SPURIOUS NOTES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 47, 20 February 1912, Page 2

SPURIOUS NOTES.

SOME FAMOUS FORGERIES

It is only natural that in the history of such an important institution as the bank-note —a history extending over well-nigh two centuries—there should be a considerable number of remarkable occurrences. The least interesting of these is certainly not comprised in the list oi its forgeries.

The first forgery on tho Bank ,of England was executed in 1758 by a clerk to a lawyer named Bliss, residing in Lincoln’s Inn,. London. This clerk (one Vaughan) was to some extent a “ne’er-do-well,” and though a graduate of Oxford was compelled to accept a trifling salary. While in the service of Mr Bliss, \ aughan engaged himself, with her parents’ consent, to Miss Bliss, and it was agreed that as soon as he had accumulated £SOO he should marry his affianced. As the time drew near for their marriage Vaughan felt it necessary to obtain, somehow or other, the necessary amount; and as lie had not advanced his worldly position, and had not tho wealthy relations to whom lie pretended, he conceived the notion of forging notes to the amount of £SOO. This ho did, and three weeks before the appointed wedding-day he showed his sweetheart what he said wore twelve twenty-pound notes, as a first instalment of the stipulated sum. By some means Mr Bliss obtained possession of tho forgeries, and then Vaughan was arrested. At his trial he protested that he had had no other intention than that of deceiving his intended and her parents, but it was proved that he had endeavoured to got some of them cashed by tradesmen. He was hanged at Tyburn very shortly after the day on which his wedding was to have taken place. The next person was a watchmaker of Gretna Green named Matthison. Commencing by forging Scotch notes, he resolved on coming to London, and did so, installing himself in fashionable apartments in the Strand. Within a month he had successfully changed several of his forgeries. One day ho was arrested on suspicion, and finally sentenced to death.

His method of producing the watermark on his fictitious notes was never discovered. He promised to reveal it if liberated, but the authorities would not consent to the arrangement. Some ten years after the execution of Matthison a great scare was caused in commercial circles by constant discoveries of forged notes. Between 1780 and 1786 immense numbers of forgeries found their way to the Bank. 'Hi notes were so cleverly executed that the hank clerks themselves were frequently deceived. The texture of the paper, the engraving, the ink, and the water-mark all resembled those of the real notes.

(At length, however, the district whence the notes came was found out, and suspicions were entertained of a certain missing man. As a consequence a description of him was placarded mi walls, distributed in the streets, and inserted in all newspapers. /

Tlio result was a temporary cessation of the plague of forgeries. But wlicn tlie next Government lottery Wi\s subscribed for imitation notes were brought into the hank day after day. This went on for years, until at last a man of numerous aliases and disguises, hut well-known to the police as “Old Patch,” was arrested. This “Old Patch” was in reality Chas. Price, who had succeeded in making his own paper, his own copper plates, water-marks and ink, arid had manufactured base notes to the value of thousands of pounds. “Old Patch” was probably the most accomplished criminal on record, and was one of the only even temporarily “successful” careers of crime of any duration. Immediately after his arrest he brought about his death by his own hands whilst awaiting Ids trial. In six years following 1007, when the first issue of notes for £5 and other small amounts took place, 101,000 forged notes were discovered, and there were many executions.

lit is after such big sporting events as the Derby that the bank inspectors are particularly careful in examining all notes. Shortly after the Derby of 1810 25,000 bank notes were scrutinised in one day alone, but the one forgod note—a forgery for £SOO —was instantly detected, although its origin was not traced.

The greatest Bank of England forgery -which has yet transpired took place in 1872. In that year four Americans of means and education went over to England provided with capital which was to he used for the express purpose of defrauding the great English hank. They established themselves in London and Birmingham, and also on the Continent, and for a time obtained discount for genuine bills. After some months they began forging bills of exchange, and by manipulating 91 bills obtained possession of as much as '£100,000!

It was only by a fortunate accident that they wore discovered. The most strenuous endeavours were made by their friends to obtain their release. Three Newgate warders were bribed with CIOO each and promised ,CI()()() and a free passage to any part of the world if they would aid the convicts to escape.