Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-11-20
PETER VAN VLISSINGEN, PROMI-
NENT REAL ESTATE DEALER,
IN HUGE SWINDLE.
INDICTED, TRIED IN HOUR.
Gets $500, 900 on Bogus Notes and Deeds
and Goes to Prison Shortly After
Making Confession.
HIS SKILL BAFFLED EXPERTS.

w. go
Vlissingen, we'll known real estate dealer
and relative by marriage of President
Roosevelt, yesterday confessed to whole
sale forgeries of trust deeds and notes,
and within four hours was indicted, con-
victed and sentenced to the penitentiary
for a term not less than one and not
more than fourteen years.
The amazing revelations of how man
who ranked high among his associates
could carry out a gigantic SWlndle in
which he victimized more than a score
of perSOns-a number OF them close
friends-out of 100000 came like Il
thunderbolt. He first confessed to his
crime last Saturday to Thies J. Lefens
real estate dealer in the same building
where Van Vlissingen has had his Of
fees at 172 Washington street. At noon
yesterday the case was presented to
States Attorney Barbour, and thereafter
steps toward sending Van Vlissingen to
felon's cell were taken with remark
able rapidity.
Asks Quick Justice.
AS soon as Mr.. Barbour became famil-
lar with the facts he sent a note by De
tective Vannetta to the self-contessed
forger, asking him to come to the states
attorneys office Van Vlissingen prompt
Barbour, Mr.. Lefens and William -
Seipp. partner of Mr.. Lefens, he again
unfolded the story of his wrong-dolng
and pleaded that he be given speedy
justice.
Mr.. Barbour was ready to comply, and
Immediately ordered the preparation or
an Indictment charging Van Nllsslngen
with having committed forgery. This
was returned to Judge Windes court
shortly before 4 o'clock and within an
hour Van Vlissingen had been arra1gned,
convicted and sentenced to the penlten-
tiary.
FORCES Trust Deeds.
Van Vlissingen's scheme consisted in
tracing the names, and, in fact, all the
writing on trust deeds and notes and
selling not only the genuine mortgages
but the fictitious ones as we'll. In some
instances. he declared, he sold two sets
of forged trust deeds and notes, IN ad-
dition to the original, and even went so
far as to forge the opinion OF title by
attorneys an instrument which is tur-
nished when the sale of mortgage oc-
ours. He operated in his office, he SAID,
during the absence of employees.
His apparatus consisted of table with
a hole cut in the center and a piece IT
glass placed over the aperature. An IN
candescent globe was so arranged pc
Meath the piece of glass that it shed its
rays through it. Van Vlissingen, accord
ing to his own story, would then place
the genuine trust deed or mortgage upon
the glass and a blank form over 1t. with
the aid of the light disclosing the out
line of the signatures and other writing,
he would then trace out complete copy
of the original instrument.
Skill Battles Experts.
He made exact duplicates and so skill
full was his work that the expert exam
liners of trust deeds and other papers III
his office was deceived. He even Went
so far as to forge the initials OF the eA-
aminer which the latter placed in one
corner of every paper he examined IN Or
der to indicate that it had been scru-
tinted and found properly drawn. he
also forged the name of the recorder or
deeds and purchased numbering ma
chine similar to the one used in the office
Of the recorder, so that in the number
ing of the trust deed no discrepancy
would be noticeable.
Has Lived Lavishly
Van VIissingen is said by his friends
gantly. His office at 712 Washington
street are said to have cost him in main
tenance about $4,000 annually.
"He has been spending money Law
ishly," declared George Birkhoff, Jr.,
consul for the Netherlands. He won
the confidence of the Dutch residents of
the city and 1 am afraid they will be
among the heavy losers.
Brewers were among his customers
and it is probable they will be found to
possess much of his paper"
Rudolph Brand president of the Unit
ed States Brewing company and direc-
tor of the Chicago and Milwaukee Brew
ers' association, who has about $4,000
worth of the Van Vlissingen paper, said:
81 do not know how many other brew
ers are affected but presume my hold
ings are worthless. He did large bust
mass with hra1unrS -