Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-03
BOND THIEF GIVES UP
kan Who Secured Securities from New
YSrk Bank on Forged Order oOnfesssl
NO INTENTION TO STEAL ANYTHING
Says He Wanted to Show How Easily 1t
Could Be Done,
CLERK EMPLOYED IN BROKERS OFFICE
Forged the Check and Sent it to Bank BY q
Messenger.
CLERK EMPLOYED IN BROKERS OFHc
SECURITIES ARE ALL RECOVERED
lie sent S3Oo.OOO Back by Mail and
the Rest Were Found Concealed
In Drawer In His ward
robe.


NEW YORK, oct. 2.-By the confession
u Henry A. Leonard, a young clerk in the
employ Of Halle & stieglitz brokers at 30
5road street the mystery OF the robbery on
Wednesday last of S859.OOO worth of securi-
les from the National City bank was
.leared up today. Leonard, who lives with
lis parents at $50 East 13sth street, was
Irrested yesterday and kept in close con-
inemeut while the detectives continued
heir search for the missing securities,
svery dollar OF which was recovered to-
lay. The prisoner, who is only "a years
I'D, and who has previously borne the
equation OF an industrious and thoroughly
reliable clerk made the astounding state
nent in his confession that he had planned
Ind carried out his scheme of forgery and
'obbery not from any criminal motive, but
Eoiely to show by what simple device
;he elaborate safeguards of New York
banks could be set at naught. That this
statement is true Is in measure cor
roborated by the facts In the case and is
the belief of the young mans employers
by whom he was highly esteemed
All Securities Recovered.
Soon after the theft Leonard mailed a
package containing 10000 in securities to
the residence of Dyer Pearl, senior MEM
Der of the firm Of Pearl & Co.. by whom
they were owned. The package was re-
ceived by Mr.. Pearl yesterday. Today
Leonard's father turned over to the police
the remaining $4,000 in stocks and bonds
which he said had been found in a ward
robe in his house where his son had said
after his arrest he had secreted them.
The first clue that led to Leonard's ar
rest was obtained when the detective traced
the rubber stamp maker whom Leonard
had employed to make the imitation certi-
fcation stamp used in the check he pre-
sented at the National City bank. AS a
model for the stamp he gave the maker
an old certified check bearing a fragment
of the signature of Halle & Stieglitz and
also a memorandum in his own hand which
was Identified by fellow clerks
Leonard held In the Tombs police
court in $4,000 bail for further examina-
tion.
How. Anatr Was Planned,
Leonard told the police today that he
conceived the idea of the theft some three
or four months ago and had been plan
ming during that time to execute it and
show how easy such a scheme could be
practiced on the banks OF New York. on
September 26, he said. he found four blank
checks on the Hanover National bank
That was In the forenoon. Later, on the
same day, he said. he was in the corridor
OF the National City bank and among the
men waiting In line he saw a man holding
in his hand an envelope marked $4,000,
"a per cent. on the envelope He said
he heard the loan clerk tell the messen-
ger that the interest was "a per cent and
not 81. Then. he said, the messenger de-
parted.
Leonard then had his cue and went to
the Bowery and ordered a rubber certihca-
ton stamp. but before doing so he cut out
the certification OF an old check for which
the stamp was to be copied. After he Sc
cured the stamp he filled out the body
of the check drawn on the Hanover Ma
tional bank. Then, he said, he went to
Wall street and hailed a passing boy and
asked him II he knew where the National
City bank was. The boy said he did not.
Leonard said he told him: Take this
check to No. 81 Wall street and hand Il TO
the loan clerk" Leonard meanwhile stood
opposite the customs house and saw the
! boy take the package and come out with
the securities.
sent Securities to Owner.
Leonard said he took the securities to his
house at $50 East Hundred and Thirty
sixth street and with no delay put them
in wrapper, affixed the necessary stamp
and took them to a mail box in the neigh.
borhood of West Ninety street and
mailed them 10 Dyer Pearl of A West
Seventy-third street, who is a member OF
, the firm that owned the securities There
were. however, only 100000 worth OF secur.
tiles In the package, which were received
safely the next day by Mr. Pearl There
were $4,000 worth of securities missing anc
Leonard explained that by saying that tC
have inclosed them all in a package b,
mail would have made the package toe
bulky and he therefore kept them out anC
only mailed 100000 worth In this connec
ton II was noted by the police that onl,
about $4,000 worth of the securities wal
negotiable.
August steiglitE of the brokerage firm
that employed Leonard made the followin,
statement concerning him:
Henry Leonard. or Harry Leonard as M
was known in our Office has been i'm on
employ three or four years lie is 20 TO ,
and We always regarded him as thorough,
honest and trustworthy, | believe IL will b.
found that this thing was not dishonesty
but rather that the young man wanted 4
show how easy 1t was to perform such
trick.
Mr.. steigiitz declined TO say more thar
this. In other quarters however. Il wa
learned that the young man was i'm tn
stock and loan department OF Halle
Steiglitz. who are big operators in the stoc
exchange. Leonard is said to have been a
the office as late as Saturday last. Han
& steiglitz are depostors i'm the Nationa
City bank
Leonard was arraiEned In the tombs coul
ana held in $4,000 for further examination
He was not represented by counsel. A
he left the court room he said TO a ques