The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-20
IT DIDN'T WORK.
Sharper Tries in Vain to Fleece
Kansas Bank.
An EngleWOOd Institution Near
ly Loses 81, 400.
"Englewood. Kas.- July 6


Certificate No. SO, dated July 2,
1905, payable to H. A. Bentley. for
$4,000, issued by the Englewood State
bank. was obtained by fraud, and is
void. You are warned not to pur-
chase the same. If presented to you,
please wire US at our expense
sENGLEWOOD STATE BANK
Every bank in the United States
received postal card notice like the
above few days ago, and after all it
was only by a piece of good luck that
the Englewood State bank did not lose
its $4,000.
The scheme perpetrated on the
Englewood bank was very similar to
the confidence game which some
smooth grafters attempted to play on
Charles Gault and the Bank of To-
peka in this city some months ago.
About the only difference is that in
the Topeka case the grafters used at
torneys as dupes, while at EngIewood
the tools of the trade were real
estate men.
It was the cashier of the American
Banking and Trust company of Tulsa
1. T., that finally frustrated the smooth
scheme of Mr.. H. A. Bentley. The fol-
lowing letter from c. A. Newby, cash
ier of the Englewood State bank.
which Issued the postal card warnings.
tells the whole story Of the sensational
attempted h0ldup:
ION June 80. 1905. gentleman giving
his name as H. A. Bentley from Glas-
gov, KY, was introduced to US at our
Office by one of the real estate firms of
our city and stated that he was
deal in this neighborhood for some land,
and that he would like to deposit a Ger
titled check, which he had as a forte
on the land, and the balance was to be
placed to his account, subject to check.
The check was dated June s, 1906, pay
able to himself and drawn by H. A. and
Arthur Bentley on the First National
bank of Glasgow, KY, and bore the
officer.
I'VE took the check for collection. is
suing a certificate of deposit for So. 200,
to be applied on the land deal when the
deed and abstract were completed. Late
in the afternoon. Mr.. Bentley present
ed himself at our counter and asked
me to cash his check for So, 200. as lie
wanted the currency to take out to the
farm he was buying, as the gentleman
had just phoned him that everything
was ready to close the deal I refused
to cash the check, but told him that his
check for that amount would pass in
the deal as well as the currency would.
THAT was the last I saw or heard of
him until early Monday morning, when
he called on me at the house at $50
in the morning. and stated that he had
received a message that his wife was
dead and for him to come home at once.
The real estate agent corroborated this
statement and so in making a transfer
Of the papers back there was q differ
ence of 81, 400 coming to him, he having
made some kind Of deal with the own
er of the land. Instead of issuing a
draft to him for that amount, I issued
a certificate of deposit. hoping thus to
gain a little time in case anything was
wrong, before the paper was cashed In
reply to my telegram asking the bank
If they had certified this certain check
they answered No but I did not re-
ceive this message until q hours after
he had left town.
f'Then we found that we had made
a mistake in issuing the certificate Of
deposit, and we Immediately set to
work and notified all banks in the
United States by postal as per en-
closed card On the afternoon of the
9Th of July we received a wire from
the American Banking & Trust COM
pany of Tulsa, I. T, informing US that
a party representing himself to be H.
A. Bentley had been in their Office just
a day or so before, and had deposited
above certificate, subject to collection,
and after they had it worked UP in the
remittance, having already placed
their endorsement stamp on IT, which
read Pay to the order Of the Traders
bank of Kansas City, NO. Mr.. Bentley
desired to draw some money on it, and
al they refused to pay it, he asked for
the return of the certificate. They had
also put their Paid stamp on 1t.
In view of the above facts, we
have marked this certificate void in
our register and we do not anticipate
that It viii ever be cashed.
'eThe Pinkertons are now working
on the case, and we are doing all in
our power to catch the fellow, and
send him where he will keep