Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-02-04

w In cloaks and suits on State
street. Albany. y. Y. sent a
check for S3S.17 Ia Refs and Blum.
garment manufacturers In New York
city, they didn't have the slightes
idea that they were starting chain
of evidence which would land one III
the cleverest crooks in America behind
the bars
4 few days later. before the New
York firm had had time to report the
nOnarrival of the check and thus per
nit Hyma. and Hess tn look into the
matter. u young man came into the
National Commercial bank In Albany
and presented a check for $3.50. made
out 10 Bearer" The date on the
check, filled In with rubber stamp
correspondent To the day on which II
was presented. and the man who hand
ed 1t to the paying teller mentioned
casually that the check was to cover
an option and that he had to hurry
back To- New York In order To complete
the transaction. The paying teller
feeling certain that the signature was
genuine. cashcd the check, and the
man who had presented II walked out
of the bank with $3.50 in his pocket.
When lIyman ana Hess had their ac.
count balanced they found that they
were exactly $3.50 >hort-for the orig
inal check had never reached its New
York destination, but had been lifted
out of the mail box by one of gang
of clever criminals, III" body of the
check erased with an ink crudicator
and the date and amount filled in on
top Of the original signature
only one man in the country could
hay" done that ANA gotten away with
It,, growled George A. Fuller. assistant
superintendent of the Pinkcrton Detcc-
tive agency, when the bank called the
details OF the case to his attention.
IT'S Boland'S work :"
AYES. Boland." replied Fuller. "or
Gardner as he sometimes calls him
self He's got regular organization
for this sort of thing Trains boys To
loot the mail boxes. washes the checks
with an acid preparation of his own
invention, writes In Il higher amount.
makes them payable to Bearer, and
then another of his tools cashes
them"
III you know so much about the
man. asked the amazed banker. why
hasn't he been arrested long before
thisi"
Its easy enough To arrest a man, "
was FullerS reply. but IL is sometimes
very difficult Ia convict him. So far as
the actual check-raising goes. Boland
plays Il lone hand. What's more, he
pays his men well. and takes care of
them II they happen To get caught. So
far, none Of 'em has turned states evil
dencc, and until they door until we
catch Boland d-handed-there's moth
ing 10 do but be careful. We've got
our eyes on him. He can't move with
90; OH hnuwing il.
Warned by Ilyman and Hess check
that the Boland outfit was once more
conducting operations In New York
state. the Pinkerion man kept close
watch on all persons suspected of he
longing To the organizations. with the
result that three men were arrested
and sentenced 10 terms In prison. But
all of them stcadfastly refused to i'm
plicate the man higher up"
Finally Boland and three Of his as.
sociates were arrested In Boston, aft.
or Fuller had Swallowed u boy whom
he suspected of robbing mail box.
Dnno. the hoy. and Devine, another
OF the organization. drew short terms
for petty larceny. but Boland escaped
on account of techncality and
moved To New York where he tried
to continue his operations. But the
New York police and particularly Com
missioner George =. poughcrty. made
things So difficult that he was soon re-
duced 10 the cXprdient Of securing
checks wherever he could-a neces.
slty which led Ia the fatal slip which
Fuller had predicted.
out of the mail box Of an uptown
apartment house. one Of Bolands APP
prcntices secured n check for $50. made
ont Ia n real estate company in pay
ment of the rental for one of the apart
ments. II was child's play for Boland
to wash of the original name and
amount and To write in the words
"Bearer'' and 1.-Two Hundred and
Eleven Dollars" Once that was done.
he had n perfectly good check Zap.
parenily) and he sent one of his men
down Ia the bank on which the check
was drawn. with minute Instructions
us To the cashing of II. But the cashier.
being suspicious Of check Of that
size being made out TO "Bearer"-par.
ticularly as he knew that the woman
whose signature appeared upon II was
very careful in her financial dealings
declined TO cash II. and Boland's
man returned with a story of having
been watched and therefore very fear
full to approach the paying window.
Boland, In n spirit of bravado, again
altered the check. this time making
a, ~, Ia Tho mama ne ssNN'filiau, Hath"