Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-12-05
THE BAD CHECK-By Frederic j. Haskin

WY ASHINGTON, D. C.-To make the
w check as a liable bit of paper
as United States gold certificate is
the object of a campaign now being carried
on by Washington merchants and bankers,
and TO some extent by those of many other
cities.
The bad check is a pest everywhere but
there are a few large cities where it flour
ishes it does in WashingtOn-Or rather,
rs il has in the past. For the local bust
ness men are now out after the check artists
in earnest.
This reaction follows golden era for
crooks. Shop keepers have at times been
gullibe and obsequiOus. They have trusted
to their ability to read character at first
glance But only too often the character
reading system has gone wrong. and the
guileless looking customer has turned out
to be bad check performer with a long
record of successes.
The wave of crime which followed the
war brought a considerable increase in bad
check operations. Professional crooks. say
the police, steer comparatively clear of
straight forgery and Embarrassing, the
penalties severe and there is g small
chance of pleading carelessness. But pass
ing checks when there is no account or
when the account is OVerdraWn, is a pOpu-
lar pastime both with professional and
amateur check artists and the alib of ig-
nOrance of the exact amount in bank is
worked steadily. Once in a while, of course,
an honest person does prOffer check in
good faith when his balance is too low to
back it, but this excuse has been often
used by crooks that it is difficult to make
it convincing.
Time was when naughty expression or
a burst of oratOry along the line of 4 am
Mrs. Hopewel St. Charles. My word of
honor has never been doubted in this town
before, was guaranteed to reduce a bank
er, merchant, or hotel manager to a state
of fluttering apology. Now, one hotel man
ager says, when ask d patron for
references, either he gives them willingly,
and we check them up and serve him, or he
gets bluStery and RACES in which we
stay calm and keep our money in the safe.
Due to this leve-headed philosophy, ho-
tel keepers suffer far less from bad check
pasSers than do merchants. Most large ho-
tells keep their own credit records. very
much like those of the merchants credit
rating bureaus If an unidentified patron
asks that a check be cashed the manager
presents form to be filled out to show
the applicants name, address, and financial
references. This record ) verified and kept
in the hotel for future use Hotel records
are supplemented by information contained
IN hotel journals warning managers against
persons who are trying to beat their way
and pass bogus checks on hotel clerks.
Once in while, however, hot is get TAX
Ell in, temporarily, at least. A short time
ago a young woman blew into Washn gtOn
from farm in a nearby state. Her long
ing for good clothes and Injuries had new
er been gratified, and Washington looked
easy. She obtained some blank checks, es-
tablished herself in big hotel, and pro-
Ceeded to hand out worthless checks for
clothiers, milliners, florists, and at the
hotel. 1t was not long before she was APP
pretended, but meantime she had tricked
a number Of supposedly fool-proof bust
ness men with her line of talk and some
clever acting.
Even more than the hotels. banks insist
on satisfactory credentials before honoring
checks. mot so long ago." says Washing
ton bank cashier, "a fOrger could walk in
to a bank with a check prepared and the
clerk would merely ask him. How'll you
nave 1t? Now many banks make it rule
to cash checks only for their depositors,
and positive Identification is demanded The
way of a forger under such circumstances is
decidedly hard.
Activities of check artists vary in the
different states according to the stringency
of state laws and the vigilance of state
prosecution. In some states the passer of
an overdrawn check is given twenty-fOur
hours IN which to make it good in other