El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-07-25
WIRE TAPPED AND
BANK ROBBED BY
A SLICK COUPLE
Court Record Reveals Rob
berry at Uvalde by Oper-
ator and Accomplish.

Austin, Texas, 5uIy 25.-ln the older
court reports OF Texas are many inter-
esung accounts OF remarkable law
cases. One Of these tells in detail how
the Uvalde National bank, OF Uvalde.
Texas, was robbed Of 5000 by wire
tappers Il years ago. W. ". Collier,
who now occupies the office Of state
DanE commissioner, was president OF
the Uvalde institution at the time il
was made the victim of the swindlers.
In the end, however, the telegraph
company was made TO suffer the loss.
H h Neill, associate justice Of the
state appellate court at san Antonio,
wrote the opinion that was rendered
IN the case and he describes the whole
transaction in an interesting manner,
as follows;
The town Of Uvalde is situated
mile south of the Galveston, Harris
burg & San Antonio railroad, opposite
UValde station thereon At the station
the Western Union TELEGRAPH COM
pany, private corporation, maintains
a telegraph office. its lines extending
therefrom TO san Antonio. Texas and
thence to Kansas City, No, and TO
other points in the United States. The
UTalde Telegraph company. which is
owned and operated by VIII White
extends from the town to the station
Messages sent over appellants lines
for parties in town are received by
Its agent at the station, and by him
transmitted thence over the line OF
the Uvalde Telegraph company TO
their destination, where they are re-
ceived by its owner and delivered TO
the persons 10 whom addressed Mes
sages from the town are transmitted
over the wires Of the Uvalde COM
pany to the station, " here they are
received by appellants agent, and sent
over its wires TO their destination. and
delivered by its servants 10 the persons
for whom intended
The Forgery.
For each Of these telegraph sta
lions the appellant has different calls,
indicated by letters used in calling up
a station TO which message is to
be sent, as well as designating the
one from which II is TO be transmitted.
Appenees, the Uvalde National bank
Of UValde, Texas, carries on a banking
business in the town Of Uvalde. and
John Woods & Sons, a partnership. are
private bankers residing and doing
business IN the city Of San Antonio,
Texas These relations. conditions and
facts prevailed on August Is, 1900. On
that day the Uvalde National bank
received the following telegram:
San Antonio. Texas, 18th. To c. ".
Fisher. care Uvalde bank, Uvalde, Tex:
We Will advance $4,000 your wire Cline.
Jno. Woods & Son"
This was received By appellants
d6EAL a. LNaAQG EAdLlOA ana transmit
ted by him over the line Of the Uvalde
Telegraph company to the town Of
Uvalde, where it was received. by Mr.
White and delivered in a sealed en-
velope Of appellee In sending this
message the call indicated that il was
sent from It's office in San Antonio.
and a letter which indicates the name
Of one OF the appellants operators at
its office in said city was given as
designating the operator who trans
mitted the message and the call was
answered as though It had been re-
ceived at San Antonio.
The Plan Well Laid.
A few minutes after appellee re-
ceiyed the envelope containing this
message a scoundrel, who gave his
name as c. W. Fisher. called at its
bank and asked the president thereof
II he had a telegram for him. In
response to this inquiry the envelope
was handed to him. and he opened IL
in the presence Of the president OF the
bank, stating to him that he would
draw on John Woods & Sons for the
amount Whereupon the president told
him that he would not permit him
70 do so until the bank had wired
John Woods & Sons and received from
them confirmation Of the telegram.
The bank then sent the following
'Uyalde, Texas, Aug. 16, 1900 John
WOODS & Sons, San Antonio, Texas:
viii you pay draft Of c. W. Fisher ]
245O0? Answer quick Uvalde National |
This was delivered to the Uvalde !
Telegraph company and transmitted !
over Its line TO Uvalde station, where |
L was received by appellants agent. I
ana by him transmitted over its wires ]
extending 10 its office in the city Of /
san Antonio. Before an answer was 1
received to this telegram, and about !
lalf an hour after the receipt Of the I
one first mentioned, the appellee re- /
'eiyed the following message:
kansas City, No, 18th. To Bank OF ]
Jvalde. Texas, Uvalde. Texas: II our 1
representative, Mr.. Fisher, calls. please /
notify TO 90 ahead and contract for 4
1alance Of Moore cattle. Scraggs-HalI |
The Third Forged Message.
ABOUT an hour after the bank deliv- 4
red its telegram for transmission to I
John Woods & Sons. it received in I
eply the following message:
san Antonio, Texas. 18th. To Uvalde
National bank, Uvalde. Texas: Yes, I
We VIII honor c W Fishers draft for ,
1900 John Woods & Sons"
when the message last mentioned Z
vas received by the bank the person
.aIling himself c ". Fisher, drew on
ohm Woods & Sons a draft for S45GO.
On the strength Of the foregoing
kilograms. the Uvalde National bank