The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-01-06
FORGER ARRESTED.
PLAYED A BIG GAME BUT IS
FINALLY PULLED.

~
long lane that has no turning. Equally
true is the assertion that it is lucky
thief who can continue to ply his
game and keep beyond the clutches OF
the law.
Last July large, robust, handsome
looking man stepped off the train at
Greenville. When he gave his name
as H. H. Harding he was remembered
as young man who left Beaufort
county twenty years ago to seek his
fortune in the great west. He repre-
scented that he was member OF the
Colorado Construction Company with
headquarters at San Francisco, that
his company has built railroads in this
and foreign countries, and that he was
then en- route to Cuba to look after
some work for which his company had
contracted with the Spanish Govern
ment, and took advantage OF the OPP
portunity to once more visit his native
section of North Carolina by coming
this way.
He spent some days here and proved
of very pleasant manner, fluent talk
er and an Interesting narrator OF In
ridents connected with his extensive
travels. Nor did he mind letting it
crop out that he had made his fortune
IN the west and had his barrel. He
let it out also that his company want
ed to purchase 5000 acres of tobacco
land in Eastern North Carolina for
the purpose of locating colony, and
he had an eye to prospecting for that
while sojourning in this quarter.
This land hunt brought him IN con-
tact with Mr.. E. B. Higgs, cashier of
the Bank of Pitt County, Who became
interested in the plausible talk of the
stranger and in turn undertook to
interest him in some Halifax county
lands. Harding sought Mr.. Higgs
several times at the bank and had long
talks with him. Finally he divulged
the secret that he was little short of
easy cash, having been on the road for
some weeks, and wanted to deposit a
check with the bank, get few hun
dred dollars on it and leave the balance
here to his credit, but Mr.. Higgs was
too shrewed to be taken in that way.
While Harding never got any
money here, he got something else
that later served his purpose as we'll
for he slipped a package of blank cash
ier's checks on New York bank OF
which the Bank OF Pitt County is a
correspondent. Before leaving be
notified Mr.. Hlggs that he was going
to Washington, n. c., tor few days
at which place he would like to re-
ceive letter giving some additional
| information about the Halifax lands
and if satisfactory he would return here
to take an option before proceeding to
Cuba.
Mr.. Higgs wrote the letter as prom.
Used, and armed with his autograph
and the blank checks Harding was
ready for business.
! Here the land matter ended, vel
nothing wrong was suspected until one
day an inquiry came from the New
York bank about a certain check
drawn by Mr.. Higgs in favor of II. H
Harding. Mr.. Higgs having drawn
no such check at once discovered Hard
ing's game and advised the New :Yors
bank that it was a forgery. The mat.
ter was kept quiet In the hope thai
Harding might be located and arrested
| Nothing more was heard at this enc
for sometime until Harding put in al
South Omaha, Neb., and got off one
Of the checks on bank in that city
He skipped before the forgery was de-
tected.
Next he showed up In Seattle
Wash, where he put up an $4,000
check on bank and got $4,000 on it
AS soon as the Seattle bank discovered
that the check was forgery they de
termlned to hunt Harding down n,
matter what the cost. The cashier O
the bank with deputy Sheriff got OF
his track, followed him over int,
British Columbia and finally arrested
him in Regina, in the North Yves
Territory. Harding fought the extra
dition, but they managed to have hin
held in prison until the proper requlsi
ton can be obtained to have hin
brought back across the line and tried
The cashier OF the Seattle bank wrot
Mr.. Higgs at once from Regina advi.
ing him OF Harding's arrest, and ther
was not happier man in town tha
be was when the letter reached hir
Monday.
The Bank of Pitt County has los
nothing by Harding's iorgeries, bu
their blank checks being in his posse:
, sion has caused them trouble and ar
noYance.
, The State that gets Harding in il
, penitentiary can use his knowledge {