The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-03-24
FX-FORCER may
DIE N P00RH0USE
Remarkable Career of Man
Who Afterwards Be-
came Respectable.

Fargo. n. D., March 24.-James
Buchanan Cross: once the greatest
forger of his time. formerly of h
United States secret service, a protege
Of a member Of Lncoln's cabinet.
after a generation OF reform. now al
most 80 years old. lies at the county
poor farm hospital at Fargo awaiting
the inevitable end.
the seventies. the name of James Blu
chanan Cross was a familiar one to
newspape readers. At hat time his
daring and successful forgeries
thrilled the people of both continents
and accounts of his clever criminal
acts were widely chrontcled in AMER
can and foreign newspapers. Detec-
tives, secret service men. bankers and
business men who were contempor-
aneous with Cross have long since
passed away. Few knew OF his re.
form.
For more than %thirty-fve years
Cross has been known to residents OF
Fargo as DIR. j. B. Crucial. During
that period he has led an upright life,
and now. unable to recognize his old
est and best friends, mentally incom-
petent INT physically helpless. he ia
q county charge. his death being re-
garded as a matter OF a few weeks.
Employed by the Government.
The half century ago records of the
leading prisons of the country will
show that Cross was a. tenant. The
two terms. The famous Joliet peni-
tentiary was the last in which he was
ancarcerated.
The daring of Cross was shown
while a prisoner in the Allegheny
penitentiary. One day a letter came
to the warden bearing the signature
OF Secretary Chase Of Lincoln's cabi-
net and written on the Official letter.
heads. asking that Cross be liberated
and sent to Washington as he was
wanted for secret service work. The
letter was so official in its character
that 1t was unquestioned by the war.
den and the contents were at once
tai. Secretary Chase diaclaimed n
knowledge OF the case and denied that
he had interested himself in Cross.
The warden was about to start back
with the prisoner when the iatter's
opportunities for an audience with the
secretary were granted. In a few mo-
ments Cross convinced Chase that he
could be Of valuable assistance to hin.
in the secret service. The official gave
him a trial and for three years the
forger was connected with the depart
ment as a protege OF the great war
time secretary. Cross. in addition to
his clever penmanship. was an expert
with men Of public affairs n with
criminals made him especially valu-
able to the government. For he
greater part his duties were between
Washington and New Orleans, usual
~ posing as a Frenchman. as he
was able to speak that language as
fiuently as his own
Operated in Old Country.
During his secret service work he
any forgeries. but soon after the close
Of the war he again resumed his in
ternational check raising. France was
his favorite haven. and 20 far as
known he never committed any for
geries there. When things became
too warm for him on this side or in
England he would flee to Paris. Tn
der an assumed name he had a wide
personal acquaintance with leading
men Of finance in France. posing as a
wealthy American Of French descent.
On one occasion he was in the Office
Of a French bank. when he noticed a
circular bearing his own picture with
called the Franch bankers attention
to the circular. commenting that. It
was a shame hat through mistake
his picture had been used as that of a
3orger. His French friend was 80 in
dignant that he sent a protest to
American officials.
So far as known the last forgery
committed by Cross was in Chicago in
1872. He had made the burned city
his headquarters and was purchasing
lots on which the buildings had been
DESTROYED by the great fire. He form
ed the acquaintance Of a banker and
a lumber dealer. They often ate at
the same table and the banker FIRE.