Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-11
SEARCH FOR A FORGER
Arrest of a Newspaper Writer
in New York.
IN N. & W. BOGUS BOND CASE
Prisoner Charged With Selling 100
Shares Of Stock.
OFFICERS, BUSY WITH CLUES
Suspect Was Arraigned on an Afh-
davit Alleging He Acted in Con-
cert With One Seton.
Y N. & W. BOGUS BOND CASE
OFFICERS, BUSY WITH CLUES

NEW YORK, January u.-Following the
arrest today of Samuel Humphreys, news
paper writer, on charge of selling bogus
certificate OF 100 shares of the Norfolk and
Western Railway Company to dealer in
securities in this city. 1t was learned that
500 Of the bogus certificates were printed
and that the operations appear to have
been planned on large scale.
AS only four or five of the certificates
have been discovered, and each OF them is
for 100 shares, with an aggregate market
value of about 5000, 1t is evident that the
amount realized by the operators is very
large if they have disposed of many of the
certificates. The police say that they be-
lieve that at least three men had hand in
the transaction.
Will Prove Valuable Witness.
The officers said that Charles August Sc
ton, the promoter who was arrested in Tur-
keytown, hamlet near Elkton, Md, last
night on a charge of grand larceny. is in no.
wise connected with the stock certificate
forgeries, but would, however, be a valu-
able witness in the forgery prosecution as
he Is alleged to have received one of the
counterfeit certificates.
The Autograph stone from which the bo-
gus certificates were made, together with
correspondence alleged to duplicate the sus-
pect, have been turned over to the district
attorneys office. A proof of the certificates
and an alleged forged order for stock GER
titlcateS addressed to the Hamil ton Bank
Note Company, and purporting to be signed
by the president of the Norfolk and West
ern railway, was found, the detectives de-
clare, in Wall street Office during a search
among the effects of a suspect in another
case last September
Significance of Find.
The full significance of the find was not
realized until the forged certificates were
marketed. 1t was then that the plate was
traced through the correspondence found
and this together with the proof and al
legged forged order. was turned over to Dis
trict Attorney Jerome,
The suspect in the forgery case, the Off
GERS say, went to the Hamilton Bank Note
Company in this city and, showing letter
written on the stationery OF the Norfolk and
Western and purporting to come from the
president of the Norfolk and Western Rail-
way Company, ordered 800 certificates of
100 shares of common stock each. They
were made in two books.
One of the bogus certificates has been
shown to lot of photographers in town.
One, Gustave G. Schwartzwald, said the
transfer had been made from a good
certificate without breaking it up at all.
he said. He is said to have given the de-
tectives the names of several men who he
believed were able to do such work. Two
of them are in Canada
Arrested Man Arraigned.
The man under arrest is Samuel Hum
phreys, who says he is newspaper writer
living in Brooklyn. He was arraigned in
the Tombs police court today.
That HUMPHREYS should have been able to
present the forged letter from the president
of the Norfolk and Western on the rail
roads official stationery causes the police
to believe that there was another accom-
plice and that he is probably an employee
in the office of the Norfolk and Western.
The police say that this suspected accom-.
plice probably secured a blank stock certifi-
cate and stationery of the Norfolk and
Western Railway Company for Humphreys.
According to information given out at
the detective bureau, Humphreys went TO
the office of Barnard & Clark of this city
with a letter introducing himself as Mr..
Collins wealthy builder of Philadelphia,
and presented two forged certificates of
the Norfolk and Western, which he wanted
disposed of at the market value, between
$4,000 and $1,000.
Humphreys was arraigned on an affidavit
alleging that he acted in concert with c.
Augustus Seton, in selling a forged certifi-
cate to Barnard & Clark of this city last
September, for $500. He was held in 81 $50
bail for examination tomorrow. In default
of bail he was Temanded to police head
quarters.