The Opelousas courier., 1901-10-05
THIS SCHEME WORKED.
A swindler's Slick Way of Getting M@R&l
on a Draft and @ Forged Copy OF II.

A ~swindler's Slick Way Of Getting M@UA@
on a Draft and q Forged Copy oft.
A novel fraud by which O Mime
sofa bank was induced innocently to
abet the robbing of a Montana bank has
perplexed recently one of the detective
agencies. Inquiries made last week
at q st. Paul hotel as to a possible
guest who wore a silk hat, q Prince
Albert coat and gray mutton chop
whiskers revealed the nature OF b
criminal scheme. But the inquiring
detective would not repeat names.
A few weeks ago, said the detective
the very respectable gentleman with
the silk hat bought of a country bank
not far from st. Paul o draft on New
York for $1,000, paying for it III
currency. He explained he was going
to q small town in Montana and that
he did not care to take SO laege a sum
with him in cash. Would the cashier
kindly notify the only bank in that
Montana town that he had sold the
New York draft to MI. Hat, and that
Mr.. Hat would cash the draft at the
Montana town? Certainly the cashier
would write. He did write. And
when the owner OF the draft appeared
q few days later at the Montana bank,
he found not the slightest difficulty IN
oashing a forged copy Of the draft.
"You're Mr.. Hat Of Philadelphia.
Of course" said the exchange clerk
in Montana. "We received a letter
from the bank that sold you the draft.
Let's see? Tall, gray sidewhiskers,
very subdued manner. Oh yes! that's
all right. Description, a matter OF
form, you know. Your signature!
exact, of course"
SO with apologies for taking the
usual precautions, the clerk, upon
comparing the signatures of Mr.. Hat.
accepted his receipt and gave him all
in gold, as became o banker OF the
! mining state, $1,000. AS the new
customer went out he made a particu-
larly good joke about the Montana
weather.
The old gentleman with the subdued
manner had copied the original draft
upon a blank that he had somehow
secured from the Minnesota bank.
| The letter from the bank would natur-
ally have quoted any suspicion in
Montana, for the letter gave, as usual,
the number tof the draft and other
| details, which we're fully corroborated
in the forged copy. Inasmuch as the
letter proved to the Montana bank
that Mr.. Hat must possess an original
draft for the amount required, the
bank would never entertain the
thought that a forged copy would be
presented by the holder of that origi-
nal. Thus the cashing of the forgery
was easy.
At once the gentle defrauder took
the next train to Minnesota. He re-
appeared before the cashier of the
Minnesota bank, and smiled through
an u%nctuous apology.
81 am extremely sorry to trouble
yon again." said the urbane gentle
man. "But you see, I've decided not
to make that Montana trip this month.
I have found o little real estate deal
up in st. Paul where I can invest the
money to better advantage at least for
the present. Now, win you be good
enough to cancel your draft here"
Extending the bona fde original
land let me have the $780,"
The Minnesota cashier was as agree.
able as had been the Montana clerk.
The agreeable Philadelphian received
his second $1,000. He tsmiled. The
chasier smiled. The Montana clerk
kept smiling whenever he thought of
the affable stranger who made so
pleasant a little joke about the
weather. Everybody continued to
smile until the Montana bank drew
upon the Minnesota bank for $1,000
advanced upon a draft. Then there
was but one smiler left-the polished,
the respectable, the witty Mr.. Hat Of
Philadelphia