Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1898-01-06
TECHNIC PERFECT.
HOW A MAN GOT TWENTY YEARS
FOR A PERFECT FORGERY.

In His DateS-A signature Involving an
Amputated Arm.
Ivan Ivanoff, one Of the most skillful
Of Russian forgers, when sentenced to
30 years imprisonment in the mines of
Siberia nonchalantly remarked:
IT am the victim of poor technic.
/ know my business better than most
men, but am human, and to err is hu-
man. Had my forgery been perfect 1
could not have been convicted. lam the
victim of poor technic and careless
stroke of the pen. -
Strange as it may seem, an event has
taken place recently in the United
States which proves that Ivan Ivanoff
was mistaken in his theory and that the
absolute perfection Of forgery may
prove the cause of conviction. The
story which contains the proof of this
assertion is not long one aud is as fol-
lows:
About 90 years ago a young man
named Richard Robinson, who lived in
the city of New York, bought 100 acres
Of land near Kansas City, The land
was worth only 50 or "a an acre at that
time, and Robinson, getting into trou-
BILE, decided the land to his lawyer in
payment of his fee. The lawyer gave no
attention to the property, and it was
sold for taxes, and his title was good
against all claimants except infant heirs.
When the land became valuable, owing
to the growth of Kansas City, an I'M
scrupulOus real estate dealer of st.
Louis induced young woman of that
city to impersonate daughter of Rob
inson and to bring suit to recover the
property. The girl was proved to be an
impostor and the suit was decided
against her.
The case attracted wide attention, and
the fact that the title to the land SEEM
ed somewhat i'll doubt caused disbar
red lawyer named Reed, once resident
of Chicago, to look into the matter care
fully and finally to conceive plan to
obtain possession of the land through
forgery. When everything had been pre-
pared, Reed brought suit of ejectment
against the man who had possession Of
the property, claiming that he had a
deed to it from Robinson dated prior to
the one given by Robinson to his law
yer, thus invalidating not only that
title, but all subsequent titles which
had been given.
The only way to break this claim was
to prove that the deed alleged to be
signed by Robinson was II forgery. Aft
Ell. IA long search Robinson was discover
ed by the attorney for the defense, liy-
ing in an obscure town in Texas. He
had passed through many wild expert
ences on the frontier and in personal
encounter had received Il pistol ball in
his right arm, which made amputation
necessary. Subsequently he had served
as county clerk in Missouri, and his sig
nature was thus readily accessible to
the forger. Robinson was brought to
Kansas City by the defense, and his tes-
timony was relied ON to prove that the
signature attached to the deed was a
forgery
When the case came to trial and the
deed had been offered in evidence, Rob
inson was placed Oh the stand. He eX-
amined the signature with the greatest
care, and to the establishment and cha
grin of the defense he testified that the
writing was his, not a line Or dot in the
signature differing in the slightest de-
gree from his usage Itseemed as though
the willy Mr.. Reed had gained his case,
when the attorney for the defense, tax
ing up the deed, glanced at it mo-
ment, then, dropping it upon the table,
he suddenly asked:
"Mr. Robinson, when did you lose
your right arm?"
"About years ago, " was the reply.
"Is your signature to this deed writ.
ten with your right or left hand?"
"With my left hand. "
"Did you ever employ your left hand
in writing before you lost your right
ARM"
"Never.
"That is ALL" said the attorney.
Call Mr.. Reed to the stand. "
The plaintiff took the stand, and the
attorney handed him the deed. "You
swear that this deed was made to you
by Mr. Robinson?"
81 do, and he has identified his sig
nature, replied Reed triumphantly.
"On what date was that paper given?"
ut is dated April 10, 1876. "
"That was six years before he lost his
right arm. and yet this deed is signed
with his left hand. How do you ac-
count for that?"
The witness was silent. He turned
pale and then attempted to escape from
the courtroom He was arrested and
held on charge of forgery. His tech
mic had been psrfect-so perfect, in
deed, as to deceive the man whose sig
nature he had forged-but he had made
the mistake of initiating the left hand
ed writing of Robinson and had dated
the deed six years prior to his loss Of
the right arm.
OF course the suit was decided in ia
Vor of the defendant, and ut present
Reed is serving 20 year sentence in
the penitentiary for forgery. his fate
paralleling that of Ivan Ivanoff, not