The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-11-19
EMBEzzLED
over 100000
Prominent Chicago Real Estate
Man COnfeSSeS Crime.
IS RAILROAOEO TO JAIL

Peter Van Vlissingen Admits Forging
Documents and Selling Them-H'
Traced From Original Signatures 81
Using Glass Top Desk With Electric
Light Underneath - Made No De
fense and Asked That He Be Pun
ished at Once.
Chicago, Nov 17.-Peter Van Wis
singer. a real estate dealer, and foI
years classed among the first Of Chi
cagO's prosperous and reputable bust
ness men. confessed to having obtain
ed through forged deeds and notes
more than 100000. and a few hours
after his arrest, on his own urgent ap
peal g. be punished was sentenced to
the penitentiary. The arrest, the in
dictment. the confession and the sen
tence were the work Of less than four
hours
Taken in the midst Of business from
his Office desk at 172 Washington
street. Van Vlissingen. a venerable
looking man. appeared before the
court and in tears confessed that for
from eighteen TO twenty years he had
been securing money through the sale
of forged documents, and that though
he had bought back many Of these
spurious instruments without detec
tion. at least twenty-five people would
lose an aggregate Of more than 500,
600 through the paper which he has
not vet redeemed In forging notes. he
declared. he had perfected an unique
device. This consisted Of a plate glass
desk top. so arranged that by an elec
trio light thrown mp from beneath he
could readily trace from originals
forged signatures onto worthless pa
per throughout his arrest and sen
tence the prisoner made no effort tc
defend himself but only asked that
his punishment be speedy Asked If he
had anything 10 say before sentence
was imposed Van Vllssingen. bowling
his head replied: only that be given
my punishment at once"
His term IN the penitentiary was
fixed as lndeterminate from one 70
fourteen years
Van Vlissingcn. who Is about forty
five years Old. was married Feb. 4
1907 10 Mrs. Jessie Roosevelt Blend
who was described at the time as a
distant relative of President Roose-
welt. The bride was a daughter Of vii.
ton c. Roosevelt. She had been di
vorced from n man named Blend. Van
Vlissingon had been n bachelor. living
at the Calumet club Ho was known as
being Of a philanthropic disposition,
giving special attention to the wei
fare Of boys.
The specific charge which led up TO
the spectacular arrest OF Van Wis
singen was made by two men who had
bought forged mortgage notes. They
are T. J. Lefens and William c. Seipp
who have Offices ia the same building
as that occupied by Van Vllssingen.
To the notes for Sf500 held by them
were signed the names Of Joseph and
Bertha Grossman As was customary,
Van Vlissingon copied the forged pa
pers from originals which he disposed
of to other buyers.
The ranidity with which the case
was handled after the consultation
with Mr.. Barbour is shown by the fol.
lowing:
1.9O p. m-Van Vlissingen confront
ed In his Office by a detective and ash
ed to go TO the states attorneys office
in the criminal court building
3p. m.-Arriyes at states attorney s
office. and after being told Of charges,
confosses.
3.1J D. m.-Grand jury, which had
been presented with evidence, returns
Indictment
AIS D. m.-Prlsoner brought before
Judge Windes and hearing begun.
5 D. m.-Sentence pronounced.
SIS D. m.-Van Vlissingen locked up
in county Jail, preparatory to being
taken to Joliet.
The notes on which Van Vlissingen
was indicted we're not due until 1911
and It was believed that as in many
previous instances he intended to pay
them up before they could lead TO dis
closures.