Newspaper Page Text
On toeIrail Forger //
of the / / MUm
/ iiriPW i]
: -
t I I], I y
/ ?
Business Enlists Science and Invention in Relent¬
less Warfare on Clever Criminals Who
Prey Upon Bank Accounts.
HE pen is mightier than the
Jimmy—mightier, too, than
nitro-glycerine and other
aids to the cracksman whose
gaze rests with longing specu¬
lation on the modern bank vault. To
be tore, burglar alarms, guard sys¬
tems and all the means of protecting
gsaah from physical assault fail to stop
.entirely the operations of occasional
bandits endowed with more nerve
than Judgment But even these gentry
naually concentrate their attention
on more accessible collections of cash
—most often on the amounts carried
from the tianks for payrolls. All of
which terminates the life of many a
payroll messenger In sudden tragedy,
but leaves the bank deposits intact
Enter, then, the pen in hand of an
Artist in crime who disdains the crud
ities of banditry. His eye on the
greater treasure guarded from his per¬
sonal approach, the forger collects
his raw material In the form of
pilfered checks gathered at slight
personal risk. Then he sets to work
with his chemicals and inks. Or he
may obtain a sample of the desired
signature, and duplicate it with rare
Skill. Ills facile pen draws from
the bank Its treasure while gongs
rest silent and guardte pace their
rounds, all unaware of any crime.
Forger's Path Thorny
Such, at least, Is his pen. Unt the
way of the forger is hard and grows
even harder as the business world
learns of moans so readily at hand
to check each new step of his devi
ous course, Keeping ever apace
vrlth the forger’s activities, science
and Invention produce the moans for
their circumvention. Your successful
forger is a man of parts and a fast
worker, hut he is u little slower and
a little less resourceful than the
man whose business It is to root him
out. Written Into the records of
the patent offices ami courts of the
world is the romance of forgery pre¬
vention and forgery detection—the
thrilling idle of the achievements
of the inventor and the expert ex¬
aminer of questioned documents.
Criminals are for the most part op¬
portunists, and your forger is one
of the greatest opportunists of them
all. In the field of negotiable instru¬
ments he has been taking advantage
of his opportunities since the early
seventeen hundreds, when the first
Bank of England notes were circu¬
lated. He has seen in valuable docu¬
ments such as wills, deeds and con-
Agricultural Outlook
Continues Favorable
The 1925 agricultural picture is
painted in bright colors by the Fed¬
eral Department of Agriculture in a
report to the Georgia State College
of Agriculture this week. As busi¬
ness conditions also continue good,
the combination presents an optimis¬
tic outlook, the department says.
Promise of recovery in all branches
of the livestock industry is indicated.
Heavy Bteers have been bringing
higher prices than last year, hogs are
nearly double the price of a year ago,
and lambs have been higher priced.
Hogs this fall are probably ap¬
proaching the peak of a price cycle,
the department believes. It points
out for the guidance of producers
that some far-sighted hog raisers are
V I CAN
WEAR
SMALLER
\ ILNOW/ SHOES*
jte I Bathe My
Feet in
-a TIZ
o H smaller, since YES! I use daintier I can Tiz. shoes It wear is
because my feet are never
swollen or tender any more.
The minute you put your feet
in a Tiz bath, you feel pain
and tenderness drawn out.
Oh I What relief. No more
tired, aching, burning, shoe
chafed feet
Tiz draws out the poisons
and acids that puff up your
feet Get a box of Tiz for a
few cents at any drug or
departmetn store.
Test Tiz free. Send this
coupon.
3 W »K*r LutWr C«. Free
' 688 Madison Ave.
New York City Trial
T Mall MeMmple "TIZ"
t-7
tracts a field for his activities since
paper and printing have been in ex¬
istence and education has been gen¬
eral.
Vast Field of Forger
Today six billion checks in circu¬
lation every year afford unlimited op¬
portunity for his work because among
these checks hundreds upon hundreds
Of thousands are written as if to
make the forger's task as easy as
possible.
