The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-30

The arrest Of ]. r. Bard. alias Buck.
an Insurance. agent. on the charge OF
passing worthless check on E. Bohm.
manager OF the Ola Home restaurant At
is0s First avenue. has brought to light
no less than six clever forgeries-
1t appears that business men have been
victimized during the past three months
by a man who has not been seen by any
Of his yfctima Two forgers are now IN
jasl, J. F. Bard and Henry Tailman
Booker. Both have confessed their crimes,
but the police are stili in the dark as to
whether the six casas previously men
toned can be charged TO either OF them
The handwriting OF the mysterious forger
is in the possession OF Chief Reed and
f. J. Powers. OF the Nevada saloon. As
soon as convenient comparisons will be
made between these documents and those
found In the possession OF Bard, to see
IL he has been doing the work.
The six forgeries were done by the same
man or two men who had the same pan
and used practically the same expressions
IN their letters. 1t IL not probable that
such a thing happened, so 1t may De ac-
ceptsd as true that ore man did all the
work His system was as follows: FIRST
he wrote q note to well known business
man. signing 1t In the name OF q person
known to the person addressed. insteao
OF applying In person, he sent messen-
ger boy after the money. Sometimes the
money came to him without question. put
in other cases II was denied. If he got
the money the victim had no idea who to
look for. and IL he failed there was not
one chance in ten thousand OF any enoft
being made to discover his identity.
The first case run down yesterday AFTER
noon by a Post-IntelIigencer reporter was
that In which Mr. Powers. OF the Nevada.
sent out SIS to Fl. ]. Stanley, as ne sup
posed. A messenger boy appeared in the
sa,oon one evening In the middle or Janu-
ary and handed Mr.. Powers the follow
Ing note:
III convenient. viii you accommodate
me, please, with the cash for the incloseo
And kindly pardon and excuse me for
not calling personally. l am engageu
with some company Qadies). but Will try
and be in to see you about ocioeA anu
Every truly yours In F.. c. p
please inctose the money in an en-
velope: that's II you have them.
ACCOMMODATING the note was a check for
sf5 drawn by III J. Stanley on the Bos-
ton National bank. Mr. Powers Is not
easily deceived. but In the present case
he had implicit confidence that II came
from the manager OF tha washington
wooden mills. He gave the money to the
messenger boy, and that was the last he
ever saw of Il. The check was u clever
forgery, and the letter was striking
imitation OF Mr. Stanley's writing.
William Jensen, proprietor OF the Louvre
saloon AT the corner OF Madison street
and First avenue. Is well acquainted with
Groll e. Damus, real estate and steam
ship agents. For this reason he was not
surprised when he received note, presu-
mabiy from Joseph Groll. asking him TO
cash check for SIS. The note said that
II was impossible for Mr.. Groll to come
in person, but he hoped Mr.. Jensen would
send the money by the messenger, fnclos-
ing It In an envelope. " VIII DO IN In the
morning and explain was the way the
note expressed II. Mr.. Groil did not come.
and when Mr. Jensen saw him he asked
him II he had sent nose and check by
a messenger boy. Mr.. Groll said that he
had not heard OF the matter before.
Forgery number two.
The Columbia grocery store on First
avenpe between Madison and Marion
streets. contributed SIS TO the forger
One afternoon lady purchased some
-four. After she had been gone short
time a messenger came IN with note
saving 1.-The -four was excellent" and
concluding with a reques. 10 cash check
on the First National hank for SIS. The
check was made payable 10 Mrs Adams
and presumably Endorsed by Mrs. Mary
Kellogg II was the same old story.
The writer was busy and could not come
personally, but would call In the morn
Ing and explain. Forgery number three.
The SIS did not last long. After It was
gone messenger boy appeared at the Pho
neer saloon with a note and check. pur-
porting 10 have been signed ny Herman
Lutz The proprietor of the saloon told
the boy "a come In again after while.
The boy casre back. but did not get his
money II was afterwards proved that the
check and letter were forgeries. Case
number four.
Aprii x a messenger handed note TO
Wilkes Bros. on Pike street The note was
signed Mrs. Mary A. Dyer" and asked
for 80 by messenger closing with the ster-
eotvpe,f phrase II will call In the morning
and explain" The check was on the Ma
fiona, Bank OF Commerce. and signed Al
bert Pontius" but rot Endorsed. Wilkes
Bros thought there was some. hing wrong
and failed 10 respond. Forgery number
five.
II. o. Shuey. the Insurance man. received
a note and check. but X Is not known
whether ne responded or not There are
one or two more cases that have not yet
been fully looked M.
Yesterday afternoon Bard was taken into
Justice Austins court and charged with
altering and passing a forged check. He
f,ld rot ayr,ear 20 think the case amounted
10 much aud told Deputy Prosecuting At
tcrnev Fulton that II he had chance he
would pay Bonn hack the $. :. You do
not appreciate tue -srrios1SneSs ~ your po-
assiou.s replied Mr., Fulton. You are in
grave danger Of going to the peniteniiary''
Erad commenced to weep and said that
re knew ne had gone down rapidly. He
Thought ouiy of his wife. who lived In
Portland and who would 20 killed by the
news Of his Disgrace Bard asked for tina
- get an attorney. 81 his case was con-
tinuest untiI Monday afternoon az > O'Clock
=, desagit Of sssst bonds he WAS rsTnansed
10 saY Bard was formerly In the employ
neat Of tire State Life Insurance Company
bar lost MS position. ii is said. owing to
snort age IL his accounts.