Pueblo chieftain., 1921-10-24

New York City. Oct. 2i.-If you
want to make a favorable impression
upon a bonding company. be fat, pro-
fame. married. and have bad penman-
ship. All of these characteristics,
usually looked upon as handicaps by
the general public, are regrdcd -
highly desirable by the big New York
bonding companies which underwrtte
thousands Of cmbczzlemcnt risks every
year.
| 1t Is estimated tina. tho lar-- total
of 800, 900 900 Is annually cmbexzled in
this country. The total number of
known embezzlers whose dcfalcations
are discovered Is around 1900. These
startling figures explain why the
bonding companies have found 1t
necessary to make an elaborate study
of character. environment and
psychology in underwriting cmbczzle-
ment risks. After many wears of
such study and experience. they have
been able definitely to label some hu-
man traits good risks and others bad.
According to William B. Joyce. presi-
dent OF the National Surety company
of this city. the man who cusscs n lot
is a good risk not because he Is pro-
fame but because he is essentially hu-
man. His mind" says Mr.. Joyce, has
safety valve thru which he pours his
excess emotions. He Is far safer than
the quiet. suppressed individual who
STILES his natural impulses
Mr.. Joyce has been studying the
characteristics OF embezzlers for more
than 20 years. during which time he
has formulated the following guides
for underwriters:
1T is always the trusted employe'
who gets away with the most money.
There is no age at which cmbezzlc-
mcnt ceases.
Young and Uniformed characters arc
tho chief offenders.
Margin speculation leads to more
cmbczzlcmcnt than cards or dice; bet
ting on the ponies ranks a close Sec
ond
"Ex-convicts arc the poorest risks OF
all.
Since prohibition. many cmbezzlc-
mcnts have been caused by tho high
cost OF bootleg LIQUOR
Fat people are considered better
risks than lean ones. because the
obese arc on tho whole moro placid
and content with their lot, and less in
clned to morbid recklessness. Married
risks arc preferred to single risks as
tame horses arc preferred 10 wild ones
Cranks OF every kind. moreover. arc
readily accepted by tho surety com
panics for the same reason that pro-
fame men arc favored. In other words.
people who flaunt their idiosyncracies
sufficiently to he termed "cranks" at
least get tho poison out of their sys-
tom
GOOD pENMAN OFTEN BAD
Perfect penmanship is regarded with
tho deepest distrust by most bond
ing companies. II. r. Cole, Inspector
OF the American Surety company here.
who I'm the last 20 years has &C
cumulatcd handwriting specimens OF
hundreds of cmbczZlers. saws he be-
licves that superior penmanship is an
unfailinE characteristics OF cmbezzlcrs.
lilo does not deny that many an hon
est man writes a tidy hand, but IL is
extremely rare to find a dcfaultcr who
writes poorly.
MY opportunities for studying such
handwriting follow the opening of
each new cmbczzlcment case SAYS
MIR. Cole, for tho first --rccdurc Is
to study tho application which the &C
cusod man filed out with his pcn be-
fore being employed in position OF
responsibility, And I'm not speaking
only of bookkccpcrs. bank tcllcrs and
other men I'm positions requiring n
good hand. for We arc called upon to
bond office boys, saleseirls. railroad
conductors. restaurant cashiers. and
others REQUIRED to handle money with
out any tall fcats of penmunship.
I'm looking over our files OF bust
uoss criminals comprising examples
como across few specimens OF poor
handwritinE-un more than one TO
every fifteen that are above tho aver
age of excellence. In other words.
about g3 per cont Of tho dcfaultcrs IN
our fllcs have been FRS. class pen
mon And 7 have examined thousands
Of applications of men who afterward
went wrong
Richard NJ. McIlcrna Of tho detec-
tive division uf the New York police
department who has made IL special