But let us watch at work the man
whose bnsiness it is to study the
product of the forger and to prove
with scientific accuracy where he has
been at work, We find the ques
tloned document expert in the wit¬
ness chair In court.
“Is that signature genuine?”
The dramatic question that heralds
the climax of the trial is fired at
him. The courtroom Is silent. Judge
and Jury concentrate their attention
upon the witness. With liberty hang¬
ing upon a few strokes of a pen, a
drop of chemical and the lenses of a
microscope, the accused becomes
tense.
And then the qualified expert
speaks. In these days his testimony
is not mere opinion. He speaks from
knowledge. He sees with the eye of
experience as well as the eye of the
scientist. The paper npon which the
document before the court is written
may alone justify conviction. The
inanimate ink with which it is writ¬
ten may become eloquent. The micro¬
scope, the camera and special Instru¬
ments give testimony that is un¬
answerable and cannot be cross ex¬
amined. Much evidence of this kind
is visible, not oral.
"We. the jury, find the defendant
guilty.”
Science Removes Doubt
No quibbling here. The jury has
Heen, because the very existence of
the forger has been responsible for
the creation of a profession that rivals
in skill that of the surgeon, or in acu¬
men that of the lawyer—the question¬
ed document expert!
To make the crime itself the c.rtmi
nal’s accuser is the expert’s task.
"That will was written twenty years
after the date 1t bears,” he says. >
Judge and jury register doubt.
“The paper on which it is written
was not manufactured until twenty
years after the document is supposed
to have been written,” continues the
expert, and doubt begins to dissolve.
When ho has shown conclusively that
already considering probable heavy
pig production in 1926, and lower
price levels thereafter.
“Truck cops are coining in for a
share of price recovery this season,”
the report says, Early estimates
suggest a potato production of only
about 3.1 bushels per capital, which
would be on a par with those well
remembered shortage years, 1911 and
1919. Onions, cabbage, melons and
peaches have been selling at two or
three times last year’s prices and
seemingly have a brisk fall market
ahead.
“Rains last month added to hay
and late oats. Corn is making ears
now ami looks good as a whole. Cot¬
ton has lost ground in the western
belt by reason of drought, but indi¬
cations still point to a good sized
total crop. Potatoes are a decidedly
smaller acreage than last year and
promise a smaller yield but neverthe¬
less may make more money for pro¬
ducers. "
The department’s general index of
purchasing power of farm products
in terms of non-agrieultural commod¬
ities remains at a level of 90, com¬
pared with a five-year pre-war level
taken as 100.
THE MAN FROM GEORGIA
Woodrow Wilson always belonged
to the South. While he was President
of The United States he acknowledg¬
ed the tie that held him to the home
of his boyhood. “A boy never gets
over his boyhood and never can
change those subtle influences which
have become part of him, that were
bred in him when he was a child.
The only place in the country, the
only place in the world where noth¬
ing has to be explained to me is the
South. The moment I come and see
old friends again and discover a
country full of reminiscences which
with all of the old memories, I know
connect me with my parents and
again the region to which I naturally
belong.”
It was in the south, in Georgia,
where nothing had to be explained
to him, that he did not need to ex¬
plain himself politically. It was here
that he was first recognized as a na¬
tional leader and first publicly hailed
as being of presidential timber.
Early in 1911, when he was the
THE LEADER-TRIBUNE, FORT VALLEY, GA„ THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1925.
the paper wan manufactured In a cer¬
tain year, by a specific mill, and even,
perhaps, that It was part of a specific
lot that left the mill, the case has
ended, and a forged document goes
Into the discard.
Ink Bears Witness
Again it may be a question of an
addition to an admittedly genuine doc¬
ument.
“The ink shows that the questioned
line was added several years after
the original portion of the document
" —
7, 5
' '
■ K- < 1
.
\
Sp_ u
> I
>'V
- f . !.
