The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-29
CAREER OF A CLEVER FORGER.
GrimmeII, the Government Check
swindIer-A Victim of Natural De-


From the New York Evening Post.
Washington. March ia case of some
interest to criminal psychologists is that
of Edward r. Grimmell, who was arrest
ed the other day by agents of the United
States Secret Service in Philadelphia, for
forging and passing government checks
stolen from San Francisco. He Is a young
man of highly respectable connections,
and was formerly in government employ
as a civilian clerk in the office of the
disbursinS officer of the medical depart
ment of the army at the San Francisco
station. He seems to be a victim of nat
ural depravity rather than of necessitous
conditions. He was educated as a phar-
macist at the college in Cleveland, and
began dabbling with crime as an under
graduate committing frauds which sent
him 10 the pententiary for three years.
When he was discharged he hastily left
town, and went to San Francisco, where,
for lack of a better occupation, he turned
bootDlack for a while. While at this
work he made the acquaintance of a den
fist, who took fancy to him and helped
him to more ambitious employment He
enlisted and went to the Philippines with
the army: but his natural cleverness and
his knowledge of the pharmacopoeia soon
raised him out of the ranks, and he was
detailed TO some especially responsible
hospital service in Manila. When he got
back to San Francisco he found no dill
Guilty in obtaining a snug berth in the
medical supply department.
1t was a diamond which he brought
nome from Manila that got him into his
last trouble. He obtained some valua BILE
tips on the races while in San Fran
cisco, and, having no spare money, sold
this stone fer $45 placed the money. and
won $500 with it. He staked the $500 and
turned it into 5000. But the fast habits
he acquired soon relieved him of most
of this. Hle finally managed to scrape
enough together to plant upon horse
against which the odds were so to l. He
was on the verge of success, which would
have meant riches to him, when, Just as
the animal was within sight of the wire,
il broke its leg, and the last penny of
his own and all that he had borrowed
vanished IN the air. Rather than face
the consequences, he helped himself to
one of the government check books and
decamped. His first stopping place was
Omaha, where he read in the newspapers
of the discover! of his theft and of the
search made for him by the police, who
solemnly anuounced to the public that
they had tracked him to British Column
pia. knew just where he was, and were
preI-eed 10 pounce upon him at once and
bring him back. Then he began a series
of forgeries which at times taxed all his
resources of ingenuity and holiness, and
eventually brought him to grief.
One of his fields of operation was Chi
cago. He drew a check TO his own order,
hunted up a business man of staEding.
who had never seen him, but who had
formerly known his father, and after in
PRODUCING himself and putting his Identity
beyond question, mentioned that he had a
government check which he had received
in payment for some drugs he had sold 10
the army. but he did not know the Off
GERS of any of the banks. His father S
friend gladly volunteered to introduce him.
At the bank the teller required an indorse-
ment, which the elder man promptly gave,
only TO learn "a few days later that he was
In the banks debt for several hundred
dollars on account of the dishonored
check. At Cleveland Grimmell walked
brazenly into a bank and presented a
forged check for $500 or $500. but was in
formed by the teller that either an iden-
tifcation or an endorsement would be
necessary lie appeared very much disap-
pointed, but inquired where Prof j. of
the College of Pharmacy-naming a mem
Der of the faculty whose credit he knew
to be excellent-was a customer of the
bank When answered IN the affirmative
he went back to his hotel, forged the en-
dorsement of the professor whose hand
writing he had known well Of old, took