Phoenix tribune., 1924-02-27
True
Detective Stories
BOLAND, ALIAS
GARDNER
Copyright BY The wheeler syndicate. IL

street, Albany. N. Y, sent a
check for $38.77 to Refs and Blum,
garment manufacturers in New York
city, they didn't have the slightest
idea that they were starting chain
of evidence which would land one Of
the cleverest crooks in America behind
the bars.
few days later, before the New
York firm had had time to report the
nonarrival of the check and thus per
nit Hyman and Hess to look into the
matter, a young man came into the
National Commercial bank In Albany
and presented a check for $3.50. made
out to Bearer" The date on the
check, filed in with a rubber stamp,
cOrresponded to the day on which it
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. cashed the check, and the
man who had presented 1t walked out
of the bank with $3.50 In his pocket
When Hyman and Hess had their ac-
count balanced they found that they
were exactly $3.50 short-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, the body of the
check erased with an ink eradicator
and the date and amount filed In on
top Of the original signature.
Only one man in the country could
have done that and gotten away with
IT." growled George A. Fuller, assistant
tive agency, when the bank called the
details of the case to his attention.
"It's BOland's work II
"Yes, 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 a 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
| thisT
Its easy enough to arrest a man."
was Fuller's reply, "but it Is sometimes
very difficult to convict him. So far as
the actual check-raising goes, BOland
plays a lone hand. What's more, he
pays his men well, and takes care of
them If they happen to get caught. So
far, none Of 'em has turned states evil
dence, and until they door until we
catch BOland d-handed-there's moth
Ing to do but be careful. We've got
our eyes on him. He can't move with
out our knowing it.
Warned by Hyman and Hess check
that the Boland outfit was once more
conducting operations In New York
state, the PinkertOn man kept close
watch on all persons suspected of be-
longing to the organizations, with the
result that three men were arrested
and sentenced to terms In prison. But
all Of them steadfastly refused to i'm
plicate the ''man higher up"
Finally Boland and three Of his as
soclates were arrested in Boston, aft
er Fuller had shadowed a boy whom
he suspected of robblng mail box.
Dano, the boy, and Devine, another
| of the organization, drew short terms
for petty larceny, but Boland escaped
| ON account of a technicality, and
moved to New York where he tried
to continue his operations. But the
New York police and particularly Com
missioner George S. Dougherty, made
things so difficult, that he was soon re-
duced to the expedlent of securing
checks wherever he could-a neces.
sity which led to the fatal slip which
Fuller had predicted.
Out of the mail box of an uptown
apartment house, one of Boland's ap-
prentices secured check for $50, made
out to real estate company in pay
ment of the rental for one of the apart
ments. 1t was child's play for B0land
to wash off 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 perfectly good check Gap.
parently) and he sent one of his men
down to the bank on which the check
was drawn, with minute instructions
as to the cashing of it. 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 it was
very careful In her financial dealings
declined to cash 1t, and Boland's
man returned with a story of having
been watched and therefore very fear.
full to approach the paying window.
Boland, in spirit of bravadO, again
altered the check, this time making
1t out in the name Of 'William Hath
and set forth to cash the check him
self something which he had never
before attempted. One glance at the
odd amount-$211.-and the recollec.
tiOn that q check of similar size had