The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-10
NOT TOO YOUNG FOR CRIME.
c. 4. WALES ARRESTED HERE FOR
FORGERY COMMITTED IN \. \.

Railway From the New York Offce
of Murphy a Co., with the Aid Of
a Worthless Check-MetrOpOIitan
Police and Detectives Have Since
Been on the search for the Crimi-
nal or the Property-His Efforts TO
Realize Money on the Bonds Led to
His Arrest by Detectives Basch and
WctherhOFn.
Claude A Wales. alias J. c. Cooper,
alias j. NJ Bates. a youth Of 10 or 20
years, was arrested here yesterday for the
forgery Of the certifcation of a check
drawn upon the Western National Bank
of New York, in favor Of Murphy & Co.
for $500 Behind the arrest is an interest
ing story of fraud and crime.
Last Friday afternoon the young man
walked into the Office of Murphy & Co,
at Nos. a and 10 Broadway, New York,
and stated to Mr.. Joseph L. Gatins, the
member of the firm in charge of the New
York office, that he desired him to pur-
chase three Az per cent. Chesapeake and
Ohio Railway bonds, of the par value of
Loco. The prospective customer gave his
name as J. c. Cooper, and stated. as was
business with the Savannah and Atlanta
offices Of the firm. His order was taken
and the bonds were secured.
When he came into the Office to get them
he offered in payment a check upon the
Western National Bank for s., 800, signed
with the name he had given Mr.. Gatins
and certified, apparently, by the cashier of
the bank. There was nothing about the
transaction to excite suspicion, the check
appeared 10 be good and in regular form,
the bonds were delivered and the check re-
ceived in payment. Cooper or Bates or
Wales placed the securities in his pocket,
smiled an amiable adieu to Mr.. Gatins and
the clerks in the office and departed
Nothing more was thought about the
matter until the check was the next day
presented for payment or deposit, when 1t
was found to be worthless. The sigma
ture of the cashier was a forgery and not
a very clever one either the check was
worth something less than the blank upon
which it had been originally written.
There was at once excitement in the office
of Murphy x Co, rapid inquiries and self
reproaches, much running to and fro and
reports 10 the head of the Central Detec-
tive Bureau. Capt. McCluskey. The
sleuths of the force were put to work upon
the case the banks We're notified that the
bonds had been obtained by fraud and that
they were not to accept them, and every
possible effort made to catch the slick thief
who had with so much ease tricked the
shrewd business men with whom he dealt.
Indeed, il was this trickery more than the
money involved, that made Murphy q Co.
so anxious to effect the arrest of the man
by whom they had been duped.
However this much-Wanted Individual
seemed to have vanished into thin air, for
hi 10 Eli of =
10 be found though the detectives and
their cohorts searched high and low. He
| had departed, and the places that We're
wont to rejoice in his presence and the
| freedom with which he spent his or some
| one ese's money knew him no more Nor
was it possible to find one who could sup
ply the missing link in the chain of infor-
nation.
Meanwhile it will be profitable to fol-
| low from behind the scene, the actions
and wanderiugs of the youthful rogue.
! When he got the bonds he walked with
them up one flight of stairs to the office
of Barry & Barber, brokers, Immediately
above that of Murphy & Co. and negou-
ated loan upon one of them of $500.
! Shortly afterward he went a second time
to Barry & Barber and increased the
amount he had previously borrowed by
/ 500 With check for this latter amount
| in his pocket he journeyed to the New
| pany, where he obtained Il ticket TO Sa-
| Vannah and the remainder of the money
| in cash in exchange for the check. The
bond that he negotiated with Barry Z
| Barber was No 1886 of the series of 1892
| He brought the others, numbered respect
lively 1874 ana % 102. to Savannah.
The youngster left New York on the
Kansas City Saturday and reached Sa-
vannah on the succeeding Monday even
ing going form the ship directly 10 the
De Soto where he registered as J. NJ
Bates, and was assigned to one of the
choicest rooms in the hotel Then he com
menced his wanderings in search of con
genial amusement and soon found It, II
one of The down town gambling rooms he
dissipated whatever ready money he had
with him and began to feel at once the
need for more.
In the morning he met Detective S
! Basch, whose avocation evidently he die
not know, and asked him if he could ne
goiate a loan for him upon a Chesapeake
and Ohio 81 .000 bond. Besch thought tina
he could without trouble and agreed to un
, dertake tho task. In circulating among
) the brokers there were a number founC
who were quite willing to buy or lenl
: money upon the collateral that was of
fered, but they expressed some desire t
learn i'm what manner il had come int,
. the hands of Wales In the meantime thu
young gentleman had seen Basch again
ana IN tniS interview ieNealeu the rae
that he had another bond that he wa
quite as anxious TO raise money upon an,
as willing TO sacrifice as had been tn
l case with the first.
This aroused the suspicious of the de
tecuye and he determined to keep In,
would-be seller of the bonds under sur
vellance and communicate with New
York. lie knew that Cooper had COM
, directly from that city, and thought tina
had any crooked work been done 1t ha,
been done there. BY constant use OF III
wires, ne learned that three bonds of tn
series and denomination of those ia tn
possession of the man he suspected hal
been fraudulently obtained In New York
and that two OF these corresponded il
number with those he had seen. Tines
numbers We're 1914 and %, 102
/ He placed himself in communication
also, with Mir S. Il. Phelau, Atlanta man
ager of Murphy 4 Co, and member .
the firm. who directed that the man shout
= he watched until his arrival in Savannah