New-York tribune., 1921-11-26
Broker Is Held
In $l,5OO,O00
Bond Swindle
|St. Louis Financier Arrested
After ]. p. Morgan &
Co. Begin Investigation
of Spurious French Issue
PoliceCiveOut Confession
Prisoner Accused of Destroy
ing Bogus Paper After
Passing $4,000 Worth

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 25.--George v. Hal
liday, bankrupt broker, with liabilities
listed in excess of the hundred thou
sand mark, is declared by the police to
have admitted to-day that he counter
fcited $1,500,000 in French government
bond certificates. Halliday was arrested
of "Much ADO" semi-monthly publ
cation, and Paul Murphy, an advertis-
ing solicitor for the magazine.
He is said to have confessed that he
passed $63,O00 of the bogus bonds on
st. Louis banks as security for loans,
in an effort to recoup losses, and it was
charged that he had burned the rest of
the spurious paper.
Murphy was released without bond
and Halliday and Turner tonight were
liberated on bonds of $4,000 each.
Halliday was arrested after certifi-
Gates had been sent to J. p. Morgan &
Co., in New York, which foated a
500, 100000 issue of French bonds last
June, for exchange into coupon bonds.
The New York bankers noticed errors
in the bonds and started an investiga-
tion.
A Federal warrant charging Halliday
and Turner with counterfeiting obliga-
tions of the French government was
issued
The arrests were precipitated when
Frank P. McGill, head of printing
company here which printed the cer-
tiicates, read the New York dispatch in
st. Louis newspaper. McGill COM
municated with his lawyer, who noti-
fed United States District Attorney
Carroll. The certificates were for
$1,000 each, and it was explained, the
police said, that Of the 1900 printed
1000 were destroyed because they con-
tanned an error more detachable than
the others.
In his confession, as given out by
the police, Halliday says:
"I alone am guilty of the entire af-
fair. Turner and Murphy are merely
incidental figures and never had any
knowledge of my transactions. I had
the bonds printed and thought it would
100000 issue which j. P. Morgan e.
Co. had f1oated in June for the French
government"
Police say Turner had the plate made
for border for the bonds at Halli-
days suggestion and at cost of 81 900
1T was an aunt of Halli1ay's, Mrs.
Robert E. Ranken, who told to-day of
seeing Halliday burn $1,437, 900 Of the
certificates Wednesday in an open CRATE
in her home, which the Hallidays oc-
cupied Tuesday night after the auction
sale of the furniture in their home Mr.
Ranken is president of the st. Louis
Bible Society.
Halliday is declared to have told de-
tectives that a first group of $1,000,-
600 in certificates which he had printed
were not good. Of second group of
5000 900, he pledged $43 900 worth with
the Night and Day Bank, from which
ne obtained q loan of $17,500 through
3. M. Kidder, friend, and left $4,000
in certificates with the Lowell bank in
anticipation of obtaining another loan.
Stephen A. Carroll, Secret Service
operator, explained the method by
which the fraudulent certificates were
printed. Holiday got Turner to take
sample border to shop here, he said.
where plate of the scroll border and
background was made and the 1900
blank forms printed. The lettering
for 81 1000 bends was then printed in
by the McGill company.
With spurious name stamp of the
Morgan company, made from a copy of
the name furnished by Halliday to
stamping company, Halliday then
stamped signature on the certificates.
Still another printing company printed
the interest coupons, which were in
error, in that they specified the semi
annual interest as $3275 instead of
$3.50.