Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-21
Van Vlissengen's Frauds Found
to Be More Than Double He
Confessed 10
BIG LOSSES ARE REVEALED
Valentine BIatz, of Milwaukee, One of
His Victims for a Large Amount
More Than 400 Forged Papers Found
Van vIissensen in Class by Him.
self.
sell.

Chicago. Nov. 2o.-Closely following
the transfer of Peter Van Vlissengen to
a cell in the Joliet penitentiary yes
terday the authorities made the start
ling discovery that his outstanding for
geries total nearly 100000 instead Of
the 100000 he estimated in his con-
fession.
This huge loss has been suffered by
approximately 100 persons instead of
twenty-fiv as Van Vlissengen stated.
Most of them are we'll to do investors
and nearly all reside in or near Chi
cago. The exact number Of forged Sc
curities outstanding is ass.
This revelation, which astonished
Receiver Niblack and the other officials
almost beyond belief is considered
significant when taken in connection
with the real estate forger's Impotence
to get to Joliet 1t is believed he feared
the consequences If the real magnitude
of his frauds should become public be-
fore he was safely lodged behind the
protecting walls of the prison.
Two Big Losers Revealed.
1t also has become known that some
individual or corporation is the victim
of a loss of several hundred thousand
dollars. The Valentine Blatz estate of
Milwaukee may be a large loser It's
collection of Van Vlissengen mortgages
being estimated at 100000, but the
proportion Of valid and worthless Is
not known. The indications are that
there is still larger loser, the iden-
tity of whom has not been revealed
With this sudden leap in the magni-
tude of the forgers operations the
question of the possibility of prevent
ing q repetition of the crime has be-
come more insistent. But at a meeting
of seventy-five real estate mortgage
brokers at the Cook county real estate
board rooms at 1S1 La Sale street last
evening the general expression was one
of hopelessness that investors would
be amply protected. They appointed
committee to consider possible reforms
in the recording and certification of in
struments.
In Glass by Himself.
The disclosure Of the real amount OF
the outstanding bogus paper puts Van
Vlissengen in class by himself. He is
the biggest forger Chicago ever has
known the magnitude of his steals by
this method exceeding those of Paul
o. Stensland, the Milwaukee avenue
banker who now is serving sentence
for forgery at Joliet.
How much money he gathered In by
forgery during the eighteen years or
his swindling operations can only ne
conjectured at present. few bogus
mortgages which he evidently pald OH
have been found in the vaults OF MS
office. If he was in the habit of taking
I'D natured bogus securities with the
proceeds of new forgeries the aggre-
gate of his operations probably reached
several million Of dollars.
The fact that Van Vlissengen got
away with nearly 100000 by counter
feiting mortgages dawned on Receiver
Niblack late in the afternoon, when
for the first time he counted the
number of securities listed as fraudu-
lent in the index which the forger
left behind. This list consists of q
card index, each card bearing the num-
Der and amount of a bogus mortgage
and the name of the purchaser.
458 Forged Papers.
There were exactly 458 cards In the
index and there were indications that
there had been more. Whenever Van
ylissengen paid off a spurious mort
gage. which he did occasionally, he
would extract the corresponding card
from the index, thus keeping the rec
,tr,&o fnrparin0
to date.
Mr.. NibIack, having arrived at the
total number of fraudulent instruments
outstanding, did a little calculating as
to the total amount of which the VIC
Tins have been mulcted. He said ne
had noticed no securities for more
than SIS, 900 each and only two or three
for less than $4,000. He thought that
J 81. 900 was a conservative estimate OF
the average size of the forged papers.
That would make the total amount
represented by the 45S forgeries some
thing more than $1,sO0,000 and it IS
believed generally by the authorities
that in reality it will run higher in
stead Of lower than that figure
Only a guess can be made concern
ing the total number of persons who
have lost this tremendous amount OF
money. President Riley of the Chi
cago Tile and Trust company was in
clined to believe that the 45S forger-
les are held by about 100 persons. The
actual number will not be known until
an analysis of the purchases is made.
1t has been learned that nearly all
the bogus paper is held by Chicago
ans or by persons who transact busl-
ness in Chicago. Comparatively few
OF the securities were sold in other
parts of the country. Mr.. Riley SAID
that nearly 100 persons already have
made known their possession of forged
paper, and he thought that the only
ones who have not come to the front
are investors who are absent from
the city.
large majority Of the swindled
persons are women, according to all
appearances, but comparatively few of
the entire number of men and women
are poor. Most of the purchasers were
looking for bargains in investments
and as often happens on bargain day,
the purchasers found their choice pick
ings to be damaged goods
Foley's Honey and Tar clears the air
passages, stops the irritation in the
throat. soothes the inhamed mem
branes, and the most obstinate cough
disappears. Sore and inflamed lungs
are healed and strengthened, and the
cold is expelled from the system. Re-