The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-06-11
Kenosha Officials Seek To Find C.
H. Ballard Who Cashed Bogus
Draftat Hote IEIcheIman
MAN HAS DANGEROUS PAPERS
Secured Fifty Dollars in Kenosha and
It is Feared That He is Working
All Over the Country
With Same Scheme

Kenosha bank officials and police Of
G. II. Ballard, supposed to be a Chicago
man who is wanted on charge of
forgery. AS a result of the workings of
Ballard the Eichelman Hotel is short
fifty dollars and sign has been hung
out that in the future no drafts will be
cashed or endorsed for strangers. The
plan Of Ballard was such clever one
that the facts in regard to the forgery
did not become known until nearly
month after the man had secured the
money on the forged paper. Ballard
was registered at the Eichelman Hotel
on the evening of May and while
there he produced draft made by the
bank at Arrowsville, Ill. and made pay
able on one of the leading banks of
Bloomington, I'll. The draft seemed to
be perfect in every manner and when it
was presented to M. HI. Hale at the
hotel he declined to cash it, but as
the story told by Ballard seemed to be
straight IN every way, Hale consented
to endorse the draft and Ballard cash
ed it at the First National Bank. Yes
teray afternoon the draft was returned
to the bank stamped as a forgery. 1t
seems that Ballard is not known in
Arrowsville or Bloomington, but his
plans to secure money were so carefully
made that it is thought in the month
81 +o Sc
The banks and other people interested
are watching for the appearance of SINH
lar forged drafts as it is thought that
Ballard must have worked in several
parts Of the country. It seems from in
vestigations made that Ballard must
have secured blank draft from the
bank at the little Illinois city and had
proceeded to have copies of the drafts
printed The work was exquisitely
done and all the stamps required to
make the draft valid were found. The
draft had been signed in a bold hand
by the cashier of the bank at Arrows
vile and Ballard endorsed it in the pres
ence of the hotel man who then signed
it.
Cashier Purnell of the First. National
bank declared this morning that the
draft was very dangerous forgery, but
that the banks through whose hands
it had passed had no way to detect it as
a forgery and this was not discovered
until it was sent back to the bank at
the Illinois village in the regular chan
nels of trade. Ballard has not been
seen in Kenosha since the day the
forged draft was cashed at the bank.
He was not known in Kenosha at that
time, but the papers which he carried
seemed to indicate that he was employ
ed at Arrowsville and for this reason it
was an easy matter for him to get the
draft endorsed
AS the draft had been backed by one
of the managers of the hotel the hotel
will be forced to lose the amount col
lected on it,
The matter is being laid before the
Bankers Associations in the different
states and warning will at once be
sent out warning banks in all parts of
the country against the cashing of
drafts on this bank and especially when
signed by Ballard. It is probable that
Ballard has as many names as he has
places to visit and for this reason there
is little chance that the police officers
will be able to locate him,