The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-02
ROBBED TO SHOW
BANKS ARE EASY
Model Of Honesty Arrested as
National City Bank Robber
in New York.
Theft of $3.50, 900 in Securities to
Show How Banks May Be
Victimized.

:. New York, Oct. 2.-Locked up in po- (
lice headquarters, with his full con-
1esslon a. IN the possession Of Captain
the young man who, by means of
forged check, last Wednesday obtained
from the National City bank securities
valued at $359,08O.
He was arrested yesterday just as he
stepped from his home and was on his
way to church.
Four hours later he broke down and
in flood of tears told the complete
story of his crime.
Brokers Transfer Clerk.
Harry A. Leonard was employed by
Halle & Stieglitz, prominent firm Of
brokers, as a transfer clerk.
He has not been connected with the
National City bank which was robbed,
nor with Pearl & Co., the firm of bank.
ers which had hypothetical with tho
bank the securities that were purloined.
He is "a years old and has been regard
ed by him employers and by his friends
as model Of propriety ad honesty. His
position was one of responsibility and
trust. His engagement to young wo-
was but recently announced, and he was
soon to have been married.
According to the confession he signed
the crime was all his own, from its in
ception to its execution. He had made
arrangements to dispose Of the stocks
and bonds which he had stolen, but at
the time of his arrest not one Of them
had been hypothecated by him..
After he had completed and signed
his confession he. said that until the
moment Of his arrest he did not deem
it possible he could be detected.
His Ambition Great.
The ambitions of the young man
have been. great. They led him, to de-
vote the greater part of his time not
| given to business to the study of law,
and he would in short time have been
graduated from the Columbia law
! school. ~.-
He told Captain McCauley yester-
day that his crime first found germina-
ton in his mind when he began to study
how to make it impossible for just such
a theft to belcommitted. He was pres
ent when Earl & Co. hypothecated the
I securities upon which they obtained
! loan of 100000. He knew that the
loan was at the rate of interest of ~
per cent. Right then he determined to-
take advantage Of his knowledge of the;
banking routine and obtain posse8S
sion of the stock shares and the bonds
which had been used as collateral,
After having seen the transaction
completed he went to the Hanover Ma
tional bank, where, from desk, he
picked UP pad Of ordinary blank
checks. Instead OF using stamp for
the purpose Of numbering the forged
i check, he used an ordinary pen and red
ink. ,--,.... r; ...-55--... IT,.
His One Fatal Move.
It was not any Of his crude methods,
however, that brought about the arrest
of the young forger. He knew that no
check would be accepted by the teller
of the National City bank unless it
were properly certified. Accordingly,
) Of the city, visiting every stampmaker
from which he obtained die such as is
used by the banks in preparing for the
certifcation of checks. It was this die
which led to his arrest.
After all other clews had been ex'
= hausted, the detectives made search
, o fthe city, visiting every stampmaker
, in each of the several boroughs. 1t
thus came about that the description OF
: the forger was obtained. That descrip:
; ton was taken to Wall street, and
+ an attempt was made to fit it tosome
one there employed. The right clew
, was discovered and the man who made
the stamp was taken to Wall street and
identified his customer.
When the young forger gave the OF g!
DER Ln6 CeTIluCdGlOu otoup uO VI,
rected that it should be sent to him in
care Of one of the local branches. OF
: the Young Mems Christian Association
The clerk who delivered the stamp tc
i him made the Identification complete
The arrest followed.
Suddenly Broke Down.
After he questioned his prisoner fol
some time, Captain McCauley had beer
unable to persuade him to make any
confession, when suddenly the entire
: attitude Of the young man changed.
stH is true, captain he said, "yor
Z have me right. am the man. I got
$ the securities from the, National CITY
bank. None of them has been disposed
1 of. will return them all. am GLAD
that have been captured. | have beer
a fool.'' 1900,
which he signed, To Captain McCauley
he said it had not been his desire al
any time to commit crime, but he hat
!, been impelled to show the fallacy Of
= the present surface methods of bank
!. ing.
n How Leonard Operated.
,, Leonard told the police today that
:, he conceived the idea of the theft som,
u three or four months ago and had beer
!. planning during that time to execut,
$ It and show how easily scheme coult
e be practiced on the banks of New. York
q On Sept. &c, he said, he found foul
blank checks on the Hanover Nationa
a bank. That was in the forenoon. Late
It on the same day, he said, heSwas il
e the corridor of the National City. bank
L and among the men waiting in line HI
n saw man holding in his hand an en-
e velope marked $4,000, 000-4A pc
n. cent? on the envelope. He heard tn
IS loan clerk tell the messenger that tn
y interest was ~ per cent, not Az Then
If he said, the messenger departed.
His Cue for Robbery.
8. Leonard then had his cue and wen
A. to the Bowery and there ordered rub
.e Der certifcation stamp. But before do
& ing SO, he cut out the certifcation of a
old check from which the stamp wa
ii to be copied. After he secured th
f stamp, he filed out the body of til
# check drawn on the Hanover Nations
" bank.
= Then, he said, he went to Wall stree
= hailed passing boy and asked him
Continued on I'd Page. 9th Column.