Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1905-10-04
BOND THIEF CAPTURED
Forger Arrested in New York
While Going to Church.
MAKES A CONFESSION
Henry o. Leonard Admits That He Sc
cured Securities Valued at $35o,oso
from National City Bank.

NEW YORK, Oct. 2-Henry 0.
Leonard. who was employed by Halle &
Stieglitz, prominent firm of brokers,
as a clerk. made a confession today that
it was he who robbed the National City
bank of securities worth $3.50, OSO.
Leonard had been for several years a
trusted employee of Halle & Stieglitz,
and lived quietly with his mother at
Harlem. He is about % years old.
Did 1t on a Bet.
Leonard was arraigned in the Tombs
police court and held in $4,000 bonds
for further examination. He was not
represented by counsel AS he left the
courtroom he said to a questioner, Il did
it on a bet"
Of the securities, all but $4,000
worth were received by Pearl Il Co, the
owners. The balance have not been To-
Gated.
Planned for Months.
Leonard told the police today that he
conceived the idea of the theft some
planning during that time to execute it
and show how easy such a scheme could
be practiced on the banks of New York.
On the Doth of September, he said, he
found four blank checks on the Hanover
National bank. That was in the fore
noon. Later in the same day he said,
he was in the corridor of the National
City bank and among the men in line
he saw a man holding in his hand an
envelope marked "$3OO,O 00-4A per
cent" on the envelope. He said he heard
the loan clerk tell the messenger that
the interest was Az per cent. and IA.
Then, he said, the messenger departed.
Gets His Clue.
Leonard then had his clue and went to
the BoWery and there ordered a rubber
certifcation stamp, but before doing so
he cut out the certification of an old
check from which the stamp was to be
copied.
After he secured the stamp he filled
out the body of the check drawn on the
Hanover National bank.
Then he said he went to Wall street
and hailed a passing boy and asked him
if he knew where the National City
bank was. The boy said he did. Leon
ard told him to take this check to 81
Wall street and hand it to loan clerk. :"
Leonard, meanwhile, stood opposite the
custom house and saw the boy take the
package and come out with the Securl-
ties.
Mails Part to Owner.
Leonard said he took the securities to
his house at $50 East 136tE street, and
with no delay put them in a wrapper,
affixed the necessary stamp and took
them to a mail box in the neighborhood
Of West Ninety second street and mailed
them to Dyer Pearl of 81 West Seventy
third street, who is a member of the
firm that owned the securities. There
were, however, only 100000 worth of
securities in the package, which were
received safely the next day by Mr..
Pearl.
There were $4,000 worth of securities
missing and Leonard explained that by
saying that to have enclosed them all
in package by mail would have made
the package too bulky, and he therefore
kept them out and only mailed $500, 900
worth. In this connection it was noted
by the police that only about $4,000
worth of the securities were negotiable.
Always Regarded as Honest.
August Stieglitz of the brokerage firm
that employed Leonard made the follow
ing statement concerning him:
henry Leonard or Harry Leonard.
as he was known in our office, has been
in our employ three or four years. H
is 20 to % years old. He has ALWAYS
behaved we'll and we always REGARDED
him as thoroughly honest and trust
worthy. [ believe it will be found that
this thing was not done dishonesty. but
rather that the young man wanted to
n
trick" .
Mr.. Steglitz declined to say more than
this. IN other quarters, however. it was
learned that the young man was in the
STOCK and loan department of Halle &,
Sueglltz, who are big operators on the
| stock exchange. Leonard is said to have
been at the office as late as Saturday
last. Halle & Stieglitz are depositors in
the National City bank.
Was on Way to Church.
| Leonard was arrested Yesterday. inst
as he stepped from his home and was on
his way to church
-Four hours later he broke down and
in a flood of tears told the comnle,a
story of his crime.
His engagement to a young woman
we'll known in society of this city was
recently announced and he was soon to
have been married.
Downfall of Ambitious Man.
The ambitions of the young man have
been great. They led him to devote the
greater part of his time not given to bust
ness to the study of law, and he would
in a short time have been graduated from
the Columbia law school. He told Can't,
McCauley yesterday that his crime first
found termination in his mind when he
began to study how to make it impossi-
bic for just such a theft to be commit
hypothecated the securities upon which
they obtained loan Of 100000.
He knew that the loan was at the rate
of interest of AZ per cent. Right then
| he determined to take advantage of his
knowledge Of the banking routine and
obtain possession of the stock shares and
the bonds which had been used as col