Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-17
MILLIONAIRE ADMITS
COLOSSAL FORGERY
From High Estate to Convict
in Four Hours.
TWENTY YEARS OF CRIME
Traced Signatures Made Transparent
Over Glass With Light Beneath.
THEFIs AGGREGATE 100000
Anxious for Punishment - indie
terminate Sentence Given-Many
Suffer by His Deeds.

| CHICAGO. November 1I.-Peter Van
| Vlfssinsen. a prominent real estate dealer,
clubman and for years reputed a million
aire. who was arrested and sentenced to
prison last night on his own confession
of having obtained through forged paper
more than 800, 600 arose in his cell at the
county jail this morning after a sleepless
night
| Van Vlissingen's confession, one of the
most remarkable in court annals, pre-
coded by only few hours his sentence by
the court to an indeterminate term of
| Tertiary at Joliet.
| Ordered from the midst of his business,
shortly after the noon hour yesterday, to
appear at the states attorneys office. the
| real estate dealer made a full confession
| of how for the last eighteen years or
| more he had thrived on the sale of forced
| trust deeds and notes
| He said that more than twenty-five peo-
| pie would suffer loss from his machlna-
lions Telling how, alone in his office, he
manufactures from original and genuine
notes worthless ones which could hardly
| be detected by experts, ne described
unique forging scheme
He had a plate-glaSS desk top. ne Sald,
so arranged that by placing an electric
light beneath he could readily trace, by
light thrown up through hole, sigma
lures from the originals onto the worth
less paper.
Eager for Punishment.
Give me my punishment at once; that
all ask" declared Van Vlissingen. when
arraigned before Judge Windes. The
commitment of the prisoner to the peni-
Tertiary followed in less than four hours
after his arrest.
AS soon as he arose today Van Viissin-
gen inquired early of the jailer whether
he would be taken to Joliet at once.
II want to go immediately-th sooner
this business is settled the BETTER said
the prisoner, who showed visibly the
nervous strain he had undergone.
T. j. Leffens, who, with William &.
Seipp held $500 of the worthless paper
and brought the action which resulted IN
the real estate dealers downfall, today
said:
Il have known Van VlIssnger since he
was boy. 1 remember, when twelve
wears old, he came to this country from
Holland and starred as a messenger boy
in a bank; when seventeen years old he
became teller and soon afterward went
into the real estate business for himself
Having regarded him as one OF the
shrewGest brokers in the west, l could
hardly believe my own suspicious when
last week / discovered pecui.arltieS apout
mortgage notes l had purchased from
HIM Mr. Seipp also became suspicious.
He learned that the papers were
drafted on properties on which other peo-
pie were holding original mortgage notes
We called Van Vliss4ngen to our ONCE
ard told him what we had found
What was our surprise when he boldly
confessed the papers were forgeries he
begged us to return to his office Saturday
and talk further. Saturday he explained
that for the last eighteen years or more
he had been forging notes and seiilh2
them.
Most of the money for the last few
wears he declared, had been used IN pay
ing interest on his earlier forgeries lie
said it would amount to almost million
dollars, and that about twenty-five people
would suffer.
still We refused to believe him until he
| took us to his office and displayed the
table especially constructed for his Work.
Had Chosen Alternative.
IL nave figured out he said. that there
are three ways open to me--tiight, suicide,
or the penitentiary. | have chosen the
last.
i am ready to go with you Monday to
the states attorneys office, surrender
myself and so to Jail. l don't want to be
dragged through the streets by a police
man. | want TO go alone.
we agreed to wait until Monday We
asked him how many duplicates he had
made of original mortgage notes. ana he
replied, Only one or two. and, In some IN
stances, TWO or three.
Van VIissingen's offices said to have
cost nm about SiOHiJ annually.
lie has been spending money lavishly.
declared George Birkhoff, jr. consul for
the Netherlands. "He won the confidence
of the Dutch residents of the city. l am
afraid they will be among the heavy
losers.
Rudolph Brand. president of the United
States Brewing Company, and director OF
the Chicago and Milwaukee, Brewers AS
sociation, who has about $2o,NO worth or
the Van Vlissngen paper. said:
Il do not know how many other brewers
are affected, but | presume my holdings
are worthless. He did a large business
with brewers.
The rapidity with which the case was
handled after the consultation with Mr..
Barbour is shown by the following:
80 p.m.-Van Vissinl;en confronted
in his office by detective. and asked to
go to the states attorneys Office in The
criminal court building.
! p.m.-Arrives at states attorneys
office and, after being told OF charges.
| Con!esses.
| 3:15 pm-Grand jury which had been
| presented with evidence. returns indict-
ment.
| 4:l5 pm.-Prsoner brought before Judge
| Windes and hearing begun.
| ) p.m.--Sentence pronounced.
| J:1J p.m.-Van Elissngen locked up in
| county Jail preparatory to being taken
| to Joliet probably tomorrow.
Accounts Under Investigation.
! All Van VHssingen'S accounts We're
turned over to the Chicago Title and
| Trust Company, pending investic at ion
Of the exact extent OF the defa cations.
Francis Lackner. counsel for the com
plainants, said last night ii would be inn
possible for several days to make com
/ plete list OF the losers
The notes on which Van VIisSingen was
| indicted were not due until 1911. 1t was
| believed that, in many previous in
| stances, he intended to pay them up
! before they could lead to disclosures.
When confronted in his Office by the
| detective. Van Nlissingen made no effort
10 conceal the truth.
Why am / wanted at the states al
| torneN office" he asked.
! Because of some charges of forgery"
/ replied the detective.
| Very we'll responded the real estate
dealer; Il am afraid the charges arr