Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-10-05
WALL STREET
IS DEAD EASY
Henry Leonard Thought So and
Started to Prove It.
TURNED A SUCCESSFUL TRICK
The Latest Explanation of the Re-
cent Wall street CNcw York; Sem
sation, Made BY the Man Who
Pulled 1t on.

Pulled 1t on.
New York, Oct. 3.-The man who
looted the National City bank of $685.
600 of securities by passing a forged
Hanover national bank check for that
amount, plus one days interest at Az
per cent, on the loan clerk of the in
~stitution is Henry Leonard, aged "a, who
lives with his parents at $50 East One
Hundred and Thirty-sixth street.
He is employed as a messenger by
Halley-Steiglitz & Co., of 80 Broad
street, and the amazing thing about his
crime is that, although he stopped to
forgery, he claimed that he did it for
the sole purpose of demonstrating to
the world how easy it is, under existing
conditions, for any man of ordinary in
| telligence to rob Wall street at will.
LcOnard's Explanation.
This explanation of the boldest crime
that has stirred the financial world in
years would be ridiculous if the young
man was. not fortified in his claims by
two convincing facts. The first and
most important is that the very day he
got the securities he put 100000 worth
of them in an envelope and sent them
through the mails to Dyer Pearl, head
Of the firm of Pearl & Co., the owners
Of the securities, at his residence. "a
| West Seventy-fourth street
The rest we're found in his room by
the police.
why" he said, just before being
taken to the Tombs police court, 'if you
would see the way those loan clerks
hand out hundreds of thousands of dol
lars in securities, thousands in cash and
a limited amount in checks, to mere
boys on the slightest evidence that they
are all right. it would take your breath
away. | have seen it done in every
bank in the city, and often wondered
why some of these big crooks never
tumbled to The simplicity of it."
Leonard was srraigned in the Tombs
police court and held in $50, 900 for fur
ther examination. AS he left the
courtroom he said to a questioner, 81
did it on a bet"
Made No Clear Forgery.
81 made no attempt at clear forgery,
and if I made a good signature Of Ger
tification Clerk Byrnes of the Hanover
it was more chance than anything else.
| was careless because | knew that the
thing was going to be very easy" said
young Leonard.
Leonard told the police that he on
ceived the idea of the theft some three
or four months ago and had been plan
ming during that time to execute 1t and
show how easy such a scheme could be
practiced Oh the banks of New York.
On September 26 he said he 'fotlva
four blank checks on the Hanover fa4
tlonal bank.
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 $500, 900, Az per
cent, on the envelope.
He said he heard the loan clerk tell
the messenger than the interest was Az
and not Az. Then, he said, the mes
senger departed,
Leonard Had His Cue.
Leonard then had his cue and went to
the Bowery and there ordered a rubber
certification 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 not.
Leonard said he told him, Take this
check to No. 81 Wall street and hand
1t to the loan clerk" Leonard mean
while stood opposite the customhouse
and saw the boy take the package and
come out with the securities. He had
no trouble getting them and he gave
him 25 cents for the job.
Employer Says L~eonard's Honest.
August Stieglitz Of the brokerage firm
that employed Leonard made the fol.
lowing statement concerning him:
Henry Leonard, or Harry Leonard
as he was known in IL office, has beer
in our employ three or four years. He
is % to % years old. He has always
behaved well, and we always regarded
him as thoroughly honest and trustwor-
thy. believe 1t will be found that this
thing was not done dishonesty, but
rather that the young man wanted tt
show how easy 1t was to perform suct
q trick"
President ExOnerates LoOmis.
Washington, Oct. 3.-Presiden