New-York tribune., 1908-09-17
$4,000 CHECK FORGERY
BROKERS MANAGER GONE.
Head of Upto1cn Branch of E. r.
Chapman 6 Co. Missing.
Democratic nominee for Governor.
photograph by Pirie Mscdonald.)

Search is being made for Lehman A. Cooper,
for the last three years manager of the branch
office in the KniCkerbocker Trust Company
Building, Fifth avenue and 34th street, Of the
Stock Exchange house of E. R Chapman & Co..
of No. so Broadway, who is accused of being
forger. profting thereby about $50 900. Rumors
that a defalcation bad occurred became current
early yesterday IN Wall Street, and in the
afternoon William c. Van Antwerp the board
member of the firm, made statement in which
he confirmed the reports of a shortage. but
showed that no part of the loss would fall on
his firm.
"A few days ago we discovered that a check
drawn to order by one of our customers
had been diverted by an employee of one of our
branch offices 20 his uses, our Endorsement
having been forged" he said. Subsequent in
quiry developed the fact that four other checks
had been similarly diverted fraudulent1y the
total amount of all these various items being
in the neighborhood of $4,000 In each case
the Endorsement forged on the check and
the check deposited with a trust company TO
the account of our employe
"Of course, the trust company that accepted
a forged Endorsement is responsible, and we
have liability in the matter This firm has
incurred no liability and viii suffer no loss in
this connection"
Later 1t became known that the alleged forger
was Cooper A day or two ago it was found
one Of the customers of the firm, being called
upon for additional margin, had replied that his
credit with the house was much larger than the
firms books showed, and submitted a nemoran-
dunn which included large check. given several
weeks ago to the manager of the uptown branch
with Which his account had not been credited.
COOPER AWAY FROM OFFICE
An inquiry was promptly instituted, which re-
vealed that his check and four others had been
diverted fraudulently. An explanation nat
uraIly wanted from Cooper. wto. however, has
not been at his office since the end of last week.
The checks were soon traced to the banks of
which Cooper was a customer. For fourteen
years he had been a depostor in the Knicker-
booker Trust Company and in the period which
elapsed between its suspension last fall and its
reopening five months later he opened ac-
count with another institution uptown The
checks which were misappropriated were in
dorsed by him. it is alleged, without authority
with the name of E. r. Chapman & Co. to
whose order they had been drawn. and were then
indorsed with his own name and deposited TO the
credit of his personal account, some in the
Knickerbocker Trust Company and the rest in
the other institution the Knickerbocker having
the larger amount The first of these deposits
was made about two months ago, and the last a
fortnight ago. Cooper had been diminishing his
balances at the Knckerbocker for several
weeks and last Saturday drew out in currency
almost the entire remaining balance Of between
$1,000 and $4,000.
Cooper, who is graduate of the Sheffield
Scientific School at Yale in the class of 81 and
a member of the Yale Club of this city.
admitted to the New York Stock Exchange on
March 16 1899. and formed the brokerage firm
of Cooper, Cramp & Beadleston, with offices at
No % Broadway. After the dissolution of
thu firm early in 1902 he made his headquar-
ters for some time at the office of A H. Coombs
&, Co and about three years ago became man
ager of the uptown branch of E. r. Chapman
g. Co. selling his Stock Exchange seat little
later.
OTHER RECENT DEFALCATIONS.
within the last year there have been two
other upisapproprlations of large sums by EN-
nloves of Stock Exchange firms On October
II 1907 George II. Brouwer, manager for
lanes H. Oliphant & Co, the senior member
Of which firm was shot and killed two months
- .er NV customer who had suffered heavy
losses in the stock market was arrested for
the larceny of s., 100 TIE allegation being that
he had nsed funds belonging to Jay F. Carlisle.
a broker having desk in the Oliphant offices
other irregularities were discovered. and Mr.
o1,nbant estimated the total shortage at some
thing under 100000.
on November q, 1867 James Haslall. nan
ager fer Edey, Brown & Sanderson, wa" ar
rested on the specific charge of having sken
a cheek for $500 from his employers. and Ole OF
the members of the firm told the police that the
total amount taken approximated $4,000.
6-ooper was born on June s. 1857, in Baltimore.
fi;s father fer whom he named. was ply
sician and graduate Of the University Of Penn