A
-
a
'•
m
• 4- i •• 1 f
'M
J I
F
m
%
■ y
■
Part of a genuine letter (left) and
similar part of a traced signature,
from a famous New York case, The
microscope reveals the Imperfections
of the traced letter.
was written,” says the expert, posi
tively. And then, out of Iris exact
knowledge of inks, and as a result of
chemical and microscopic examina¬
tions, he shows that the kind of ink
with which the questioned portion was
written was not manufactured until
some time after the date of the docu¬
ment. His microscope permits the
judge and jury to see where lines
that were supposed to have been writ¬
ten first were in reality written last.
His chemical tests establish the dif¬
ferences in ingredients of the two
inks in question. He removes all
mystery from his conclusions and all
questions from the minds of his hear¬
ers.
Equipment of Expert
Chemistry, the microscope, the earn¬
newly elected governor of
Jersey, Woodrow Wilson went
to speak at the opening of the
Fair at Dallas, Texas. On his
he stopped in Atlanta where he
been asked to make an address.
had been a red letter week for
lanta. Ex-President Roosevelt
spoken a few nights before, and
the end of the week President
was to pass through and speak.
that time Woodrow Wilson was
tically unknown politically outside
New Jersey.
Judge George Hillyer, who nearly
thirty years before had admitted him
to the’ practice of law in Itlanta,
proudly in presenting the speaker,
was chairman of the meeting. He
and in conclusion said, “A few nights
ago we heard a former president
speak to us, soon we shall hear presi¬
Taft but tonight, gentlement, 1
to you the next president of
this country.”
The prophecy was hailed with
applause—applause that
have been doubly sweet to
Wilson because it came
his own people, Georgians.
But who among them could have
that its fulfillment would be
half the tale—that the smiling
aged man on the platform,
not only be the next president,
would lead his country through
World War to the highest and
honorable place among nations,
that he should become for a
the leader of mankind in the
great effort to realize a new
of peace.
CARD OF THANKS
May God’s richest blessings be
the many friends and relatives
were so sweet to help bear our
in every way during the ill¬
and death of our son and brother.
Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Hancock
and family
Enormous Flower “Ad yy
A basket of blossoms as big as an
house was constructed to ad¬
a flower show held recently in
Sloths have a hard life. Imagine
in overcoat sail summer and
suits all winter.
iiilj i swy.'H i !l :«i
mm * fcl •n fl
t >/>
f d JIM I
} \ it! r?&\ i ill
i I f - fl ■
, j: IN#]'
u 4 Yti It’ I •I' 11 1 1 jjj i
\ ! k I I
i I* ■ It Til m J Ifli i I I \ i I I
& m 111
.W fftUQ,
i \ \
vV 1 h, > i h
V
MT'S!) 1 « Li '• r j ^UL.
/jZ -J ------
- /I
Ut; f J Hr
m j
\ V~' : '
F ~-a......
. p
era, mathematics and marvelous meas¬
uring instruments are allies of the
foe of the forger. Hut these are not
enough. The expert knows psycholo¬
gy, he knows handwriting, he knows
typewriters and other equipment used
in creating written and printed docu¬
ments. He may astonish the court¬
room by giving the approximate age
of the writer of a document without
havlng seen the writer or heard his
name. Such a statement is invariably
m
!4 :
1 -
mm
Remington, Underwood and Smith
Premier small y’s, enlarged about sev¬
en diameters, showing three distinctly
different designs of letters.
accompanied with proof, however, in
the form of charts and examples of
writings of various periods—for fash¬
ions in writing change with every gen¬
eration. in the case of a typewritten
document he is often able to identify
the specific machine on which it was
written, for even typewriters have dis¬
tinct individuality.
All this refers, of course, to the real
expert. In every field of endeavor
there is the charlatan. Fortunately,
however, in the field of questioned doc¬
uments the “four-flusher" has short
shrift. The very rules of evidence, and
a mass of precedent, very qnickly put
him out of court.
