New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-15
CLEVEREST F0RGER
CAUGHT BY POLICE
Pen Marvels Disclosed by
Arrest of Check Gangs
Alleged Leader.

Skill in forgery such as has never
been paralleled in the history OF New
York crime. according to the Dlstrlct
Attorneys office. was brought to llght
last ripbt when Max Frank. Of 80 Gou-
verneur Street, was arrested by Detec-
tive HAYES and taken 10 Police Head
quarters.
Franks arrest was the elimination Of
five months work on the part OF As
sistant District Attorney Van Rens-
eelacr. lie obtained confessions from
the six alleged associates Of Frank, put
the most important Of these was drawn
i'm repeated interviews from jacob
Abrams. an oldtimd foreer, who recent
Is escaped from the Tombs.
Franks custom, his oldtime associate
informed Mr.. Van Rensselaer,, was TO
place advertisements in leading news
rapers calling for agents to work for
a large concern" and demanding par
'icularly that they send in good refer
cnces. From the answers Frank would
pick out the most promising references.
Then the rest Of the gang with these
in their pockets would 90 down to large
banks including the Security Bank,
the Fidelity Trust Company and the
Public Bank-and open accounts under
the names of the men answering the
advertisements. using the references TO
gain acceptance for their accounts.
After the accounts were accepted
initial deposits OF $500 would be made
from money obtained from Frank. This
would be gradually drawn out till $75
or less was left. Then the opener Of
the account would deposit a forged
check, running from $500 TO $1,000,
these checks being prepared by one OF
the cleverest penmen in the country.
This man, who is now in custody, has
made a full confession, il is said, 10
Mr.. Van Rensselaer,.
The models for the checks, he said,
were cancelled vouchers from some Of
the largest concerns drygoOds houses,
brokers and importers IN this city. BY
bribing office boys to abstract such
vouchers from the files at night, when
the penmen would forge the checks, he
was able to have them returned in the
morning, 90 that they were never
missed. BY bribing bank employees he
even secured such vouchers from sew
eral banks.
These operations ran from Septem-
Der, 1913, to October. 1914, the general
scheme being first discovered by Su-
perintendent John Graham of the Pink
erton Detective Agency, who was as
signed to the case by the swindled
banks Mr.. Graham has in his posses
sion $4,000 worth Of forged checks
which were put through and honored
Yesterday afternoon Frank, apparent
/ ly oblivious OF his danger strolled into
/ the Criminal Courts Building, sitting
| through several trials. He was recog-
nized by an attendant, who carried the
word to Mr.. Van Rensselaer,, but the
man skipped before he could be ar
rested
Mr. Van Rensselaer, began his i'm
vestigation last December. Since then
/ the other members of the gang, who are
all in custody on other charges, have
al confessed. They say that the
money obtained by their forgeries
/ totalled $4,000.
OF the seven members two are in
/ Elmira, one Of these being little more
/ than n boy. One is awaiting trial for
I grand larceny and another one is await
/ ing sentence for the same crime
Abrams, the penman, and Frank are in
I the Tombs.