Show I rn A DARING FORGERY FORGER Y ir r I i T HAS H S not been my lot Jot to claim acquaintance with v Uh many misers mIse IT I but ut of at the few that I have Amos Jenkinson was far and ad adaway away the most pronounced pr d men I may say at af once that Jeni Jen is la a I cann t for tor ob iou uE Y ea aon ons introduce the man manby manby manby by hit hh real reid name For the same reasons reasons rea rca sons I must be misleading as to ta his of ot abode abd which I will wUl locate In InMa InMa Ma be ter But these very precautions pr cau 1 have hae their compensation since they enable me to be all the more prep pres In essential matters When I first knew him he was a man manof manot manof of ot about 50 in years but at least 75 in appearance His hair and his unkempt beard were perfectly white His chest was sunken his hiE hi shoulders bowed his gait feeble and tottering His face tace was thin and shrunken his eyes ees set so deep that they seemed almost lost Jn fn his bis head but they were very verj keen and bright restless too and suspicious suspicious cious dons with dilated pupils as of oC one whose brain was in a constant state tate of morbid excitement And this was in fact the case since his unreasoning desire de lre to add to his Ilis Immense hoards his hi unreasoning fear of ot some unforeseen sEton seen disaster whereby they might be swept away awa were vare neither more nor ner less than the delusions of oC a maniac At that time I 1 was Avas not aware of or the exact cx ct extent of his wealth but bu I now know that it amounted to upwards of ofa a million sterling Yet he lived Jived in two rooms on a pound a week and scarcely allowed himself the bare ne of oC life ute so 15 that his savings every year cannot have been a penny less lees than Another of his delusions which I have not mentioned a delusion the most unreasonable of them all was the fear that he should suddenly be called upon to pay some large sum in cash which on the spur of if 1 the mo moment moment moment ment he might be unable to meet The fear was without any grounds whatsoever He did not owe In the world And in any case he held securities on which the bank would i have advanced him half a 0 million at sight with no hesitation But there the delusion was inexplicable as M it may m y appear Indeed so strong a hold had it taken upon him that despite his insatiable keenness to be turning over his money he always kept c with us on current account With us I say sa because I hap to be manager of ot that branch of 01 our bank which he patronized with his hh custom I am therefore in a position I Ito to speak with full knowledge on this I part of his financial operations Now old Jenkinson had long refused I Ito to have any dealings with his relatives one excepted This was a nephew of ot 01 his a young fellow tellow named Harry Da Ba kin who lived in Manchester and und with L whom his eccentric and miserly uncle sustained a species of acquaintance Young Toung Dakin was I 1 believe almost t the only person who was ever permit I ted to enter the misers apartments t which was the more remarkable in inasmuch I as he was in every particular the thc antithesis of his sour old relative Reckless dissipated prodigal withal witha 1 good natured and impulsive lavish of 0 f his cash when he had haq ha any living on ci 1 his pals when he had none incurably r fond of amusement hopelessly addicted I Ito to a drinker of drinks a backer of gee gees a player of cards an ln adept in affairs of gallantry too toi i good a fellow to be styled exactly a abad abad i bad lot yet too bad a lot to be styled style I exactly a a good fellow Harry Dakin I Iwas was the very last person for whom his hi S skinflint of at an uncle might have been 1 expected to evince the smallest liking But if I the attitude of the uncle to toward toward toward ward the he nephew was on the face of o f it somewhat unintelligible that of the th e nephew toward the uncle admitted of ofa ofa o f fa a very evident explanation The mag magnet magnet net that drew him was obviously a golden magnet I do not indeed think Ic that he cherished hopes of getting g money out of the old man while he h e lived No one who had the slightest t knowledge of Amos could coul d have supposed such a thing possible As long as the miser had a breath in I n his body he would stick sUck like Uke a limps limper Urn per nr r to every shekel he possessed But his hi S life was a bad one He was prema prematurely prematurely L aged He had a weak heart and an d Ld chronic bronchitis No doctor would woul and d he consult because of or the expense He B e Bh would persistently starve himself bot both bothin h in food toad and fuel This state of ot affairs 5 f could not no last The very next winter if IC I it proved severe might see the end of at him Then whose should be all those treasures that he be had amassed Harry Dakin very naturally thought it would be rather useful if they mig t be his big With this end in view he as assiduously assiduously assiduously cultivated 4 Uncle Amos But next winter turned out mild and andI Uncle Amos proved d tough At any I rate he lived through it One day in inthe InI inthe the early spring he came down to the I bank and requested an interview with me I 1 was busy at the time but of course I saw him at once A customer