Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-05-12

business to signatures of its deposors is
not held liable for raised check which it pays by
mistake of and in good faith
An unusual case, involving both these points ca
law, occurred in Missouri town not long ago. Two
firms of wholly unrelated businesses were in partner
shin with each other One a small mercantile
shop in the business section, managed by woman,
and the a sawmill on the outskirts Of the
town. Both depositors IN certain oank The
employees of the sawmill in the habit of cashng
their checks for weeks work Saturday night at
the store of the mercantile company. which checks
were then deposited the bank to the credit of the
mercantile SHOP and charged to the account of the
sawmill company.
After this arrangement had gone for several
months the sawmill company overdrew their account
several hundred dollars. 1t then out that five
different the employ of the company had raised
different checks, converting such sums as S146O
into s446O ETC. In addition had been two for
geres the signature of the company-one a check
for $3.50 and the other $3.50 All had been duly
cashed the mercantile shop and passed on to the
bank
The matter taken court because the bank
circumstances peculiar and refused to
make the deposits In the first place they pointed
out it seemed unusual that five different men in
the employ concern should suddenly be seized
with the temptation to raise checks and forge sigma
lures; also appeared rather curious that the
mercantile shop. copartner of the sawmil company,
should know so little business that it would
checks for such large amounts made out to en-
ployes. This evidence seemed to throw suspicion
the woman the case-the who managed the
mercantile shop but there substantial proof.
The bank stated this handled all the bank
ing deposits and would been a simple
matter altered the checks after had
purchased them from the employees moreover, that
such things usually the product of one intellect.
five.
But the court did agree with the bank which
responsible all Irregularities Later,
however decision reversed, and the bank
compelled the loss of forgeries but of
the checks. which had paid under the sigma
lures of the sawmi1I company and in good faith
The banks are becoming difficult hunting grounds
for the CROOKS, but the merchants daily
victims. The check protector has made check raising
consider it necessary to these devices. They
prefer to trust to a benevolent defend them
the crafty check raiser. On the con-
trary, firms have employed possible method
prevent check raising and forgery.
In towns built around great industrial plants
company check is always currency, and merchants
forced cash them. Under these circumstances,
is of course, abundant chance for forgery In
HopewelI Va, the new powder built by the du
Points the James river, there were repeated in
of forgery and of check raising for the first
months of the towns existence Then the company
devised a method which stopped it and for all.
Each employee required carry his watch fob
photograph of himself together with his number When
ne presents check be cashed, the photograph on
the watch fob Identifies the man, and a number
stamped on the check must correspond with that
the picture. Thus a reasonable certainty
James Jones, No 1851 is employee of the COM
pany presenting mis- own check to be cashed.
While not, perhaps. necessary for everybody to
wear photographs with numbers their watch fobS
or coat apels something just effective, III not
ornamental, should be used by every large concern
When it remains possible for welldressed crook to
a bogus check in every state in the union and
escape punishment preCaution, however ridiculous,
is superfuous. merchant trust company, manufac,
turer infallibe-even the treasurer of the
United States cashed forged draft-but they at
suspect every check until it its innO