The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-10-06

Lost Mail Bag Falls Into Hands Of
Daring Forgers.
OFFICERS LOOKING FoRrwo MEN

OFFICERS LOOKING FOR TWO MEN
Banking Institutions swindled out Of
Large Sums BY Forgers Altering
Names and Raising Figures On
checks.
Philadelphia, oct 1.-Two Of the
most daring forgers in the country
are being sought in this vicinity by
Chief Postollce Inspector W W. Dick
son and a large force OF assistants
for as b0Al a series OF frauds as have
ever fallen under the notice of the
government authorities Banking
houses in this city and places nearby
have been called upon to cash hun
dreds OF checks that have been cley-
erly tampered with and their original
face value raised from three or four
dollars TO as many hundreds. These
checks. ii has been discovered. were
originally part OF the contents Of n
mail pouch which disappeared about
September 5 from a westbOund OK.
press train on the Pennsylvania rail-
road while in transit between this city
and Pittsburg.
The mail bags loss was promptly
reported to the government officials.
and the local postofice inspectors al
once began their search for IT, They
had no idea at that time OF criminal
participation. The missing pouch had
contained hundreds Of checks sent out
by local banks and firms to western
correspondents These orders had been
drawn. for the greater part. by de-
posltors In this city and vicinity They
were mainly for small amounts, aud
drawn on a score OF banking institu-
tions In the course of their inyesu
CATION the inspectors learned that
these checks were In the missing
pouch. No trace of them was found
until a few days since, when a local
bank received from an Asbury Park
correspondent a check for $500.
The order had been negotiated and
had passed through the New Jersey in
stitution unquestioned. It went in the
regular course Of business to the can
collation. clerk in the local bank. The
attache was about to deface the check,
when the peculiar appearance OF the
written amount caught his eye. The
initial letter in the word five was
cut of at the top. The clerk threw
the check out OF the pile and applied
a magnifying glass. This scrutiny
showed that the payee line Of the
check had been treated with an acid
solution and that another name had
been substituted. The original value
had been five dollars The word
hundred" was written In adept imi-
tation OF the makers chirography.
It was learned, too. that the check
had been one OF those in the missing
mail pouch. By clever work the pos
tai inspectors traced the check 70 the
possession Of a man in the Jersey sea
coast resort This individual. It seem
cd. had appeared at Asbury Park dur
ing the summer and engaged rooms at
a leading hotel there. Subsequently
he opened an account at one Of the
banks there. placing about 500 as an
opening deposit.
This incident was but the beginning.
Another bank here found a check for
s7O0 among a batch sent from a New
Jersey correspondent. 1t had been
raised from seven dollars. and the en-
dorser was the same as that of the
first altered draft. A deluge of forged
paper followed. Some OF the largest
, financial institutions in the city found
themselves the possessors OF the bad
| checks.
Postal officials and banking houses
are reticent and decline 10 make a
statement Chief Inspector Dickson
said that "the Philadelphia end is only
a small portion of the matter
II is stated that during their inyes
tigation the postofIice inspectors dis
covered a pile of torn checks, in mum
Der about 1900, in a New York lodg
ing house. These checks, 1t Is said
were so marked that any raising oI
their amounts would be impossible
without immediate detection. The ar
rest of the individuals now under sus
picion. the authorities intimate, viii
bring to light an astounding fraud
with ramifcations extending through
the entire eastern section OF thu
country.