who had on current account was not to be kept waiting at any price After we e had exchanged greetings he said In his lila quavering qU high pitched voice 1 I thought Id just look in and tell tellI I you that I have some Idea of invest investing fag ing part pf my bank balance a anee It seems a pity to keep so much muth money lying idle It itI Perhaps so I replied But of a I course if you like you can place it iton itI Iton on deposit with us What Interest do you give hein heln i I I 1 quoted him the current rate then somewhere about 2 per per cent He shook his head I think I can see my way to 4 in oth r directions he answered aiu w ed Much obliged all aU the same Any advice or assistance that I 1 can give lve you is entirely at your service I said sald Many any thanks Very kind ind of o t you ou But I quite decided yet I I mean to look around me for tor a few fest V weeks Only I thought I would Just give you a hint of or my m intentions as ast it t seem quite fall fair to draw out or without with ut pt a word tot of warning At least I know that if t Z ivaa nas W ift in your out position I should be of that opinion allI anI wanted to tosa tosa say sa to you ou Good morning And he shuffled out of my office He did no not come down to the bank again but some three or four weeks later ater I had practical evidence of oC his carrying out his for Cor sev several several eral heavy checks of or his came ame into nto us U for collection which reduced his bal balance balance ance anee to about The account was not nt further operated upon for tor nearly two months after that and then one day a check of ot old Jenk to the tune of odd was wal presented to us for payment I was not a little astonished and supposed wasL L that somehow he had made a 0 mis miscalculation miscalculation calculation but knowing his immense means m ans I did not as I should ordinarily have hav done return the check marked I refer to drawer but held it over while I communicated with old Jenk Jenkinson JenkInson inson bison The substance of my m communication co ration cation sent by special messenger Was waa L that the check which had just come in ir 1 was some in excess of his ef effects e with us m but that If he cared to te I arrange the matter thatter by depositing ade adequate adequate adequate quate cover I would pay the check The result of my letter was startling It brought old Jenkinson down to the thi bank in such a state sta te of mingled agi agitation agitation agitation tation and fury as never was He H rushed into my office with an energy of which in saner moments he le would have been simply incapable and bran brandished brandished brandished dished his umbrella at me so threat threateningly threateningly threateningly that I half hal thought he was go going goInG going ing to attempt personal violence What the devil is the meaning of 0 e this he demanded throwing my let letter letter letter ter down upon the table tabie and dancing and stamping like one possessed What Is the meaning of it I say Pray calm yourself Sir Mr Ir Jenkinson was my reply I regret that I have hav upset you but it was quite out of the th way of business that I could let your you our account go over without cover so Cover shrieked Cover What Wha t do you mean by talking of cover 5 Where is my then Have you yoi made away with it Have Haye you You are evidently forgetting I In Interposed Interposed presuming that the old mans man S memory had played him false We W e WS nave have recently paid several heavy checks check S of yours to the aggregate amount of ot o f more than Checks of mine Old Jenkinson stood staring at me as a S though he thought I was mad Checks of mine he repeated But Bu Bua it this is the first check cheek I have drawn draw a upon you jou for tor two months Where are ar a checks ch of of which h you speak Let me see 5 e them he lie demanded angrily It Was nas now my turn to feel teel ui upset seL I Was it possible that thas the bank had been the victim of at an audacious forgery My blood blod ran cold at the thought What would the directors say to me if such were the case However I Ire re retained tamed my outward composure and rang the bell for one of the clerks Bring me the ledger that contains entries of Mr account also his passbook and paid checks I said Yes sir The clerk went oft off of and presently came back with the books bools and docu documents documents ments s required I turned to the page in the ledger led er Here you are Mr tr Jenkinson I Isaid s said aid ald Feb 8 S check for in favor of R H Brownjohn esq collected through Simpsons bank Huddersfield Theres the check selecting It Jt and handing it to him bearing your own signature You can see for yourself I never drew that check he cried excitedly I 1 never neer knew any an one named Brownjohn in my life This is not my m signature ure Its Ita an Impudent forgery I My heart sank Then are these other two cheeks checks also forgeries I demanded This for i in favor of William Wilson Sons collected through the Westmore Westmoreland Westmoreland land Derby bank Chesterfield and this for tor in favor of James Carbery Carb ry collected coll c ted through I Oldham Most certainly he answered I 1 I never drew either of o those cheeks checks nor have ye I even eve n heard of o the t e persons P jn J n j I whose favor