The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1905-10-05
TO SHCW IT WAS EASY
Brokers' Clerk Committed the Big
Robbery.
RUBBER STAMP WAS HIS UNDOING.
Harry Leonard. Young Man Of "a, Coufess.
ed That he Conceived and Executed
the Plan by Which He Secured S35o, 900
In Securities from tue National City Bank
by Forged Check.

In Securities from tue National City Bank
by Forged Check.
New York (SpeciaD Henry Leon
ard, Fl years old, clerk for Halle &
Stieglitz, brokers, OF 80 Broad street.
confessed that he is the man who rob
bed the National City Bank Of S35o.ooo
in securities on Wednesday last. He
was arrested and kept i'll close confne-
ment until Monday. Leonard lives at
$50 East One Hundred and Thirty-sixth
street. lie looks younger than he really
Is, and from his general appearance
would never be suspected of such a
crime as that which he confessed.
The strangeSt part of the young mans
story. as told TO the police. was his as
Sertion that he carried through the for
gerry and theft just to show how easy it
would be to outwit the safeguards of a
New York bank. After the theft Leon
ard mailed 100000 of the securities to
Dyer Pearl, senior member of the firm
OF Pearl x Co, the owners of the Securi-
tics. He addressed the package to Mr..
PearlS home, where it was found.
When caught Leonard told the. police
where the remainder of the loot was. and
IT was secured.
The police do not believe his story, and
they say that everything shows that he
had carefully studied out the crime he
was about to commit, with the evident
idea that he could market at least one
Of the securities and escape detection.
Leonard was arraigned iii the TombS
Police Court and held in $4,000 for fur
ther examination. He was not repre-
sented by counsel. As he left the court
room he said to qucStioner, Il did it
on bet"
Leonard is 4 slender young man,
smooth shaven and somewhat dapper in
appearance. He has been employed by
the firm for nearly six years. recently at
a salary said to be $50 week He lives
with his mother, father and sisters at $50
East One Hundred and Thrty-sixth
street. His father was formerly a ser
geant of the Oak Street Police Station
and is an old friend OF Acting Captain
McAuley, who arrested the boy.
All through the neighborhood nobody
could be found who had ever heard any
thing bad about the boy. He joined the
y. Nj. c. 4. on One Hundred and
Twenty-ff,h street in order to get the
advantages of the gymnasium. His fam
lily say that he does not drink or smoke
and has always been 4 regular attendant
at St. Jerome's Catholic Church in the
Bronx.
Leonard told the police that he CON
ceived 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 scheme could be
practiced on the banks of New York.
On the Goth of September. he said. he
found four blank checks on the Han
over National Bank. Tha. was in the
forenoon. Later in the same day, he said.
he was i'll the corridor OF the National
City Bank, and among the men waiting
in line he saw man holding in his hand
an envelope marked $5oo,ooo-4I4 per
cent. He heard the loan clerk tell the
messenger that the interest was AZ per
cent. and not Al Then. he said, the
messenger departed.
Leonard then had his cue and went to
the Bowcry and there ordered rubber
certificate stamp, but before doing so he
cut out the certihcation of an old check,
from which the stamp was to be copied.
After he secured the stamp he filled ont
the body of the check drawn on the
Hanover National Bank. Then. he said,
he went 10 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 81 Wall
street and hand it to the loan clerk
Leonard meanwhile stood opposite the
custom-house and saw the boy take the
package and come out with the Sccuri-
ties. Leonard said ne took the securities
to his house at $50 East One Hundred
and Thirty-siXth street. and with no
delay put them in wrapper. affixed the
necessary stamp and tool; them to mail
box in the neighborhood OF West Ninety
second street and mailed them to Dyer
Pearl. of "a West Seventy~third street.
who is a member of the firm that owned
the securities