It is because the detection of forgery
GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST
ARE IN MIST OF GREAT
ERA OF PROSPERITY
-
“Georgia is to enjoy an era of
unprecedented prosperity this fall,
j and with great crops growing in
I South and Middle Georgia this state
is going to be one of the most pros
porous in the union.” This is the
opinion of Cannon Forbes, manager
of Atlanta Johns-Manville company,
who has just returned from an auto
i ,
mobile tour of 2,000 miles which in
' eluded of Georgia, South Caro
parts
l' na an< * Florida.
! “Business is already imporing in
South Georgia and the prosperous
condition of the crops in South Caro
i’™ will be one of the chief causes
of this state's prosperity,” he said
• • In the Piedmont section of Georgia
and Carolina rain is badly needed but
in the territory between Augusta and 1
Charleston and South of Macon in •
Georgia has received all the rain i
needed and as a result the fields are j
loaded with the greatest 1
crops ever
:
Renew Your Health
by Purification !
Any physician will tell you that
“Perfect Purification of the Sys i
tern is Nature’s foundation of:
Perfect Health. Why not rid:
yourself of chronic ailments that
are undermining your vitality?:
Purify your entire system by tak¬
ing a thorough course of Calotabs,:
—once or twice a week for several
weeks—and see how Nature re-;
wards you with health.
Calotabs are the greatest of all
system purifiers. Get a family
package, containing full direc¬
tions, price 35 cts.; trial package,
1.0 cts. At any drug store. (Adv.)
EAO LE
| ^ JV0J7F " • • • •
52 i
• ■
as* me
r YELLOW PENCIL ■ass — mw MACE |
‘zoilh the RED BAND BY
TSURStST resciL FACTWr
"EAGLEPENCIL CO. NEWYORK.U.SA. W.HE WORLD /.
brings into play such a variety of tab
ent and exact knowledge that the
I.lt* _vr r.vi.tJ*- l"vNK IaU.S" 3 ^'
\U: NaTIONA’ ,, ’ < >*Ua.Vl
• ’ .»"<■**
nu* T ... ______j,
i 3 l *
7. 1 ISV T»' «•¥»>»
3 t
• "> !
i I a A* J
This check, which was originally drawn for $15. was cashed by a trusted
employee after he had raised it to $1,500. Check “raising" is one of the most
frequent of check crimes, and is the easiest to guard against.
forger is able to operate successfully,
often for years, before he is ultimate¬
ly apprehended. The bank teller may
know a certain signature. He may
even compare the name signed to a
check with his card on which the de¬
positor has written his name without
being able to identify a skillful forg¬
ery. This is something that is happen¬
ing constantly in banks. Then there
is the matter of check alteration, of¬
ten even more difficult to detect by
superficial examination than an out¬
right forgery. Forgery of endorsement
on a lost or stolen check may further
complicate the situation for the banks.
The expert picks up where the facili¬
ties of the hank leave off, and inar- |
shahs the forces of science and expert ‘
ence to the task of establishing genu
ineness or fraud.
The skilled forger knows, just as '
does the forgery expert, that there are
certain definite, individual character
istics in every signature or handwrit
ing. It is the forger’s effort to du
plicate those peculiarities. It is the
j raised “The in South these Georgia sections. section is
re
markable for the large variety of |
I successful crops that can be grown *
there. The cotton and corn, the old
J crop, staple a crops, new crop are to good; Georgia, the tobacco is the
best they have ever had; the fruifs
and melons were good and sold for
good prices, and as a result that part j
of the state is bound to enjoy a re
markable era of prosperity. I be- !
lieve it will help the whole state be
cause the trade in that territory right j
things about the situation in South
now is getting better every day.”
Mr. Forbes said one of the best j
Georgia is the spirit of enthusiasm
and optimism that prevails.
“The farmers, the merchants and
bankers are all in a good humor and
feel like prosperity is right at hand,”
'USTE H.
/\ ( * - l: .€ !i
m. /
4 \y i
*r- - A r X s
•V , 1
J 1 lT h ! !A
o
Respect your mirror.
