Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-08

with the connivance of friendly warder.
Twenty years ago a convicted murderer
was lying in Newgate prison under SEN
tence of death when a reprieve was hand
ed to the governor. Some informally
aroused his suspicious, and the matter was
placed in the hands of detectives, who dis
covered that the reprieve had been forged
by man who had conscientious OBJ
lection to the death penalty, and who
had taken this daring means of preventing
1t in this particular case.
few years ago Greek presented him
self at the Bodleian Library, oxford. with
a roll of ancient manuscript which he wish
ed the authorities to purchase. The most
recent of them dated from the thirteenth
century, and, one by one, the musty, time
stained parchments were submitted to the
late Mr.. Coke, the librarian, who examined
them without comment. The last of them,
document ostensibly old as the most
ancient New Testament manuscripts, was
proudly placed on the table. Now, how
old do you think that is?" the Greek asked
in undisguised triumph. About the middle
of this century" Mr.. Coke quietly an
swered, as he examined it carefully; and
almost before the words We're out of his
mouth the Greek had Snatched up his for
geries and was out of the room.
1t is doubtful whether any forger. an
Gent or modern, was more skillful than
B, who for many years baffled the COM
bined ingenuity of the bankers of London
Mr.. B--'s forte was the forging and ma
nipulation of letters of credit on foreign
banks.
About eight years ago he deposited a sum
o. 800 with a London bank, receiving a
letter of credit for this amount on the
banks continental agent. Within a few
days he drew this amount from a Swiss
bank, the letter being duly Cancelled and
the amount drawn Endorsed upon it. To
anyone but b the note would have been
absolutely useless; but he did not take this
view at all. By means of chemicals he
removed the cancellation marks and in
dOrSement, and presented the note again in
Belgium; again he used his chemicals and
drew another $500 in Paris, repeating the
process until on that single note for 1900
he had drawn ten times the amount.
To make such tricks impossible the
amounts were in future given on the notes
in water mark, to which our forger pro-
ceeded to add cipher, also in water mark
thus enabling him again to draw f3 900 on
q 1870 note. To the water mark was then
added the amount in perforated figures
but b simply cut cut both water mark
and perforation from the note. cunningly
inserted a new piece of paper lin pulp, and
on 1t forged figures for ten times the
amount more.
So skillfuly We're the substitution of fresh
paper and the forgeries of the figures eff
fected that even with a microscope il was
impossible to that the note had been
tempered with, and on one occasion b
actually forged an entire note perfectly
that even the bank officials who were sup
posed to have issued it could not detect
the fraud.
The captures Of famous forgers have Of
ten been highly dramatic. Fauntleroy the
banker, who robbed the Bank of England
of over 100000 by means of forged powers
of attorney, was Longing in an easy chair
talking to a client, in his luxurious private
room in his bank in Berners street, when
the door was suddenly opened and the in
truder, walking up to the lounging, aristo-
cratic figure, said, Henry Fauntlerov. /
arrest you on charge of forgery"
Two men were sitting in a public house
near oxford market when the door was
silently and stealthily opened and a head
was furtively introduced and much more
quickly Withdrawn Not quickly enough,
however, for in that brief instant its owner
had been recognized, and before he had
proceeded five yards a detectives hand was
placed on his shoulder. Thus James Saw
ard, alias Jim the. Penman.' in spite of
all his cleverness, fell at last into the
simplest of traps and his career came to an
end.