The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-08
WcTlMlze BANKS.
How Forging syndicates Make Thousands
of Dollars


of Dollars
The recent arrest of the rinrleaders
OF regular check-raising and forging
syndicates has been a revelation to the
public, but has made generally known
q state of affairs which. bankers and
secret service men have been aware OF
for many years.
The government offered a reward
many years ago for a writing ink
which would not be removed by acids or
other chemicals. There were hundreds
of inks offered, and not one of them
met the requirements Those that
actually were indelible were worth
less for writing and would not flow.
while the best of those that would flow
were only indeiible when allowed to
lie long time on porous paper.
What is true as to ink is true as to
the thousand and one mechanical de-
vices 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
81 .oOo, 900 to 4,0o0. 600 each by the man
kind not one of which but has been
"beaten" scores of times and not ons
of which is of the slightest value ex-
cept as against the efforts of the merest
syfos in the check-raising industry.
So profitable has become the forg-
ing and check-raising industry that
capitalized syndicates-such as the Val.
entine gang or the Becker gang-have
deliberately engaged in it and have
stolen great sums In an incredibly
short time. The Becker gang is esti'
mated to have obtained $500, 900 in this
way within three months, and were
only caught on one draft raised from
S12 to SCI. 900 and successfully cashed
in San Francisco.
Cerelessness in making out checks is,
OF course, fruitful source OF crime. as
m many instances the possibility o.
making a safe alteration is glarinS-
~ before the eve. This temptation
has brought many young man TO ruin,
but the losses from this source are
trifing compared with those of the
regular professional check-raisers.
These gentry have an equipment OF
tools and chemicals as complete in
their way as the tools used by bur-
glars. and the manufacture of these
articles. especially for criminal pur-
poses, is quite as extensive as is the
manufacture of burglars tools. The
outfit consists of three or four kinds OF
acids for removing ink; all the various
cutting machines used for cutting Qua
figures in the body of the check. a
device at one time supposed 20 be In
vulnerable, but one of the easiest OF
all TO beat; a complete supply of "a
different kinds of delicate brushes and
a 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
used in removing the ink. Great sums
of money. By the way. have been spent
In the manufacture of this tinted paper
entirely thrown away. as the
lsnaves have processes which restore the
tint whenever their operations may
have DESTROYED il and restore IL so per, |
fcctly as 10 utterly defy detection.
The nippers are used especially In
beat the figures out of the check or
draft by the various machines made for |
that purpose. With the nippers, which |
are curiously and delicateIy pointed, |
the minutest particle of paper can be |
picked up and deity handled. The
width of the figure is measured, and |
then the expert knows, provided he does
net recognize it at a glance, which |
machine cut it. With his own CORE
spending machine he cuts the same fig |
ures from the same kind of paper-for |
a stock of every variety of paper used
is part of his equipment-and fills IN
the cut-out figures by the aid of the
nippers and his materials for dressing
and hardening down the surface after
his work is done-N. Y. World