New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-08-09
Raises a Check
W it'll Protector
He WasSellir,g
Brooklyn Salesman Makes
II Read so,7I5 Instead
of SIS, but Banker, an
Old Friend, Foils Him
Held in Bail of $25, 900
McNarnee Earned Good
Salary as an Expert on
Anti Forging Devices

John McNamee, who last week was
earning substantial living because Of
his expert knowledge of devices which
protect against forgery, is in fail to-
day because he did not believe in him
self. For several years McNamee has
been proving to merchapts in New
York that it was impossible success
fully to raise q check protected by the
device which he was selling. On Mon
day he decided that the talk he had
been giving his customers was bunk
With his own device he raised
check, and his own device punished his
mistrust with instant capture.
McNamee is twenty-five years old He
lives at 1915 Flatbush avenue, Brooklyn,
with his young wife and -year-old
baby. Yesterday in the Flatbush court
he waived examination and was held in
$4,000 bail for the grand jury charged
with check-raising, which is a felony.
Every precaution to avoid detection
had been taken by McNamee, and one
by one his defenses were swept aside
by tri9ing circumstances involving the
human equation McNamee banked
-@or the fact that John Graf, paying
E at the Flatbush branch of the
irving National Bank, was an old
school chum to Offset any suspicious
that Graf might entertain; but Graf is
banker first and an alumnus after
ward. It was Graf, his old school
chum, who phoned to the police to
come and take McNamee away.
McNamee Knew Device Well
McNamee's check protector Is per
foration device which i1nprints indel.
IDLY the figures and letters detailing
the amount for which the check is
issued. McNamee knew that check
protector backward, frontward and
from the inside out. He had studied
explained its inner mechanism to him;
sales talks had impressed It's poten
tialities so deeply upon his brain that
he dreamed about it when he slept.
Knowing it so well, he sensed, or
thought he sensed, weakness in its
efficiency Telling thousands of bust
ness men, day in and day out, about
how safe it was, he came at last TO
wonder if it was really as safe as he
thought He began to figure out meth
DDS of beating it, and at last he
/ thought ne had found one.
On Monday morning McNamee sold
used protector to the Macon Auto
Sales and Service Company, 901 Macon
Street, Brooklyn. The price was $15
McNamee himself perforated the check
with the figures 1880" and the words
Fifteen dollars" The check was signed
by Cyrus w. Rudinger, manager of the
automobile company, and was drawn
on the Kings County Trust Company
Makes Check Read ss,715
With the check in his hands, Nc
/ Nance went to the trust companys of
ffice and had the company's certitication
set upon it, Then, applying his exact
knowledge Of the machine which he had
sold for so many years, he perforated,
before the fifteen, the additional figures
nlnety-seven. He also perforated the
words: Nine thousand. seven hundred
and" before the word fifteen. Now he
held in his hands a check stamped with
safety device, and certified, for $9,715.
As good as cash, he thought
He remembered about Graf Graf
knew McNamee, knew him to be a sue
cessful salesman and knew him to en-
( JOY an excellent reputation; but what
McNamee did not know about Graf was
shat Graf was just as efficient a banker
as McNamee was a salesman of check
protectors. Nfat mas also gone through
The mill; he has been taught his job by
experts. and he knows that funny
things happen in banks, and you can
never be sure of everything until you
have proved it for Yourself
So, when his old school chum pre-
sented certified check on the Kings
County Trust Company for $9,71500,
Graf was not Influenced by what he
knew about McNamee. 1t was a big
sum of money and while it looked all
right it might be just as we'll to be
( sure. Graf called up the trust com
pany; then he called up the police.
The figure one was just a hairs
/ breadth too close to the figure seven"
Graf told the police. " never cash 2
check unless am sure of it, certainly
not check for such a large amount
l wasn't sure, so I telephoned to make
/ sure"