Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-10-02
LEONARD'S SCHEME.
He Tells How He Came to Steal
 Those Bonds.

New l0rk, Oct Z-Henry A. Le0n- ard, who was employed by Halle x Stieglitz, prominent firm of brokers. as clerk, made confession to-day that it was he who robbed the National City bank of securities worth $359, ,000. Leonard had been for years trusted employe of Halle & Stieglitz and lived quietly with his mother in Harlem. He was about % years old.
 Leonard told the police to-day that hc conceived the idea of the theft some three or four months ago and had been planning during that time to execute the plan and show how easy such a scheme could be practiced on the banks of New York. On the 20th of September he said he found four blank checks on the Hanover National bank. That was in the forenoon. Later, in the same day, he said that he was in the corridor of the National City bank and among the men waiting in line he said he saw man holding in his and an envelope marked "300,000-4K per cent" on the envelope. He said he that the interest was AZ per cent and not Az. Then he said the messenger went out.
 Leonard then had his cue and went to the Bowery and there ordered rub Der certifcation stamp. Before he or Gered this stamp he had cut out the certlication of an old check from which the stamp was copied. After he secured the stamp he filled out the body of the check drawn on the Han over. National bank. He then said he went to Wall street and hailed pass ing boy. He asked him he said, if he knew where the City National bank was. The boy said he did not. Leon ard then said he told him, "Take this check to No g Wall stret and Hand it to the loan clerk" Leonard in the meanwhile stood opposite the custom house and saw the boy take the pack age and come out with the securities. Leonard said he then took the securi- ties to his house, at 5S6 East 136th street, and with no delay put them in a wrapper with the necessary stamp and took them to mail box in the neighborhood of West 92d street and mailed them to Dyer Pearl, who was a member of the firm that owned the securities. There were, however, only $300,0O0 worth of securities In the package, which were received safely the next day by Mir Pearl. There were $59OO0 worth of securities miss ing 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 there fore kept them out and only mailed $3O0,OO0 worth. In this connection 1t was noted by the police that only about S50.000 worth of the securities was negotiable.
 August SteIglitz, of the firm of Hall & Steiglitz, made the following state ment:
 Henry Leonard. or Harry Leonard as he was known In our office, has been in our employ three or four years. He is twenty to twenty-three years old. He has always behaved well and we always regarded him as thorough Iy honest and trustworthy. believe it will be found that this thing was not done dishonesty. but rather that the young man wanted to show how easy 1t was to perform such a trick"
 Mfr Steiglitz declined to say more than this. Tn other quarters, however, 1t was learned that the young. man was in the stock and loan department of Halle & Steiglitz. wio are big Sr orators on the stock exchange. Leon ard is said to have been at the office as late as Saturday last. Halle < SteIglItz are depositors at the National City bank. For that reason 1t was said by Mir Steiglitz that the story of the robbery ought to come from the bank.