The Detroit times., 1911-01-09

| and succeeds in ~ - - yss%f
doing q large bust ~ s -, ~ II
ness on a very linn ksSGI
| tied account. He - eel
accomplishes this
by having small 49,
| deposits In a num- no
Der OF banks, and
| having confederates in several cities.
| II is said that his legitimate accounts
In the banks aggregate less than $500,
aud yet by keeping checks In the
air" he is able to ,maintain continu-
Gus working capital OF at least 1000.
| This scheme works perfectly as long
as he and his confederates attend
strictly To business. IL he should be
sick a single day his whole house OF
cards would tumble to the ground
The banks are acquainted with his
methods, and yet are practically help
less. A man who passes bad check
! without any funds in bank may be
punished severely; but a few dollars
on deposit safeguards him from the
| punishment he deserves.
| The dread Of the banking profession
is the forger and checkraiser. II Is
said the aggregate receipts OF their
| operations amount to millions OF dol
lars year. The bankers OF the coun-
try have resorted TO every expedient
10 protect themselves against these
criminals, but each plan they work
out proves TO have a flaw, and the
crook Is quick to find the weak spot.
The banker has tried every sort OF
safety paper, but the paper-manufac!
turer has been unable TO produce any
thing which will defy the expert check
raiser and forger When the bankers
brought out the punching machines
! .th the words mot over so many
dollars. they were Immediately count
cred by the check-raiser with a
paper mastic--a mixture which en-
ables him TO plug UP the holes and
make the paper appear 80 perfect that
IL would pass the eye OF even the
best trained bank clerks
| Professional swindlers sometimes
work alone. but more often ply their
| trade In group or gangs. One OF the
| favorite schemes is to buy a bank
draft, raise II, and then pass II wher-
ever opportunity offers. The check
raiser may be a trained chemist, and
| know thoroughly all the operations
with chemicals. pastel chalks. analine,
L
erasers, stamping and perforating
machines, and the finest OF camel
hair brushes. The first process is to
erase the figures and the written
amount OF the draft After this the
paper is skillfully treated to eliminate
every evidence of erasure, and then
the desired amount Is written In to
harmonic with the writing and char
| twtxn .I
sional check-raisers are caught within
few months Of their crims. They
have far more trouble in lodging the
penalty of the law than they have
in deceiving the banks.
When the artist Of gang Of swim
dlers completes his work II Is sub
mitted to every other member or the
gang for suggestion and criticism.
Usually there are two or three inspec-
tons before the work Is pronounced
perfect After the paper passes mus
ter with the gang one OF them must
take the paper TO some bank and open
an account The others go with him
and act as pickets. On reaching the
selected town they separate, register
at different hotels. and do not meet
again until the game has been won
or lost.
The man chosen to LAY down" the
paper first makes the acquaintance
OF some real estate dealer or other
prominent citizen. He assumes to be
figurinS in some important deal, in
which said real estate man or prom
inent citizen hopes to make commits
sion. The swindler displays his draft
when he thinks II safe to do so. and
gets an Identification which enables
him to place II on deposit In one OF
the banks. He and the fellow mem
bers of his gang have system oil
prearranged signals which usually en-
able them to escape, even IL the bank
teller is inclined to be suspicious.
II is comparatively easy for the pro-
fessional swindler to prove an ailDi.
One of his favorite methods Is TO have
a confederate 20 to a hotel and reg
lister in the name OF the person the
swindler will purport to be when he
Ia passing his spurious paper. This
confederate will be much In evidence
around the hotel, giving the clerks
and other employees abundant oppor-
tunity to become familiar with him.
The principal crook will work the
trick and then hasten to his home
70 yn. where he makes II point to
pay a number OF outstanding bills.
When he pays his grocer 1t may be
the tenth day of the month. but he
will remind the grocer that II is the
ninth, and ten chances to one the
grocer will not notice the error. He
may pay half dozen bills In the same
way. When the law finally gets hold
OF him he can prove by the hotel peo-
ple that he was not the man who
STAYED there. and can also prove by
the records OF his tradesmen that he
was in his home town the very day he
Is accused OF having been somewhere
else. Usually his alibi stands and
the law Is cheated.
The American Bankers association
has a bureau whose duty II is to run
down every criminal who defrauds or
attempts TO defraud any OF its mem
hers. A prominent detective agency
is engaged by the year to trace
swindlers and burglars and II has
been so successful in apprehending VIC,
lators OF the law that swindlers have
learned to give a wide berth to banks
displaying the protective sign. Some
/ NJ xunrk.