The evening times., 1899-03-06
MANY BANKS At
A FORGER'S MERCY
Michael Lehr, Expert in Hand
writing, Under Arrest.
Misled Cashiers by His Dexterity in
Copying Signatures.
Only Tyventy-one Years Old. and the
Tool of n Band of Fraudulent
Check-Passers.


I.ehr, under arrest at Newark. n. j., is
the only person in the United States known
to detectives as freeshand forger. The
ordinary forger is simply a tracer of sig
natures, but Lehr is possessed of talent
which enables him to exactly duplicate a
signature by free-hand writing.
Although technically for the last three
years the "scratcher" for a band of sue
cessful forged check -passers. there was
none of the blunders of tracing" about his
work. For this reason his spurious paper
passed paying teIlers in hundreds of banks
in this city and elsewhere. The Iorgeries
were not discovered until monthly accounts
were made up. and then there was some
doubt in the minds of the bank officials
as TO whether depcsitors were not really
repudiajing their own checks.
The credit for the trapping Of Lehr and
his alleged associates-Joseph Miller and
NJ. Test alias Michael Frank. alias 'Bicy-
Gle Aike''-a week ago today is due to the
watchfulness of Captain Cosgrove and De-
tectiye Glory, of the Newark police but it
was Detectives Dougherty and Murphy, of
Pinkerron's agency, who succeeded in
clearing up the mystery of the identity of
the free-hand forger. They have obtained
a full confession from Lehr, in which he
tells of his associates and operations.
1t reveals that his capture was a chance
one, and that his vanity an expert imi-
tator of handwriting loosened his tongue
and locked the prison doors on him.
Lehr who is now only twenty-one. was
for several years a student in a prominent
law Office. Ii was his knowledge of crimi-
nal Law that first led him into evil ways.
At the Plaza Hotel. in Boston four years
ago, he attempted to pass his first forged
check Being a novice, he was caught in
the act bur as there was nothing further
against him he was let go with a repri
maEd Coming to this city. at 1S7 Madi-
son Street, Lehr, according TO his confess
sion. formed the acquaintance of three
brothers. named Samuel, Charles. and
George Miller. the latter of whom had been
an inmate of the Huntington tPa.) Re
formatory.
Upon learning that Lehr had been under
arrest in Boston for the check transaction
George Miller induced him to again try his
hand II forging signatures. From small
cheek of q storekeeper Lehr reproduced a
check for much larger amount, and the
free hand forgery of the signature of the
drawer of the original draft was dec ared
perfect. The spurious check was passed
without difficulty and the original or gen
uine check was not put into circulation
Observing this precautiOn caused disputes
between depositors and bank clerks. There
was nothing 10 confirm the depositor's
statement that he had given a check for
Only a small amount, and as there was no
sign OF crasure or tracing the reputation
of The check as forged did not in great
many eases satisfy the banking concerns.
Lehr's peEmanship made him the brains
and at the same time the chief tool OF the
band. He was not called on to do the pre-
senting of the forged checks at the banks.
He insisted that if the paper was to be
presented in one State the forgery should
be committed while he was in another
State He argued that his being a resi-
dent Of another State would be a strong
point for him to fight in requisition pro-
ceedirgs if the forgery were discovered
But in this instance he was caught in
Newark where a check for $685. bearing
the forged Endorsement OF c. Irving Can
non. on January 90 last was passed by
George Miller at the German National
Bank The original check was obtained
from Cannon by NJ. Test, alias "Bicyc e
Mike" To the making of this check Lehr
confessed and his declaration is confirmed
by Test and George Miller.
Lehr and the Miller brothers. according
to Lehr's confession, successfully passed
bad checks for amounts all less than SlG0
each in Albany, Syracuse, Rochester,
Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Worcester,
Boston, Providence. Baltimore Jersey
City. Philadelphia Camden. Allentown.
Brooklyn and New York city. Some of
the banks here duped were the Peoples
Astor Place Fifth National. Mount Nor
ris, Bowery, National Butchers and
DTovers', Nassau National of Brooklyn
Brooklyn Bank and Bank of the State OF
New York. few of the out-of-t Sn
banks were the Dime Savings Bank. OF
Detroit; Worcester Trust Company, of
Worcester. Mass; Weybosset National
Bank, of Providence; New Jers-y Title
and Guaranty Company. of Jersey City;
Southwark National of Philadelphia, and
the Allentown National Bank, of Allen
town, Pa. Seventy dollars was the high
est amount any of these checks called for
Charles Miller was caught three years
ago in attempting TO pass spurious
check at the Nineteenth Ward Bank but
Magistrate Kudlich discharged him.
Charles again got into the clutches of the
law when. at the Astor Place Bank on
February s, 1898 he tried TO pass a check
for $5S.65 bearing the forged signature of
Simon Finck of 2094 Third Avenue The
original cheo- obtained by Charles Mil
Ter was for 81. He was sentenced to four
and half years in Sing Sing.
Samuel Miller was the next to find him
self behind the bars for his efforts to get
August IL. 1898, in getting $50 from the
Allentown pa. National Bank, on
draft purporting TO have been issued by
Kline Bros. The next day he tried TO pass
a second check at the same institution for
sos. bearing the forged signature of ZeIl-
ner Bros. also merchants of that place
The second attempt to swindle was a fall
ure. and Samuel after his arrest pleaded
guilty on September Is, 1898, and was SEN
fenced to two and a half years imprison-
ment.
AS he was the guiding spirit of the band
Lehr anxious to have his advice, got up
a petition signed by merchants OIL the lower
east side of the city, saying that he was
respectable person and the dupe of
sharper" This petition is now before
the Governor of Pennsylvania and there
is belief that many of the signatures to
the document are forgeries and the haudi-
work of Lehr:
The loss of Charles and Samuel Miller
made 1t necessary to take others into the
band One of these, Mike" Mccarthy.
proved to have little or no acquaintance
with banking matters, and at Reading he
was arrested and is now in prison there.
Another man who is known to have had
dealings with the MiIlers and is suspected
OF having passed some of Lehr's checks
is being sought for and may be arrested
at any time.