The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1912-12-03
LOVE Of OLD HOME
LEADS EX-CONV|CT
INTO POLICE TRAP
Lockwood Arrested as He
Stands Before House Where
He Was Born.

Broke and hungry. homeless. his
clothes In tatters, George Lockwood.
once . prominent mer chant Of Ninth
avenue. In the Chelsea section. wandered
back to his old stamping ground to-day,
He went along Twenty-first street-ths
street In which he was born hfty-nine
years ago--aooking for landmarks.
In front Of the building in which he
was born. only . few doors from the
corner Of Eighth avenue. Detective Ly-
man Of the Burns Agency was waiting
For days Lockwood had been expected.
His love for the section in which he
was once prominent and prosperous
never died. and II was regarded as GER
tain he would come back sooner or
later. Lyman caused his arrest a.
Fugitive from New Jersey Justice.
The police officials gasped at tho
charge made against Lockwoo even -
those who remembered him As q MEM
Der Of an old and well-to-do Chelsea
family wondered st the change In HIM
They knew him a. . prince Of good
fellows. the best dressed man In the
street. The police called him . prince
Of forsers. q 'scratcher" OF the noted
Charley Becker and Alonzo Whitman
gangs. Q man who made thousands by
IL forgsries.
And Detective Lyman said he was
wanted for forging several checks for
= and 40 apiece.
Lockwood has run the gamut OF sue
esss and failure. He was making
money rapidly In his Ninth avenue
store back In 1891 when no CHANGED TO
meet Charley Becker. still hailed a.
the king OF Forgers."
HUNDREDS OF BAD CHECKS
SEND HIM TO PRISON.
He soon associated himself with Becker.
although the partnership was net known
until he was arrested after hundreds of
bad checks drawn on the Garfield Ma
tional Bank had Melted the gang sew.
erai thousands dollars. Lockwood was
convicted and sentenced to Sing Sing
for three years. From then until early
last summer he has been either In prison
or engaged In criminal work.
When Lockwood returned from the
penitentiary his business was destroyed,
his young wife and family were gone.
He went to Jersey City 70 live. and soon
afterward was sent to the Hudson Coun-
~ Penitentiary ~ . forgsr for . term
OF two years and six months.
This term apparently had - more Il.
feet upon Lockwood than the hrst. A.
soon as 1t was up he went b Buffalo,
where he met the notorious Alfonso j.
Whitman. Whitman. . college man. haA
been Mayor Of Duluth. MINI. but had
returned to Buffalo and gathsrsd about
him u gang OF forgsrs said TO have NUM-
bered some Of the clsvsrsst the country
ever produced. The amount Of money
they cleaned up hes never been learned; ;
II was estimated at many Thousands.
But Lockwood was . valued msn,osr
while. His LUCK was against him. He
was again arrested and convicted and
on Jan. 10. 1899. was sentenced 20 three
years In Clinton Prison.
Back to New York and TO his old
stamping ground In Chelsea came Lock-
wood after this term only to run sfoul
ef the law soon aftsrward - . result OF
Chemical National Bank. Three more
ysars IN Clinton was his punishment. Il
Was In 1907 that Lockwood was released
nat omA. and for two years followtns
me police have no record OF him, but
. 1s0 hs was back At his old work In
tAis city.
TAXED HARD TO REFORM UNTIL
III erARrED DRINKING AGAIN.
He then got two years in Sing Sing
1hsn lockwood. aSsing rapidly. sough
- reform. He came hack to New Yorl
o81v % leave Tor New Jerssy. Gu
oeaf Aorristown he obtained work q
Q farm laborsr on the place Of RUDOLF,
Hama He told Hsrms the story OF hi
Nh, promised to reform and make good
- did so-for nearly ak months.
The bose got me-" was LOCKWOOD
oxDlanation to-day for his downfall.
Several weelrs ago he fell. He stol
. ehscdbbook on . Aorrastown bank Il
vhich Hsrms kept an account, and n
turned 70 MS old work OF 'Ooratching.
0ut hb nerve was gons-hs couldn'
write checess for hundreds any NOR
lie was content with chsoaps o6 . q
-. to which he signed Hsrms's nams
which. he explained, he had receive
~ payment for work He Dashed thel
IN several New Jerssy towns. In TIL
city ana in places In Connsottout. IN
eotal amount re received On the chsch
hardly exceeds 500.
Lockwood. who 70 known 10 ne p<
lice also a. John schwasts and Jon
Little. was . detected hGusU VIE
brought to Headquarters He said b
was ready to 80 back 10 New Jsrss
.a3d take his medicine.