It will never frown on you if
we are given the care of your
clothing—Suits. Dresses, etc.
Our reputation is maintained by ■
painstaking SERVICE.
W. M. JOHNSON •
Phone 76
;>
expert’s task to distinguish the forgery
from the genuine. When it is
ereii that there may be as many as a
hundred different ways of crossing the
letter “t,” the expert's Job begins to
take on a vaster importance.
The activity of the expert is obvf-
ously a salient feature of prevention
work. fn every instance where he
aids in pointing out the guilt of a
y *
* ■
:• •V
• m - m
ip m
,v>
*
■■
' V
!
<4*
How the pboto-micragraph reveals al
terations. This enlargement shows
that the figure “1” was changed to
9 “ by the later addition of a loop, as
revealed by the spreading of the ink
where the loop crosses the origi¬
nal ”1.”
forger, he is breaking down the morale
of forgers generally. But the real
work of prevention falls within the
said. “Every where I went I found |
in a fine state of mind over the
“All prospects the ahead. j
towns and cities in South
and Middle Georgia appear
have the caught citizens the spirit all of expecting optimism |
are
things in a business way this
“South Georgia seems to be pros
also from the Florida boom
there are many new citizens stop
in those towns who came from
in the north and west.”
Mr. Forbes said the prosperity in
Carolina will also help Geor
as the prosperous belt is the
which long has been trade terri¬
for Georgia.
•M-+-K-++++* ^
, 7
r
r
is ■ •
v
• ■
BEST FLAVORS ■»
fTOR • ■
the hot-weather luncheon or dinner, ■ •
no dessert is quite so welcome as a tempt¬
ing dish of chilled cream, daintily served— < ■
Ice < •
cream that is a tasty confection, rich¬ :: 4
ly smooth and kept at the degree of perfec¬
tion in our Frigidaire Svstem.
Other Fountain Delights
• »
CANDIES — CIGARS — STATIONERY >«
ANDERSON DRUG CO.
Purest Drugs Phone 47 and 48
. province of the inventor and the busi
ness man—the inventor furnishing the
devices for the protection of docu
j meats, and the business man putting,
them to use.
Progress of Prevention
It is in the field of negotiable in¬
struments that forgery prevention,
work has made real progress, Check
writing machines have been develop¬
ed which protect the amount line
against alteration, Safety papers,
which are so intricate in design and
so distinctive in their chemical ac
tion as to be the despair of th<*
“scratches have been produced
through chemical research, Insur
ance has entered the field of check
protetion with policies completing the
protection afforded in large degree by
check writing machines and safety pa
pers.
The annual loss from forgery and:
check alteration in the United States
is recognized as being not less than
$100,000,000.' Of this vast total, al
generous portion consists of so alter¬
ing negotiable instruments as to in¬
crease the amount for which they
were originally written. Check writ¬
ing machines, which shred the amount,
in indelible ink, into the paper, guard
against the menace. Properly design¬
ed and carefully safeguarded, safety
papers furnish the weapon for com¬
batting another big source of check'
fraud losses, in the form of changing
payee's name, date and number of
check, and in many instances outright
counterfeiting. Forgery of signature
and forgery of endorsement, which
probably constitute the remaining
check fraud source, are being guarded
against by forgery insnrance.
And so the war against the forger
becomes ^nore persistent s-fth each
increase in the Nation's business, the
expeJT establishing the guilt of the
criminal and the business man apply¬
ing preventive measures which may
some day, with universal use. remove
forgery from the list of commercial
crimes.
“The bountiful crops in Georgia
South Carolina are going to
back both these states to their
prosperity and these same crops
going to make business good all
the south. I am convinced
my trip that Georgia is on the
of tremendous business pros
and that we all will get a
hare of it ”
Catarrh
?.Sediclssc will do what wi
claim for it —
your system of Catarrh or Deafness h
by Catarrh. *
Sold by druggists for over 40 years
J. CHENEY &. CO., Toledo, Ohi'i