Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-24
CHECK RAISERS WORK
MANY NEW SCHEMES


busiest of all the 'grafters'
and the hardest to keep track of. They
are at 1t the whole year around and
cause the police lot of bother because
they vary their methods SO much.
Nearly all other classes of criminals have
certain little peculiartties about their
work by which they become known. but
these fellows get up a new scheme every
day.
Some of them are really men Of
genius. who could make good living
with their brains and tongues in almost
any other line II they only cared to do
so. They all have degenerate tendencies,
however. which drive them to the COM
mission Of crime The most of them
would not reform if they could.
Inc most interesting of this class. per-
maps. are not really check workers at
all | allude to the men who make ii
their business to get genuine signatures
ers.
They are the modern development of
the now almost extinct class of swind-
lers who used to drive through the coun-
try settlng responsible farmers to sign
machinery contracts lightning rod agree
ments or anything. in fact, which might
be torn In two and become a promissory
note which could be negotiated at a bank.
NOW and then modification of this old
game still crops up in the backwoods dis
tr.cts. and, in spite of the fact that ev-
cry farmer. nowadays. takes paper of
some Kind. in which these frauds are ex-
posed. victims are always found to il
lustrate the grafter's axiom that new
sucker Is born every minute.
The modern idea is different Not long
since new game was sprung with in
senulty enough in 1t to have been born of
the devil.
Working the Farmer.
The chief actor in the little financial
comedy drove up to the house of a pros
porous farmer. He was dressed in a suit
OF sober black and represented himself to
be circuit riding minister of the Gospel
He requested shelter for the night and
was Hospitality received. He proved
good talker, and the two sat up until bed
time engaged in pleasant conversation.
Just about retiring time a couple hur-
riedly drove up and asked the farmer
where minister could be found to marry
them. and. Of course. the circuit rider got
the job.
The farmer was an interested spectator
OF the happy affair. and a. the conclusion
OF the solemn words that made the sup
posed clippers man and wife was benevo-
lently delighted to sign his name as wit
ness to an elaborate marriage certificate
which the minister fished up from his lit
tie black grip as a present to the bride
and groom In the morning that sigma
ture appeared at a bank in the neigh
boring town. at the foot of check for
question.
Nearly all the papers in the country
printed the incident at the time, but none
of them had the story of how the trick
was done. That did not become known
until later. The certificate of marriage
was printed on heavy cardboard. and.
@s,ho 10 no writ
ten in, the cardboard was cut away with
a beveled edge. and the writing was done
on smooth paper pasted on the back OF
the certificate, and showing through the
beveled holes. The effect was ornamental
and nothing wrong about it could possibly
be suspected. Between the two sheets of
pasteboard. however. a bank check had
been inserted. so that its signature line
came right under the opening left for one
of the witnesses. and, in consequence. the
farmer was actually signing check on
his own bank when he ood-naturedly
witnessed the fake marriage.
Pretty Woman Criminal.
'.Of similar nature was more elab-
crate operation performed in Washington.
A pretty and extremely vivacious young
woman appeared one day with hand
some morocco-bound and gold-mounted
album, slung In an alligator carrying
case. The outfit was just about the neat
est tTide. with the exception of the young
lady herself. that ever came TO town.
She had the autograph mania. and
wouldn't the dear senator just favor
her with his name there below his por-
trait or below the place where she was
going to insert his portrait when he gave
it to her? In nine cases out of ten the
dear senator would. no matter what his
usual sentiments regarding the autograph
hunters. The name was signed through
an opening in the card. just as in the
marriage certificate. and in every case
check was signed Not one of these
checks was offered for payment until
the persuas ve young woman had Sc
cured all that could be handled in safety,
when they were cashed on the same day
at the various banks. As the amounts
were in no case large, not much stir was
made about the matter, and. then. SEN
ators don't like to tell when the joke is
on them.
forgers and checkworkers to secure the
bonafide signatures of wealthy men. Be
sides letters so worded that they have
some chance Of reaching past the in
convenient private secretary. and of be
ing answered by the great man himself,
every ruse that ingenuity can devise is
tried. A successful plan in one case was
to present petition relating to sewer
in the big mans own section. and a
score OF other names. given in good
faith, were secured before the big man
was approached. He was caught where
there was no pen and ink handy, and
signed the petition with a hard. blunt
pencil that was given him. unwittingly
sigEing at the same time a check
through the transfer paper beneath.
good pile was secured on this trick
LAS rule. however, the signature is
all that is wanted. If one of the good
thing gents can secure a real check
written by one of their intended victims
1t is an occasion for rejoicing. for then all
the little pecuiarities that distinguishes
q check signature from name signed
elsewhere. are there to be copied. One
successful check worker had a method
which could not be discovered for a long
time. The signature on the checks he
presented were so apparently genuine that
even the men on whom the sWindleS were |
penetrated could not swear that they |
were forgeries. except from the fact that
they could not remember having signed
such checks
Producing Duplicate Signatures.
1T was at last discovered that the fell |
low first secured a signature, had a zinc |
etching made from it, took matriX of
the zinc engraving and into this matrix
cast a very hard rubber composition, I
which retained just enough of its elastic
ity not to show any traces of enclosing |
on the paper receiving the imprint from
it, A metal cut would have shown its
impression on the back, but with the
composition stamp he was able TO pro-
duce duplicates of a signature that ex-
perts could not tell from the original.