Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1901-08-15
|CRIME WITH THE PEN
REMARKABLE FOR0ERlES THAT
ARE STILL REMEMBERED.
There Have Been Others as Clever as
the Famous "Jim the Penman"-A
Foruer Who Fooled Bank Officials In
Several European Cities.

Jim the Penman.
When Jim was arrested at Memphis,
Tenn, on a charge of forgery he was
able to produce SO many striking tesu-
monlals to his character from the prln-
cipal men in the United States that the
Judge considerably reduced the severity
of his sentence.
He had been in prison only few
weeks when the governor OF the jail re-
ceived an official notification that an
influential petition signed by the judge,
jury and many Leading citizens, had
been been forwarded to the Governor
Of the State praying for the convlcts
release on the ground that 'he bore an
excellent character, and had been a
dupe and not a willing or conscious
agent in the forgery" and a month or
two later an order was received from
the Governor commanding his release.
1t was some time afterward that the
discovery was made that testimonials,
petitions and order for release were all
the product of Jim's own clever pen,
and that they had been actually written
in Jail with the connivance of a friendly
warder.
Twenty years ago a convicted MUIR
derer was lying in Newgate prison I'M
der sentence of death, when a reprieve
was handed to the Governor. Some In
formality aroused his suspicious, and
the matter was placed in the hands of
detectives, who discovered that the re-
prieve had been forged by man who
had a conscientious objection" to the
death penalty. and who had taken this
daring means of preventing 1t III this
particular case.
A few years ago Greek presented
himself MT the B0dleian Library. Ok
ford, with roll of ancient manuscript
which he wished the authorities to pur-
chase. The most recent Of them dated
from the thirteenth century, and. one
by one the musty time-stained parch-
ments were submitted to the late Mr..
Coke, the lib. arian. who examined them
without comment. The last Of them, a
document ostensibly as 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 undisguiseSl triumph.
About the middle Of this century," Mr..
Coke quietly answered. as he examined
it carefully. and almost before the
words were out of his mouth the Greek
had snatched up his forgeries and was
out of the room.
1t is doubtful whether any forger. an
b, who for many years baffled the
combined ingenuity of the bankers Of
London. Mr. BIS forte was the forg-
ing and manipulation Of letters of credit
ON foreign banks.
About eight years ago he deposited a
sum of $500 with a London bank, re-
ceiving letter Of credit for this
amount on the banks continental agent.
Within few days he drew this amount
from a Swiss bank. the letter being duly
Cancelled and the amount drawn in
dorsed 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 re-
moved 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 $500 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 for
ger proceeded to add cipher. also in
water mark, thus enabling him again to
draw $4,000 on $500 note. To the wa
ter mark was then added the amount in
perforated figures; but B simply cut
out both water mark and perforation
from the note. cunningly inserted new
piece of paper in pulp, and on 1t forged
figures for ten times the amount or
more.
So skillfully were the substitution of
fresh paper and the forgeries Of the
figures effected that even with micro
scope 1t was impossible to see that the
note had been tempered with, and on
one occasion B actually forged an
entire note so perfectly that even the
bank officials who were supposed to
have issued 1t could not detect the
fraud.
Two men were sitting in a public
house waiting for a man with whom
an arrangement had been made to con.
coct a money-making crime. when the
door was silently and stealthily opened
and a head furtitely introduced and
much more quickly Withdrawn. Not
quickly enough. however, for in that
brief instant Its owner had been rec.
ognized. and before he had proceeded
Ave yards detectives hand was placed
on his shoulder. Thus Jim the Pen.
man." In spite Of all his cieverness, fell
at last into the simplest Of traps and his
career came to an end.
WHITE PINE DISAPPEARING.