th they are drawn I My jy heart sank lower and tower lower I Again I 1 rang the bell bellAsk bellAsk I Ask Mr Sandbach to step in here I said ald to the clerk who answered it 1 After Arter a few f moments our i chief cashier casher appeared Mr h X r i said s ld Indicating i the Checks which were ne lying on oi the Jbf table just have a look at those will you You remember paying them I Oh yes sir quite well Is any anything I thing wrong with them sir Mr Jenkinson informs me that he be never draw drew any such checks in im a word they are re forgeries Sandbach looked 1001 ed very blank He H took up the th checks c ecta and examined them still more closely losely The Thc handwrIting both in the body of the checks also in the signa signature signature ture Is so ao exactly like Mr IJ Jenkin sons SOUi that any anyone one would be deceived by it Look at it yourself sir he ex exclaimed exclaimed claimed calm calmI I did so What Sandbach said was quite true The Thu imitation was asso so ex exact exact exact act that it might well have bave deceived the keenest expert in iii the land Old I Jenkinson himself in Jn spite of his rage and perturbation was fain to admit as much Well W ll what do YOU mean to do he hedeman demanded deman ed excitedly Of or course cours Im Ini heL L not going to lose because you yov I have made a mistake Your bank is liable to the amount Mind ind that Thank you I am fully tuny aware ware a of 01 the banks obligation in the matter I answered coldly I Obviously It is a case for the po police lice and I shall shaIl at once place the i matter In their hands bands hat s Mr II Sandbach will you kindly go round to the sta staton Uon ton at once and ask the inspector to tc I favor me with a call at his earliest L convenience I need nEE d not of course im iliF impress I press upon you jou to say ay nothing of this 3 before the other clerks 1 In the mean meantime meantime time I shall wire to the banks through 1 which these three checks were ere col collected collected warning them not to part with 1 any of the proceeds thereof that they r may still have in their custody pend pending pendIng pending ing further inquiries Old Jenkinson nodded approval I r sincerely hope he said for your yoni own sake that you will recover the flu bulk of the money also that you win wIlt I catch the forger and make an exam example example pie of ot him I 1 wish that the old laws law S were in force so that he might swing swim r for it Such scoundrels are than thai 1 murderers But we live in a damned I sentimental and ana lenient age mores 3 the pity Of course if I can assist you yos 1 in any way by information or other otherwise otherwIse otherwise wise I will wm gladly do so BO Thank you I answered I 1 am an 1 j much obliged to you And there my roy interview with old ob I Jenkinson for the present terminated L LAbout About half an hour later the chief chie de fC J I i inspector inS c r of i th the local nolle t I I force arrived He v was as in clothes I dressed d In like a prosperous cat f tie t ie dealer and so faras far as his apR ance went gave no indication of his real profession PrEl Cession After fter listening atten ively t tb roy statement and making I copious 4 pIous notes e said I r suppose s you can arrange to tale take one of my mr m men into the bank as an ah ah extra e tra clerk or something of that sort eh sir Yes I can do that if it you think it necessary I replied As it happens I II we weare are very busy just now nowa and nd are rather ather r shorthanded so that there I would be nothing to excite remark In my lU putting on an extra clerk All the better he nodded Ill send end him round tomorrow morning He has been in this sort of ot lob job before and knows snows enough bank business not to togiva give giva himself away You think then the that hint the forgery forger I has been Men committed by some someone one in he the bank bauk J r Inquired I I r think nothing n sir But in lit a gen general general general eral way there th usually is a friend at court in these tl se big bf things Ann And any an j how theres no harm in watching wa your our staff Is there 0 Certainly not I will make that all nIl allright allright right then Thank you sir Of course coUrso I shall i I at t once set our agents agent to work In the j towns owns these checks iv were ere j tinted They Thay must mt have gone through some som ones one account that Is evident eident People Pe dont give ghe cash for tor five figure checks do d they This is bound boun to afford us some clue to thep the personality p of ot the swindler s ij or I swin diem In Inthe the meantime sir the he less leas le s you say about abo tU it to any one tire t better bett r Tast T st me I replied i I 1 know how to keep a silent tongue in my head 1 At that hat a clerk knocked at the d door f f ot office and having ng en entered entered in iii response c my m Come Com In Ia in i formed lm Mr Jenkinson had called again in and wished to 10 see ee me m Im Jn Immediately mediately I Very Ve Well vell Show kiln him in I 1 said s ld I In ft n f is the an whose signature t has hag been forged I explained to the detective d e in a low voice He Ft nodded i Old Jenkinson was shown in His Hid HI thin face wore k a very Yet ve excited e Jook ok r I have just made maa a most important discovery he |