The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-12
PLANNED on 4 LARGE Scale
Operations in Dispssilg d Bogus \.
and N. Certificates
OPERATORS MADE BIG MONEY
Only Four or Five OF the Certificates
Have been Discovered. and 500 OF
Them Were Printeti-Polioe Believe
That mt Least Three Men Had =
Hand I'm the Transaction-Two Ar
rests Made I'm the Case.

New York. January Il.-Following
the arrest today OF Samuel Humphreys.
a newspaper writer" on a charge OF
selling bogus certificate OF 100 shares
of the Norfolk and Western Railway
Company to a 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 aggre-
gate market value OF about $1,000. tt
is evident that the amount realized by
the operators Is very large IL they
have disposed of many OF the cer,ih-
Gates. The police say that they be-
lievc that at least three men had q
hand in the transaction.
Humphreys was arraigned on an af-
fidavit, alleging that he acted in con-
cert with G. Augustus Seton. in selling
a forged certificate TO Barnard and
Clark of this city last September. for
$4,000. He was held in $2.500 bail for
examination tomorrow. In default OF
bail he was remanded to police head
quarters.
According to information given out
at the detective bureau. Humphreys
went to the office of Barnard and
Clark of this city with a letter intro
ducing 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. be-
tween 5000 and $4,000.
The Autograph stone from which the
bogus certificates were made. together
with discriminating correspondence
have been turned over to the district
attorneys office. proof OF the GER
tificateS. and a forged order for stock
certificates addressed to the Hamilton
Bank Note Company. and purporting
to be signed by the president OF the
Norfolk and Western Railway was
found. the detective declares in a Wall
street Office during a search among
the effects Of a suspect in another case,
last September. 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 fund. and
this together with the proof and forg-
ed order was turned over to District
Attorney Jerome.
Humphreys. the officers say. went
to the Hamilton Bank Note Company
In this city and showing letter writ
ten on the stationery of the Norfolk
and western. and purporting to come
from the president of the Norfolk and
Western Company, ordered 500 certifi-
Gates of 100 shares of common stock
each. They were made in two books.
That Humphreys should have been
able to present the forged letter from
the president of the Norfolk and Wes-
tern on the railroads official station
cry, causes the police to believe that
there was another accomplice. and
that he is probably an employe in the
office of the Norfolk and Western. The
police say that this suspected accom-
plice probably secured a blank stock
certificate and stationery of the Nor
folk and Western Railway Company
for Humphreys. 't~si1
Counsel for the Hamilton Bank
Note Company made statement today
that in August last that company iith-
ographed 500 stock certificates OF the
Norfolk and Western and delivered
them to c. Augustus Seton and Com
pany of this city. Later, counsel said.
the bank note company ascertained
that the order for the certificates was
given by Seton and that he had pre-
sented an order authorizing him IN
have the certificates made for the
railway company. The statement also
affirmed that the officers Of the bank
note company assisted the railway
company In bringing the guilty parties
, 20 Justice.
Seton. who was arrested last night
near Elkton. Md. charged with grand
larceny comes from Cleveland and In
said to be well known there. He in
herited 100000 from his father. Soon
after he came to New York he got up
the National India Famine Relief
Fund. He was arrested twice in con-
nection with that. One charge was
! that he had collected money from a
| lot of young women who had applied
| for work as stenographers. and anoth-
| er charge was that he had forged the
name Of a society woman to his sub
scription appeal. He was I'm the Tombs
| for two months. and was then dis
| charged. the complainant having gone
| to Europe. That was I'm 1900
Seton's wife was a Miss Crum Of
Columbus. daughter of a former post
master. She is his second wife. They
| occupied expensive apartments here
| at 104S Fifth avenue while Seton was
! banker and Offering TO float bonds.
They left the Fifth avenue place last
| October.