from Sedalia, and a Pin
kerton man was at once dispatched to
the scene to guard the interests of the
Bankers Association. He found that
Smith and Fagin had arrived at Sedalia
on July Il and were registered ~ diff
ferent hotels. Fagin stopped at Sicher's
Hotel and received a draft for $S5, which
he requested the proprietor to indorse A
bystander who had witnessed his per-
Torrance at Jefferson City quietly in
formed the hotel man that something was
wrong and an officer was called in, who
arrested Fagin. Smith was then looked
He had received draft for $125, which
the hotel keeper had taken to the bank,
and Smith was awaiting his return with
the cash when arrested. A new supply
of letterheads was in use on this trip,
made out in the name of the Mississippi
Shoe Company Of Vicksburg. A type
written sheet, a memorandum of their
proposed route, giving the names to be
assumed at the different towns, was
found among their effects, in addition to
a plentiful supply of letterheads and
bank drafts. A large new book OF
checks, numbered 1,001 to 1000, which
had been forwarded from the Palfrey
,& ODonnell Company, of New Orleans,
La, was also secured.
When arrested, the men passed as Les
ter Fagin and e. e. Greene. The Pin
kertons identified Green as the w. III.
Smith, who, in the summer of 1896, pos
ed as George B. Williams and Travelled
through Ohio and Indiana in company
Al