The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-04-22
CONF F[ss0DN ENDS
CROSS COUNTRY
FORGE TRAIL
William Baker, With Aliases
Galore, Swindled Local
as Well as Eastern
Banks S,
TRAVELLED FROM
ALABAMA WEST
After Escaping From Peni-
tentiary, Check Passer Be
came Sehemer de Luxe

It's a long lane that has on turning,
and a trail of forged checks must ulti
mately be crossed by the police. but
four leading banks of San Francisco
have learned to their cost that new
ways of keeping the trail blind for
considerable period are being devised
all the time
When William Baker, with a string
of aliases, criminal record declared by
the police to be longer yet and string
of clever check forgeries extending all
the way from the Missouri river to the
Golden gate, confessed last night to De-
tective Sergeant Dave Murphy at the
city prison it was found that San Fran
cisco banks had been included in his
little game to the extent of more than
$4,000.
BY stealing blank checks numbered
in the series OF srm and cancelled checks
to obtain facsimile of the signature
to reproduce on the blank check. he
had success in the following forgeries:
Check on the Union Trust company
for $40, April Z. with the signature of
L. s. Melsted, of Finch and Melsted, at
torneys; check for $500 on the Savings
Union and Trust company, forged name
OF Fabius T. Finch; Merchants National
bank, $50. signature OF E. r. Hayden,
real estate dealer with offices in the
Phelan building; Bank OF California,
April IA. 5000 check with name of Will
liam Smellie, coal importer with Offices
in the Russ building: two checks on
the Anglo London and Paris National
bank for $3.50 and $500, using checks
Of E. ). Tobin and. company, forging
name Of Frank de LisIe. vice president.
"sOFTEsT THINGS IN WORLD
In the history of hisssuccessful for
geries on banks, which he said .are
the softest things in the world" comes
an even moe interesting incident, when
he sat in court and heard another man
tried for mis- own forgery
j. E. Hunt, who had had deskroonn in
the Office of E. r. Hayden. was sus-
pected by Hayden of being the offender
as tc the checks to which his name
had been signed. as Hunt was then out
on bail on felony embezzlement
charge. Mr.. Barstow. the paying teller
of the Merchants National bank. iden-
titled Hunt as the man who had passed
the $50 check in question.
William A. Mundell, local manager
Of the Burns detective agency, already
was running down many Of Bakers
eastern offenses, and was convinced
that Hunt was not responsible. So he
went into Judge ShortaH's court and
there fought Hunts battle, with sue
cess.
HAD MANY ALIASES
Mr.. Mundell states that Baker or
Anderson, whichever alias is preferred,
is really BENJAMIN w. Brumby, alias
w. B. Hill. alias II. F. Allen, alias
Frank Hayes-these are his earlier
aliases, others being added as he came
west. This man, he says, was arrested
in Birmingham. Ala, September IA,
1912, for embezzlement. After being
released on $500 cash bail. it is said,
he jumped his bail, and was arrested
in Montgomery, Ala, two weeks later
Seven years in the Alabama peniten-
tiary was the sentence imposed, but
on Christmas day, 1912. he escaped.
He was next heard from in wichita,
Kan.
Here Brumby, Baker, etc, etc, be-
gins his confession, as related last
night by Detective Dave Murphy. Will
liam Archer. D. w. Archer, d. w. Burns
and o. D. Anderson went down on hotel
registers in his handwriting To spot
out wealthy attorneys, real estate op-
orators, and other business men was
his aim. and in that he attained sue
cess right at the start.
TWO WICHITA FORGERIES
In Wichita there were two renumer-
ative forgeries that he got away with.
according to his own confession-one
for $500 on the law firm of Stanley,
vermillion and Evans, and one on At
torney s. B. Anfidon for s435
Denver Is a more pleasant climate
than Kansas. and SO he perpetrated two
more tricks there, both on Attorney J.
Foster Sims, for $435 and SIS.
In Salt Lake City the National bank
of the Republic lost several hundred
dollars on account of his forgeries
April saw him in San Francisco, and
when he was arrested yesterday he
was getting ready for even more ex-
tensive operations than those he had
accomplished already. for he said:
You got me just in time. was about
to tear off a $4,000 job
INTELLECTUAL FACE
This forger. with SO many aliases
that the mind is confused in trying to
remember which fsSe this narrative
started out with. is a man OF e5, about
five feet nine inches tall, thin and With
an intellectual face. No one can doubt
that this countenance shows evidences
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