The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-05-25


created panic among London bankers
for several years. and who was at last
brought to justice by the confessions
OF two OF his accompliccs. when he was
condemned to penal servitude for life,
said that the idea or forgery never
occurred To him till IL was suggested
by the chance remark OF a casual ac-
quaintance whom he met In London
restaurant where he was dining.
The stranger CHANGED to alludc To n
forgery that had been committed, says
the London Answers. and remarked
how clever a penman must be 10 be
able to Initiate n signature 80 closely
that "A skilled bank clerk could not
distinguish the forgery from the real
one. Jim thought IL would be easy,
and pen. ink. and paper were brought
for him To try his hand at initiating
the strangers signature. The result
was 40 wonderful that the stranger re-
marked:
You possess n dangerous gift. sir.
A man might be tempted with IL TO do
much at a pinch"
TIN that moment Jim the Pcnman"
then James Saward. the barrister.
desperately In want OF money-declar-
ed he had never thought OF forgery as
a means OF livelihood. The words rang
In his ears as a revelation OF how
he might gain thousands. He became
the Cieverest forger OF modern times.
A man does not become a coiner all
at once. IL requires long. laborious.
and constant practice to acquire the
proficiency to turn out base money
which will pass unnoticed from hand
To hand. But the most casual chance
has We'd men to adopt coming as a
means OF prcying on their fellows.
Becoming q ceinsr.
NNnnIafn.k a .ainar plaa M
whose marvellous work are TO be seen
In the Black museum at Scotland Yard.
was as young fellow a taiior's assist
ant. One Saturday afternoon he was
In a public house In the south OF Lon
don with the girl To whom he was
engaged. Upon her leaving. n stranger
remarked To Woodstock how pretty she
was. and Joklngly asked when the we'd
ding was To be. Woodstock lamented
that there was not much chance OF
that happening for long time. His
meager wages forbade the hope. The
stranger was Draker. a colner. and he
limited that IL woodstock-such n nice
faced. respectable looking fellow-was
poor IL was his own fault.
Draker had heaps OF bad money he
wanted passed. Woodstock was tempt
ed and. after n struggle with himself.
consented to take some of the coins.
He found them so defective. however.
that they were difficult TO pass. and he
criticised Draker's work 40 severely
that Draker invited him To see IL he
could do better himself" and he would
teach him all he knew. Woodstock
easily surpassed his master. He had "A
wonderful gift for delicate manual
work and brain To discover new
methods. His den" when he was at
last run down by Inspector Fox. was
found fitted with all the latest scientific
machines that could be applied To
counterfeit coming.
In the famous case OF Martin Guerrc.
the launching OF n criminal course was
The result or an extraordinary chance
and sudden resolve. Martin Guerre
was "A soldier. and was MORALLY wound
ed In a Sktrmish In the north OF France.
Among mis- comrades was n man re-
markably like him. with whom Guerre
had contracted a great friendship. The
two used To be always together. and
enjoyed the joke OF their strange re-
semblance. Queries double was with
him when he was dying and Gucrre.
with his last breath. begged his COM
rade To carry some little trinkets he
had To his wife at home. The double
assented aud proceeded to fulfill his
promise faithfully. when he arrived at
the village on his mission he learned
that Queries wife had. during her hus-
uhHu aUrFutf III hUt war; GOTHIC luto
some little property through the death
OF a relative. He began To envy Mar
tin Queries lot IL he had lived. when
the villagers saw him they began To
exclaim: Here's Martin Guerre!" BY
the time he arrived at the cottage door
he had decided TO act Martins part.
provided the dead mans wife was de-
ceived by his similarity to her hus-
band. She was. and the lmposter took
Martin I.ffarrasa nlana ThA urifa nnlu
discovered the truth some twelve
months later by the absence from the
impostcr's arm OF scar which Mar
tin had borne.
Girl Inpostsr's Start.
Alice Grey. the girl imposter. who
used to make a livelihooiApy accusing
men OF robbing her, ana lnciting all
the spectators, the police. the bar and
people In court to make subscriptions
for her. while by her false accuse tons
innocent persons were branded as
thieves and condemned to Jail. said that
Il was "A pure accident which launched
her on her horrible ca-eer. She really
lost her purse one day at u railway
station and burst into tears on dis
covering her loss. Alice Grey was so
pretty and sobbed 80 nicely that score
OF people were at once anxious TO assist
her. To her profound establishment she
discovered her loss made up To her ove=
and over again by charitable spec
tatoTE.
The incident suggested n much easier
way OF making living than by domes-
tie service. and Alice Grey. n few days
later. was weeping on another railway
station platform. Passersby asked the
cause and were told that she had had
her purse snatched from her hand by a
man whom she described. There WAS
"A hue and cry raised at once. and an
unfortunate wretch Was found exactly
answering To Alice Grey's description.
Almost unthinkingly. Alice Grey ac-
Cused him.
"Oh. you hard hearted creature. TO
rob a poor. innocent girl Of her hard.
earned savings" she sobbed. The man
had not "A good character. and although
he loudly protested his innocence and
nothing Was found on him to connect
him with the robbery he was hauled
away and Alice Grey found that she
had gone so far that she could hardly
now draw back. When the man was
tried and found guilty and condemned
To four months imprisonment n coll
lection was raade In court for Alice
Grey. and the whole thing paid so
well that she became from that time
n professional accuser OF unfortunate
people.
Goudis's First Step.
The FIRST step I'm crime In the case OF
Goudie. the Liverpool bank clerk, who
r0hbed his hank of POfnethinQ like