El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-07

nave q system or prearranged signals
which usually enable them to escape.
even if the bank teller is inclined to be
suspicious.
Easy 10 Prove an abb.
1t IS comparatively easy for the pro-
fessional swindler 10 prove an aIibi
One Of his favorite methods is TO have
a confederate go to hotel and register
IN the name Of the person the swindler
viii purport TO be when he is passing
his spurious paper. This confederate
viii be mucb-in evidence around the hc-
tel, giving the clerks and other en-
pIoyeS abundant opportunity to become
familiar with him. The principal crook
VIII work the trick and then hasten 10
his home town, where he makes it a
point TO pay a number of outstanding
bills When he pays his grocer il may
be the tenth day OF the month. but he
will remind the grocer that IL is the
ninth, and the chances topKtoaedryiI
Ger will not notice the erro- He may
pay half dozen bills in the same way
When the law finally gets hold OF him
ne can prove by the hotel people that
ne was not the man who stayed there.
and can also prove BY the records Of
his tradesmen LAT he was in his home
town the very day he is accused or
having been somewhere else. Usually
his altbi stands and the law is cheated.
The American Bankers association
EaS bureau whose duty II is 10 run
down every criminal who defrauds or
attempts 10 defraud any Of its members.
prominent detective agency is en-
gagged By the year to trace swfndIers
and burglars and Il has been so sue
cesSful in experimenting violators Of the
INV that swindlers have learned to give
VIDE berth TO banks displaying the
protective sign Some time ago a con-
I1dence game was worked on western
bank Later the bank received q letter
by mail making fun restitution and
oeratlng 1t for not displaying the pro-
teetIve sign Nv hat is a poor fellow
10 do, said the writer, IF you do not
let him know in advance that Won are
protected?'' This association also main
tains publication, several pages OF
which are given to the exposure OF all
the different methods and tricks re-
sorted TO by sWindIers OF ali classes
and descriptions Many OF these tricks
are cOncocted by men who formerly
were bankers and they are the ones for
which the banker must be on the alert
Banks Heaviest Losers.
II IS said that the postoffice depart
ment and the express companies trans
fer billion dollars year, and yet
they do not lose anywhere near as
much in proportion as the banks This
soon
as a money order is issued, the office
on which it is drawn is notified, ana
if there is any reason to be suspicious
the paying office is warned The pres
ent postmaster general has decided to
eliminate this advance advice. but
many bankers regarded it as one Of the
best safeguards Of the system, and have
urged banks to adopt It
Sometimes the swindlers of banks
are men employed in the banks. Know
ing all the ins and outs Of the business
they are able 70 find the weakest spots.
One fellow not long ago took TO the
practice Of checking on the dormant ac-
counts-accOunts that have laid idle
for long period Another clerk. who
was assistant receiving teller held
back money and deposit slips. and thus
was able to use large sum OF money
for a lOng time Sometimes the bank
clerk unwittingly lays the foundations
that afterward make him defaulter.
Not long ago the auditor Of a large
bank was checking up its accounts and
discovered some packages OF bills con-
tanning a note saying that the cashier.