The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-06-29

stroke by Charles Becker, styled
"Prince Of Forgers," who In 1895 had
"a confederate buy draft for $12 at
bank in small California town.
The cashier as an extra precaution
using the crude protective device OF
the time, punched the figures SIPS on
both upper corners of the draft. Beck.
er filled up these perforations. erased
the word twelve" and the figure "12,' "
restored the papers tint, which had
suffered by the erasures, wrote the
words twenty-five thousand" and the
figures $500, ,OOO," punched the same
figures on each corner of the draft,
and had a document so genuine look
ing that he cashed It without trouble
at Reno bank.
The fraud was not discovered until
long after, because neither bank had
noticed anything amiss with the draft.
The money had all been spent when
Becker was convicted of the crime and
the courts had finally decided the liti.
CATION between the two banks.
An itinerant vendor of patent inks,
who recently made the rounds of small
towns in the East, used modern meth
DDS. Calling for the proprietor of a
store, he would ask for one Of the
merchants blank checks and fill II out
for 500, using ordinary ink. Then
with acid he would wash the check
clean and rewrite 1t for $1,000, this
time using the patent non-eradicable
ink from bottle In his sample case.
Again applying the acid bath. the ink
would stand fast. This demonstration
usually made the sale, the merchant
rendering a dollar bill in payment.
At sight of the bill the peddler
would register comic distress as he
drew from his pocket huge roll of
dollar bills and explain that, as he
had made so many sales, all paid for
In bills, he would appreciate 1t If the
merchant would give him check In
stead. So simple a request was rarely
refused In q week or so the accom-
modating merchant would receive a
Cancelled check for 500. unquestion-
ably genuine as to all but the amount.
Repeated acid washings by the dis,
mayed merchant would fail to erase
the ink, but a last resource to PLAIN
soap and water would easily remove
II.
Checks Expand Currency.
The volume Of check transactions In
the United States is greater than In
any other country. 1t has been esti-
mated that the annual business turn
over in the United States Is more than
$500, O,OOO,OOO,OO0. The nations actual
money circulation is only about $4,70O,-
100000. So stupendous a total of an
nual business transactions could be
possible only through the extensive use
of checks, and II is estimated that 30
per cent Of the business transactions
in the country are made with checks.
This furnishes the check crook his
golden opportunity. The average check
user is surprisingly careless in his
handling of what he uses in place of
money, which indeed performs the
functions of money ana which he
should safeguard as zealously as his
cash. 1t is with the unprotected check
that the crook Is enabled to do his
will.
There is nothing very complex about
either drawing or using checks and
the matter of preventing some going
astray is even simpler, yet so general
is the carelessness that attends their
issuance and handling that the follow
ing "Ten Commandments for Check
Users" recently were formulated by
the forgery prevention bureau:
Keep blank checks and Cancelled
vouchers under lock.
Write checks with safety ink or
with a check writing machine that
shreds the paper and impregnates 1t
with the amount in ineradicable ink.
In writing checks leave as little
space as possible between the figures
of the amount and start the written
amount as close to the left-hand mar
gin as possible, drawing heavy parallel
lines through the untitled space.
Use only alteration proof check
paper.
Destroy all checks marred In draw
ing and never permit a check to be
issued with any erasures on It.
Do not issue checks to unvouched-
for strangers and never make them
out to "casb" or bearer"
Do not sign blank checks.
Scrutinize all certified checks, as the
stamps are not difiicu,t to duplicate.
Be careful where and how you sign
your banking signature.
On checks you deposit add to your
signature 'for deposit only" thus maxi
ing II impossible for them to be cashsd