The age-herald., 1902-02-21
FORGED WILEY'S
 NAME ID CHECK
Attorney Wilkerson of Mont gomery Charged With Crime
BELIEVED TO BE DERAN D
Has Not Been Arrested Yet, as Law yers Think He Is Mentally Un- balanced-coI. Wiley Says
 Forgery Easily Detected.

Montgomery February 20-(Special-)- There was considerable excitement in Montgomery legal circles today over the discovery of an alleged forgery by Charles A Wilkerson of the name of Congress- man A A Wiley for $50 Wilkerson has been one of the most prominent members of the Montgomery bar. He is known by hundreds of lawyers throughout the state Recently he is said to have been on the down grade, and his mind was thought to be unbalanced. He spent some weeks in the insane hospital during last year.
 The forgery of Colonel Wiley's name was very bold A check was drawn ou the Merchants and Planters Bank of Mont gomery for a50 and made payable to myself" The writing in the check tallies with that of Wilkerson exactly, but the effort to counterfeit the signature of Colonel Wiley seemed. labored. Colonel Wiley's name also appeared on the back of the check as endorser along with the signature of "Stauings & Wilkerson" in the undisguised handwriting of Wilker- son. wilksrson was formerly law part ner with Hon, J. F. Stallings.
 Cashed In GreenvlIIe.
 The check was presented to bank in Greenville by Wilkerson and duly cashed. This bank sent the cheek to the Farley National Bank of Montgomery and this bank collected the amount from the Mer- chants and Planters Bank.
 Colonel Wiley told of the discovery of the forgery this morning in substance ss follows:
 "On Tuesday after my return from Washington I went to two banks where keep small deposits to ascertain the con- dition of my accounts. At the Merchants and Planters Bank found smaller bal ance than 1 anticipated. and so informed the cashier He told me he had paid my check for s150 on the day previous, and not recollecting having signed such check. I asked to see 1t. As soon as saw the check I pronounced 1t a forgery. The check was the regularly printed form of the bank and the filling in was the mistakable handwriting of Wilkerson. The forgery of my name was fairly good, though 1 easily detected that 1t was not genuine. I told the cashier that it was a forgery and that I would not pay 1t"
 Stalinqs Makes Statement.
 MT. Stallings made a similar statement relative to the matter, and said that the endorsement of Stallings & Wilkerson had been written without his knowledge. Colonel Willy said he would not prose- cute Wilkerson, as he had not lost any thing by the transaction. and he did not know what the Greenville Bank would do In the matter. Wilkerson was in Mont gomery yesterday. He has not yet been arrested so far as known here.
 This is not the first trouble Wilkerson has had here. During last year he was arrested on a charge of larceny. but was adjudged insane and sent to the hospital at Tuscaloosa. It was while an inmate of the hospital that he instituted habeas corpus proceedings to have a Mir. Mo Mnn of Cullman released from the hos pital, on the ground that he had been sent there without proper trial by jury. Wilkerson won the case in a hearing be- fore the Birmingham court.
 Wilkersons friends claim that he Is again suffering from insanity or else the check would not have been forged.