Well Arranged Forgery.

Manawatu Herald, 8 March 1904, Page 3

Well Arranged Forgery.

One of the most sensational bank forgeries whffih have ever happened in the Transvaal, was perpetrated on the last Saturday in January at the Johannesburg branch of the Bank of South Africa. It appears that at a time when the press of business was greatest a man entered the bank, and presented a cheque for £IOOO, purporting to be signed by Messrs Tredgold, Steytler and Boyers, the well-known Johannesburg firm of solicitors. There was a large number of persons present waiting to be attended to, and the teller was, as is usual on Saturday mornings, exceedingly busy. He cashed the cheque, and at the request of the man who presented it paid it out £SOO in gold and £SOO in notes. Owing to the pressure of work, the teller did not take special notice of the man, and consequently there is less means of identifying the presenter of the cheque. It is believed that the persons concerned in this fraud must have studied the routine of the bank very closely, and then presented the cheque in the absence of the only official who could have identified the signature of the cheque. The cheque was presented while this official was away, and the time was so chosen that it might reasonably be expected that every difficulty in obtaining the cash would be overcome. It was only when the cheque came before the bank officials that the signature was suspected to be a forgery. Inquiry at the office of Messrs Tredgold, Steytler, and Beyers confirmed the suspicion. Moreover, when the one official who knew and could have identified the firm’s signature saw the cheque, he at once pronounced it to be a clumsy forgery.