The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-06-19
AUDITOR FINDS OLD
BOND IS A FORGERY
Records Show That One OF
Same Number Has
Been Paid.
DISCREPANCIES Barred
City May Attempt to Extra
dite Californian Who
Presented 1t.
DISCREPANCIES Barred

Discovery that the 500 bond Of the
issue of 1880, which was turned into
the nitv treasurcr's office Monday for
redemption WAS a forgery, was made
by Frank Godbc, city treasurer, and
Harry Shearman. city auditor, Yester-
dav. While searching through the old
records to determine how much interest
the holder of the bond was entitled to-
the treasurer ran across 4 bond of the
same number, which had been redeemed
and Cancelled twenty-eight years ago
Signatures Forged.
Comparison between the cancelled
bond and the one turned i'll Monday Tor
redemption showed conclusively that
forgery had been committed. The num-
ber of the original bond was 64 and the
number on the forgery is the same,
though il is written in with ink instead
of being printed. The signature Of +.
Little, who was mayor of Salt Lake at
the time the first $250,000 worth Of
bonds were issued, was discovered TO be
q forgery because OF the fact that tue
full name Of the snayor, Feramorc hit
tie, appeared on the original. The hTst
name Of the mayor was almost lnde'
cipherable on the original, and the
forger resorted to use of the initial
only. it is believed, because he could
not make out the whole name. Another
bit of tell-tale evidence was discovered
in the fact that the forged signature OF
John T. Game, who WAS city auditor
and recorder at that time, did not con-
tain the final "e' on Caine. Other
discrepancies were revealed by close
scrutiny Of the two documents.
Had More Bonds.
The forged bond was turned into the
city treasury by the Deseret National
bank, which in turn received 1T from
the Anglo. American bank of San Fran,
cisco. According to the letter from the
San Francisco bank the bond was
turned in by man who said he held
several others, including one for $500,
which he intended to turn In for re-
demption as soon as he discovered how
much interest was due from Salt Lake
on the bond.
Upon discovering the forgery the
auditor and treasurer Immediately I'M
dertook thorough search of the
records to trace the source OF the blank
used by the forger 1t was found that
at the time the bond issue was decided
upon, thirty-three years ago, the city
ordered the blank accounts from San
Francisco engraving company.
May Be Prosecuted.
The forged bond and the original
were turned over to the Deseret Ma
tional bank by the city auditor yester-
day, and the bank Immediately began
an investigation into the identify of
the forger, working with the assistance
of the Anglo-American bank in San
Francisco. If the forger is apprehended
steps will be taken by Salt Lake City
to have him extradited.
Had the forgery not been discovered
it is probable that the city would have
paid out the 500 principal and SO in
terest on the bond, and might have been
mulcted in the same way on the other
forged bonds which the forger admitted
to the San Francisco bank that he held.
Investigation yesterday. however.
showed that the entire $250.000 bond
issue of which the forged instrument
was q part, was called in in 1855, and
every bond had been redeemed or ac-
counted for.