The sun., 1909-06-29
SAUCY THIEF AND FORGER
WRITES TO TELL JULES s. B4CHE
e. co. HOW EASY 1T WAS

And Advises Them TO Improve Their
Routine-Just Then He IL Arrested
for Stealing &S, 600 From Them-ln
London with Bride-Had VIE Here.
A letter from Conrad Harms. a SO a
week clerk. to his former employers,
Jules 8. Bache d Co.. stock brokers at ~
Broadway. telling that he had stolen
IS, 900 from them--iust as easy-and ad-
vising them how to run their business
80 as to prevent such losses, was made
public yesterday, together with the in
formation that Harms under the name
Clifford was arrested In London on Sun
day for grand larceny and forgery. Harms
was indicted here on these charges last
Friday.
Harms went to work for Bache d Co.
on March 20 last and remained until
May is as a clerk in the foreign depart
ment. He had wife here, the firm under
stood. On May I. 1t is alleged. he took
check 2,2s2 from the Arm q check book on
the Swiss Dankverein Of London. filled 1t
out for El ,ss7 lbs. and forged the signature
OF j. 8. Bache 4 Co. Then he is said by the
banking firm to have made an entry on
the stub 9! :ho check beck &c show that
the check OF that number had been drawn
on May for El los. I'd. payable to the
order OF E. Richards.
Harms deposited the check to his own
account in PARIS Bank. London. sending
with it letter requesting that it be put
to his credit. He also drafted letter OF
confirmation to the Swiss Bankverein
advising them that j. s. Baehe Co.
L. th II
this letter among others and 1t was
signed by n member OF the firm IN the
course Of routine. After PARIS Bank had
collected on the check the clerk cabled a
request to them to send $500 by cable to
James NJ. German. a lawyer at Sc Pine
street. The money was sent on May IL
and 1t is supposed that Harms used 1t to
pay his passage abroad.
After reaching England Harms drew
out all but about $500 Of the sum credited
to him at PARIS.
Bache d Co. did not learn Of the theft
until May 81. 1t happened that member
Of the firm was in England and he was
cabled to. While the police were looking
for Harms. Bache d Co. received letter
dated Dover, June 1. in which Harms
informed them Of the exact amount
he had taken and offered TO return it In
instalments, final payment with interest
to be made on June l. 1912. providing that
they would agree not to prosecute or
let anything transpire in the news
papers and also providing that the
matter was not mentioned to my friends.
Blair Bros, New York; Harry Sutherland
Il Sons London; PARIS Bank and the
Swiss Bankverein." Harms added that
he believed it to be for the best interests
OF Bache 4 Co. to avoid publicity in the
matter since it wouldn't be nice to have
the public know that their bookkeeping
department had not discovered the theft
for twenty-five days after the check
was drawn. He added:
1t does not interest you, but I must say
that I had good intentions when you EN-
ployed me. but Mr.. Wollman let me under
sta nd that / should be either discharged or
kept on $40 week. which was unfair.
II you wish to avoid such occurrences In
the future, 1t should be arranged that the
letter Of advice should be written by the
bookk eeping department. not by the foreign.
and from the bill book. not the draft book.
Harms was arrested when he returned
from the Continent with q German bride.
What has become OF his New York wife
may develop later. The police have
theory that ne is a clever bank swindler
under an alias. Mr. Wollman thinks the
police are wrong. He intimated that
Harms had been almost starving when
the Job was given to him and that he had
been taken in largely out OF pity,