Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-12
.POPE AS A REFORMER LOCAL NAMES FORGED
Latest Decree Provides for Fraudulent Check on Wash
MANY SWeepinq Changes. ington Bank Detected.
RECEIVED WITH APPROVAL NEW WORKERS VlCTiMZED
Notable Departures Over 4OO Obtained Before Swnde
Church Government Is Discovered
THE PRACTICAL FEATURES PAPER IS REPUDIATED HERE
Officers
Obsolete Complicated Publishing
Fraudulent Check on Wash
ington Bank Detected.
NEW WORKERS VlCTlMIZED
Over $40O Obtained Before Swindle
Is Discovered.
PAPER IS REPUDIATED HERE
Signatures Purport to Be of Officers
of a Publishing Company
of This City.

Special Dispatch 10 The Star.
NEW YORK, July 11.-The New York
and Brooklyn detective bureaus were
asked today to find and arrest for forgery
a man passing under the name of Robert
w. Wibber, who, it is alleged. tried to
swindle the Title Guarantee and Trust
Company of Brooklyn by means nf
worthless check for $500 on the Commer-
cial National Bank of Washington, ID. G.
to which the name of the Men of Mark
Publishing Company of that city was
signed. He got only so from the Title
Guarantee and Trust Company before the
swindle was discovered. but on the
strength of the check he persuaded Clin
ton B. Repp, phonograph dealer OF -
Greenwich street to cash his check for
s4O0.
| The story Of the alleged swindle as re-
ported to the police is that last Sunday
Rudolph F. Keeman of -, West 12Jth
street, who had made an invention adver-
tised in several newspapers for man
with 5000 to push the invention, which
was already patented. The next day a
smooth talking man, about thirty-eight
years old. called on Kleeman and said he
was Robert w. Wibber. late of Norfolk.
! Va. The man said he had just sold out
his tobacco business in Norfolk and had
come to town with certified checks for
s. 900 to go into something else.
| Kleeman said that when he told Wibber
about the invention the latter WAS en-
| thusiastic and decided to put S2,Joo of
his bank roll into the proposition klee-
man then took Wibber around town and
| introduced him to his friends. including
| Clinto B. Repp. the phonograph dealer.
Mr.. Repp and his partner were let in on
the ground floor and Wibber and klee-
man then employed lawyer to draw
up the papers of Incorporation.
Wanted to Deposit Check.
Kleeman asked one of his friends We'd
nesday for advice as to good bank for
Wibber to put his S2.Jo0 check in. This
man was a friend of Frank l.. Sniffen.
manager of the banking department OF
the Title Guarantee and Trust Company
of Brooklyn, SO he gave MIR. kleeman
note of introduction to Mr.. Sniffen.
Thursday Kleeman and Wibber called at
the bank and Wibber handed over his
check which he said he was using to
| start his account.
The check was drawn the CONNER
| cial National Bank of Washington and
purported to be made by the Men Of
Mark Publishing Company to the order
! of r. W. Wibber The check was signed
with what purported to be the names of
| the president and treasurer of the pub
| fishing company. Mr.. Sniffen made out
the names TO be Morrill, E. Gales and
r. H. Hummell. The check appeared
to have been certified by the Commercial
| National Bank. but the signature of the
banks teller could not be made out.
After Wibber had indorsed the check
| and Mr.. kleeman had also written his
signature on it Mr.. Sniffen told Wibber
! that he would have 10 ask him not 20
draw on the check until he heard from
! Washington. which would take until
yesterday. Wibber went away protesting
that he didn't like to have any delay in
organizing the company and the check
was sent to the Washington Loan and
Trust Company for collection. In the
meantime, in response to Wibbers APP
peals for money to start things going, Mr.
| Kleeman. as president of the Rudolph
Kleeman Manufacturing Company, the
the Title Guarantee and, Trust Company
for S4Oo. which he got Mr.. Repp TO cash.
OF this amount Wibber got $40 and he
| hasn't been seen since.
Check 'Repudiated.
Mr.. Sniffen got d telephone message to-
day from the Washington Loan and Trust
! Company, stating that the certified checl,
vas a forgery. The conversation was fol-
lowed by ii letter from Andrew Parker,
vice president of the Washington Loan
and Trust Company. which announced
| that the manager of the Men of Mark
! Company writing To the Brooklyn
! Trust Company about the check.
! The letter from the Men of Mark Pub
! fishing Company came later and was
! signed by l.. r. Stock. II said that the
check complete forgery and thai
/ the company had no officials named Hum
nell or Gales Mr.. Stock wrote that the
name Morrill, Gales was probably in
! tended for DR.. Merrill T. Gates. former
! president of Amherst and Rutgers col
eges and now secretary OF the United
States board of Indian commissioners.
who live in Washington.
Mr. Stock said he had notified DR. Gates
! that he could have the man arrested
! if he cared TO do So and also advised Nj.
Sniffen TO have Wihhcr arrested on his
own responsibility.
4 Il
to Acting District Attorney Elder whp
put Leuts. Lan9an and Nanwagner on
the case. The detectives came over o
Manhattan and learned that Mr.. Rfpp.
whose $500 check had been turned down
the strength of the information from
: Washing on, had already reported the
case to the detective bureau here II
to tonight no trace of Wibber had been
found.
MI. Whites Statement.
Mr. George ". White. vice president
OF the Commercial National Bank said