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Show FlilifiylEliS. A Smooth Cincinnati Crook Swindles the German Natioual Out of a Neat Sum of Money, SOME OF THE PRECAUTIONS TAKEU A Few of the Clover Schemes Worked on Shrewd Cashiers Duplicate Drafts, Etc Cinc innati, Juue 24. it was hard to get money from bank yesterday. Kven when oue presented a gilt edged cheek, there was much unpleasant scrutiuy and hesitation before Ihe cash was given In exchange for the paper. Many a well known business man mailed before tho "you can't give it to us" glance of the teller aud glided away. The signatures of customers who had dealt witli the bank for yours had to be compared w ith the sample chirography in the bank before their checks were honored. In some eases there was mild hustling, and the drawer would have to come in person, nwear to his signature, and back himself up with a big amount of identilleation. The most scnsitUe tellers insisted ou the different indorers being brought to acknowledge ac-knowledge and prove their signatures. Prominent wealthy citizens would liuve to write theii names upon a slip of paper, because the teller suspected that there possibly might be a forgery. It was only after a large- amount of identification, comparison and other precautionary measures that checks even for the' smallest amounts were paid. There was almost equal dilieulty !u paying money to tho bank, Kvery bill, whatever tho denomination, w as care-fully care-fully fingered and then inspected through tho magnifying glass. "Counterfeit "Coun-terfeit deteetoiV wore taken down from the dusty shelf and held ready for reference. A mail w ho w anted to become a depositor had to run the gauntlet of a thousand cpiestioua. It was worse tliun faking the census, lie had to go Into family history and be guaranteed by a dozen prominent citizens. citi-zens. The trouble was all ou account, of the shrewd trick jilaycd bv "Mr. Joseph l.ot'tus" on Ihelierman National bank, by which ho secured nearly 'J(HMJ through a duplicate New York draft. The otlicer of the other bank were disposed to be very supercilious about the matter. "It is really astonishing," was the general remark, "how as keen a man aa George Bohror could be taken in on such a scheme, No. sir, nothing like that could be done at our bunk," A little, further conversation, however, how-ever, drew the tact that almost every one of them had euilfcred 'similar imposition impo-sition in his experience. Such frauds, however, are rare, and the "Loftus" Iriek set all the hank men to recalling how they had once been fooled. Kighleen years ago a man claiming to be a cattleman returning from Texas to his home iu Ohio, went into the Merchants' Mer-chants' National bank. He had considerable con-siderable n v. ami fearing he might be robbed, wanted iidraftoii New York. Hi story w as plausible and tho bank Bccoinm'ndated him. A few day later they received notification that, while iu a sleeping car he had bee robbed. Ihe draft being tukcu. lie wished to know j if they could not give him a duplicate. The bank sent him a letter declining. In a week or two the man himself j dropped into towii. lie explained that he had stopped payment iu New York j and renewed his reipiest loradiipli-l eato. The bank ollicial were linally impressed with his truthfulness ami gave him a duplicate. Wold eame back from New York that the duplicate had been paid, but that they had never heard anything about the original. This seemed .funnv. as the man claimed to have notitied'the bank. Shortly afterward, after-ward, however, there clime notification from New York that the original draft had been presented and payment refused. re-fused. The draft had been cashed by a country bank iu Ohio. Nothing wax ever beard of the sloekmau, aim tho duned bank pocketed its loss. Some fifteen years ago a stranger made a bold play to swindle the Second Sec-ond National, National hank of Commerce Com-merce and the Lafayette. It. wa just before the resumption of specie payments. pay-ments. As it subscUi litly developed, the operator olii ned an account at each bank, but under a different name, lie seemed to be engaged in Ihe purchase pur-chase of gold. Ilia purchase be would pay for wilh cheeks signed with his alias, the bank, of course, taking the precaution to see that they were good. This went on for some time. The man kept his balances in excellent shape, and established first-class first-class credit. One day he sprung the trap, catching the Lalavetle and Hank of Commerce each for. 'OHO and vm. They had accepted bis check, which were found to lie worthless wnen tney j reached I he clearing-house. The Second Xalional luckily escalM'tl, as the rash-, rash-, icr sent the check to the Lafayette to be certilied. No trace could be found of the sw indler, who was evidently a very fkillful crook. Many similar cases were related among banker yesterday, and all, after a little talk, would finally agree that no trick turned in the history of hanking iu this city quite came up to that bv which the German National luflered. It was acknowledged by banker also that slick bank robber of the kind who ' beat'' th Cerman National Na-tional never work to catch one bank alone, but play for several. For tbii reanon. and on account of the many check given about town and cashed by the man calling himself Loftus. it it generally agreed that at least two other Cincinnati banks are !oers in good j sums by his sojourn in this city. At the ; German National yesterday nothing had j ai vet been learned from the batik In Kentucky and in thceatt through which the "pals"' of Loftu operated. |