New-York tribune., 1898-01-11
BIG FORGERY. BUT NO LOSS.
ATTEMPT TO swINDLE WILLIAM HAw-
LEY & CO. FOILED.

BANK GIVEN IN PAYMENT FOR coNsoLl-
DATED GAS STOCK By w T. GoERDEs.
THE BROKER WHO Is ARRESTED
HAD PREPARED TO FLEE.
While on the floor OF the Consolidated Stock
and Petroleum Exchange on Saturday last
Augustus " Lawrence, the representative OH
the Exchange Of William Hawley & Co. STOCK
brokers at No PC Broad-st was directed D!
W T. Coerdes another broker. to buy one hun
drad shares Of the stock Of the Consohdateo
Gas Company. Goerdes said he desired the
stock ?of a customer. and would take IL up o"
Monday Soon after II O'clock yesteruas
Cocrdes approached Mr.. Lawrence with checA
made out to Hawley & Co. for SlSllZ "o 'he
cost Of the stock drawn the North Side BANK
OF BROOKLYN and signed 81 l.. Rives 1he
check was indorsod "w. +. Goerdes" Mr.. Law
rance said this Endorsement was not sufficient
The check must be certified.
Goerdes said he would have his customer
take the check to the bank and procure a GER
tiacation. At 80 o'clock he returned Win 'he
check to all Appearances regularly certiheo Os
the cashier Of the North Side Bank The s'ooN
was thereupon delivered 10 Goerdes' rive
minutes later Mr. Lawrence became suspicious
tha, all was not right. ard put himself IN com
munlcati0n by telephone with the Norm sue
Bank. which is in Grand-s'.. ar Aent-aVe.' III
Brooklyn. He was informed that no such per-
son as j. L. Rives" had an account IN 'he
bank and that no check hearing his name or III
fact any check made out to llawley ~ Co.. hau
been certified at the bank. Thcreupon TINS
notice was sent out through the ticker
"LOST-Cne hundred shares Of Consolidated
Gas stock. certificate No. 14SGS All parties
are notified not to negotiate the same. If Of
fered. please notify William Uawley Co., No
% Broadst"
J;AD LENT MONEY on The CERTIFICATE.
When this notice fell under the eye of l.. p
Mendham. a broker a. No 70 Fload-s', ne
was startled. for a few minutes before he had
lent $4,000 on this very certificate to Goerdes'
He had given TO Goerdes a certified check on the
Western National Bank Without delay. Mr..
Nendham communicated with Bawey Co.,
md this notice was issued through the ticker
"STOLEN-A check for $1,000 drawn on the
Western National Bank to the order OF W. r
Goerdes by l.. P. Mendham. has been stoieh.
The check was certified by the bank II ohereo
please notify l. p MenGham No 20 Broad-st.
This notice cam~ to the attention of Leopold
Zimmerman. Of Zimmormanr & Forshay, bull
ion and specie dealers at No. Wall-st.. while
he had the check in his hand. Goerdes had
purchased Spanish gold from him TO the amount
of the check. IL was hN lHlS tiH- -bV y NiNN'N'
Mr. Zimmerman said the gold was not quite
ready and asked GOerdes to return in half an
hour Goerdcs went away. The detective bu-
reau in the New-York Stock Exchange, branch
OF Police Headquarters was informed and De-
tective Reilly was sent TO Zimmerman & For
shay's Office to arrest Goerdes on his return
When 3 o'clock came and Goerdes did not re-
appear. it was supposed he had read the notices
printed by the ticker on the tape and had fed.
AT 800 o'clock however, he came back and was
arrested and taken to Police Headquarters. He
took his arrest cooy.
As II turned out no loss was sustained by any
body. Had GOcrdes not been caught. Hawley &
Co would have been out SlS,ll2 10 less the
amount the Cons )lidated Gas stock brought
over and above the amount lent on II ty MI
Mendham. From the fact that Goerdes sought
to obtain Spanish gold for the check drawn TO
his order by MI Mendham. 1t was supposed gone ne
interded 10 sail at once for Central or south
America. That GOerdes's scheme was carefully
hatched proved by the fact that ne engaged
The Spanish gold from zimmerman ForshaE
as long ago AZ last Wednesday, He calculated
that the check would pass through the Clearing
Hous. in TIC regular course. and would not. at
the earliest reach the North Side Bank until
this afternoon. BY that time he thought he
would he beyond pursuit
Gocrdes Is thirty-tWo years old and has been
n member Of the Consolidated Exchange since
March g. 1896 His office was "in his hat He
what is known as a room trader, but his
principal dealings seemed 10 be in puts and
'calls" in wheat. II had had few transactions
previously with HaWleY & Co, through their
representative the Exchange. Mr. Lawrence.
These he'd been regular in all respects.
THE PRISONER CONFEsSEs.
When taken to Police Headquarters GOerdes
at first denied TO Captain McCusky that he had
been guilty Of any wrorg. He denied forging
the original signature on the check its sub
sequent certifcation. and said that he had been
the victim OF j. L. Rives." his alleged
toner. on whose account he had purchased the
Consolidated Gas Company. Later however.
Goerdes broke down and confessed that he was
responsible for the whole swindle. lie said that
en- Friday last conceived the idea of obtaining
money by means Of forgery. He had not
pleted his plans 10 what he should do after
he had secured the money, for he thought that
the check wOuld not come back for fOrty-eight
hours and that would give him ample time TO
mature his scheme for flight
Just before he went 90 Zimmerman &For-
. shay's 20 get the gold he hired cab and left
81 standing in the rear Of the Schermerhorn
Building in Pne-st. In the cab he had a valise
which he had brought down in the morning
and in which nc intended TO place the money.
When arrested he took the detectives to the
cab. There they found the valise and in it was
perforatng stamp with which he had stamped
the check. This stamp he bought yesterday
morning
Goerdes said he lived at No. 235 South Tenth.
st, Newark, with his wife, child and widowed
mother