The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-21
BANK DRAFT FoRGERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MANS INVENTION TO
MAKE THEM IMPOSSIBLE.
Inks That Cannot BE Obliterated-
Methods Employed by Experts In
Raising Bank Paper.

last two years to study of forgers and
their methods, and to finding out a way of
rendering check-raising impossible. He be-
lieves that he has been successful. He has
an invention so simple and inexpensive that
he thinks it will revolutionize banking
methods, at least so far as the manner of
Issuing checks, drafts and other negotiable
paper is concerned. The invention is styled
'thermagraph," coined from classic words
meaning heat writing" The thermagraph
is sort Of pencil, to be used in filling out
bankable paper. When written the char
acters look very much as If they had been
made with soft. heavy colored pencils, but
there is a popularity in the material that
constitutes their value. Held over flame
for an instant, the coloring matter sinks
into the paper, without blurring or spread
ing. 1t penetrates clear through, however.
and can be read from the reverse as well
as from the face side. Once exposed to the
heat the figures and other characters can
not be eradicated. To erase them with a
knife the entire paper would be worn away
with the friction. Acids win not accomplish
what the knife would not.
The inventor made some experiments for
Journal reporter. Taking one of the
"thermagraphs" that writes blue, several
ordinary writing paper Of fair quality. After
they were exposed to the blaze of gas jet
for a second Of two the inventor, with an
eraser, proceeded to brush off what
manned of the markings on the surface. But
the figures did not disappear as those made
by an ordinary lead pencil would do. Then
an application of oxalic acid was made, but
1t did not phase the figures. scarcely discol-
oil oil
showed that there had been effort to
tamper with the writing, as the paper was
burnt by the acid and turned a yellowish
shade. Caustic soda turned the paper g.
yellOwlsh pink nitric acid go per cent and
full strength discolored and burnt the
paper, but did not remove the figures al
though in the last two tests the blue of the
ngureS became paler. The inventor says
that If the banks and other commercial in
and use it exclusively in filling up drafts,
etc, check raising and alteration would be
a thing of the past. Beside the therma-.
graph the investigator of this branch of
forging has invented fluids, which, he says,
when added to ordinary ink, give them the
same qualities that the thermagraph pos
sesses He claims for his inventions that
they are impregnable to any climatic action,
and says that once in the paper the char
aeters can never fade away like many sorts
of writing fluids and pencils do. An inter-
esting thing about one kind of thermagraph
is that it makes a colorless mark When
i
oil, whether it be at once or months or
years afterward. This, he says would give
a person an dnfallible way Of identifying a
paper he could discover a year later when
it was handed back to him whether it was
the same by holding it over a blaze.
PROFESSIONAL CHECK RAISERS.
While talking to Journal reporter the
inventor discussed the methods of profess
sional check raisers.
THE procedure of the professional check
raiser who hunts for big game said he,
''is to locate himself, say. in Indianapolis,
where he opens some kind of office bust
ness. He selects a bank and opens an ac-
count by depositing fair amount of money,
then makes deposits, checks out, buys East
ern drafts and keeps his original deposit
turning over until his account with the
bank gives him a standing. While he is do
ing this in Indianapolis in the name of John
Doe & Co. he selects say, Cincinnati, to
turns the same trick in the name of, say,
Richard Roe & Co. This game is kept up
for some months until he has established
an acquaintance under his assumed names
with both banks. Finally he is ready for
a coup de bank. He drops into his Cincin-
natl bank and buys an Eastern Ter ar arat toi Lor
that draft and with his magnifying glass
examines it as to thickness, color and fiber.
He is interested in the sizing on the paper,
ink as to whether it is light and fine or
coarse and heavy, and in the color of the
ink used. If the color of the draft is white,
the paper compact, the writing light and
fine he takes his sharp erasing knife and
with quick light strokes removes the top
of the ~ in the word ten and the last
down stroke of the m in the same word
and any dash line that the cashier may
have made to prevent filing in. Then ne
removes any cent ciphers that may have
been made after the 10 in the dollar space.
While doing this he has been careful not to
let any dirt come In contact win the
abraded surface. After brushing the sur
face clean he restores the Size by using
thin colorless varnish made from gum
sandarach: When this has dried ne taxes s
his pen, distinguishing between gold and
steel pen, and with deft stroke makes an
IS out of the part of the IT left when ne
erased the top, adds en- TO the ey ana Ine
word thousand along the line, adds hori-
zontal dash to the figure in III 10 MAKE
a ~ of it, adds two more ciphers, ana ne
has draft for $1,000 that is almost 1ault-
less.
FILLING PERFORATED FIGURES.
but how about the figure $40 the bank
cut out with the machine? Well the ex-
pert has not lost sight of that. He has
provided himself with paper, identical with
the draft under manipulation, out of which
he makes a pulp, and by simple process
fills the cut space-and, with machine SIM
liar to the one used by the bank cuts the
figures $1,000 in another part of the draft
now if he has played his waiting acquaint-
ance well enough he deposits that altered
draft in his Indianapolis bank, draws out
the proceeds and is on his Journey the
office of Jno. Doe e. Co Is vacant, ana the
bank clerk makes another entry in the
profit and loss account
about two years ago one OF these gentry
PLAYED this trick in California, raised
SO 500 draft to $S5 900, and so far as heard
from the losing bank has never seen the
light of his counteEance since ne passed
out of the bank door into the sunshine.
THE change by erasure is not the only re-
source of the expert. If, when the draft
was under examination, he found that the
paper of the draft was spongy, the stroke
of the pen heavy and the writing coarse
and well sunk into the size, would he use
acids? Not he. He knows that acids (for
weak will spread the coloring matter of the
ink and injure the texture of the paper.
What does he do? He takes a pencil (of
a material that shall be nameless for OBJ
vious reasons) and carefully traces over the
lines of the letters and figures he wishes
to remove, then lays the draft away in
dark place for twenty-four hours. The
next day he takes complementary liquid
and with fne-hair brush washes off the
as before the cashier wrote on 1t. The re-
mainder of his task is easy. Check raisers
that work in small way are not experts
as rule, and resort to the knife and acids
to accomplish their purpose. Their work is
clumsy and neither banks nor individuals
ought to be taken in with 1t; but there is
scarcely day passes that the press does
not record a success for the check raiser in
some part of the country"