BANKER'S ADVENTURE.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 72, 26 March 1921, Page 19

BANKER'S ADVENTURE.

« WITH .ALLEGED FOBGERS. Au amazing story which, as pmgppinins counsel remarked, if read as a magazine story or seen on tip cinema screen, would have created a sensation, w ;ls heard at Clerkenwell rolice Court. wli en Frederick Ford (I"), hotel proprietor; .Marde Samuel Levy (-13), merchant: gnd Hyinan Kurasch (37), commission ageut, were charge<l on remand n-Hh having in their • possession material for making forged banknotes. i.Mr. Whitely, prosecuting, eaid the chief witness was a Mr. Hubert Seynio ur Boxer, an ofliWal of the Bank of England Tvio In the beginning of December received information which led him to -Ford's Hotel, where he was introduced to Fo r ,i as a man holding a hijli position in the financial and social world, and to Kurasch. A conversation followed to th e effect that Kurasch had a friend named Levy, who couhl forge any hank note of any country by means of a transfer and a duplicating system. Ford" and KuraVh told Me.. Boi e r they wauled someone to assist them j n flooding It did uot mutter whether it was England, France, America or Scotland. Arrangements were made, for another meeting. In the meantime Mr. Boxer had informed the police. The meeting took place during the evening. Levy, after being introduced to iMr. Boxer, took a board from his ba g and two ' spirit lamps surmounted wilii ema il boilers. : lie put some yellow fluid into the boilers and limited the lamps' and then poured some liquid into a aaucepnn. I Over a French note lie placed a smalf L number, altering 'the number on the noie ' from 4"-1 to 43t1. lie then put the flOtc In ! the saucepan, and, taking a plec of -white I paper, put the note between it, and pro- : duced a perfect representation of the two sides of the tank note with th. c number altered to 430. Then, said counsel, followed a beautiful ■bit of bluff. Taking a piece of white paper from his bac, bevy placed it inside the other paper, pressed it. and took out what he represented to be a counterfeit .note. j Mr. Boxer at the time thought it was the nioet wonderful thing he had ever seen. The same thing happened in regard to ' American and Scottish notes, and they were handed to Mr. Boxer to .see if he ooul<l pass ' them. \Vlien \% three prisoners and Mr. Boxer met again Mr. Boxer reported that the American and French notes had passed j j without difficulty, but he was not so sure' about the 'Scotch notes. That, said counsel, was a little bit oC return bluff on Mr. Boxer's purt. I A suggestion that the notes should be j mtide at Ford's hotel svas tnrned down. It ' waa thought better 'that Mr. BoxeT should find a flat or :i private house in the country. ' It was agreed that notes should be made to the amount of £100,000 and that all should 'be present when they were made and share the profits. j Mr. Boxer, having, only the genuine! notes, •wanted to gel something else. After! i Levy had left be fiucceetled in gotting some j 'of the transfers from Ford. The latter. ! told him lie must return them as soon as I he had shown them to his friend, and was j very agitated afterwards when Mr. -Boxer; ' did not bring them back. J i On January 7 the police raided the hotel.' ' and the three prisoners were arrested. I A remand was ordered, an application : for bail for Levy being refused.