MAN HUNTERS GREAT DETECTIVES & THEIR ACAIVEMENTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 136, 11 June 1938, Page 9 (Supplement)

MAN HUNTERS GREAT DETECTIVES & THEIR ACAIVEMENTS

By GEORGE DILNOT

Forgeries Worth Millions Planned

MASTER minds of crime, if you read the law reports, are as common these days as generals in a South American Republic. So I hesitate to talk of Isek Najmark as a master mind, although a man who could organise an international syndicate for exploiting forgeries to the extent of millions of pounds is certainly no ordinary crook. Like many other business men who have battled their way into the big money, he started in a small way. According to the Vienna Bureau of Criminal Records, he was a cheap pick- j pocket , at Prague in 1912. But he had enterprise and ambition. Thirteen or 14 years later he was up to the neck in a big forgery gang that exploited forged shares of Lena goldfields in Paris, Berlin and Cracow. Detectives of many nationalities were kept busy on his account, but he always evaded) the net that wae spread for him— that is, until he thought to extend his operations to England. He made his first big mistake -when he attracted the attention of Scotland Yard. That was in August, 1934. Two young C.I.D. men —Detective -Sergeants Greeno and Salisbury —had received a hint that an advance agent of a bunch of forgers was on hie way over to launch a big scheme for flooding the market with forged Polish 7 per cent bonds. They constituted themselves an unobtrusive reception committee. Najmark, who called himself a horsedealer and an exporter of eggs, went through all the motions appropriate to his role. He even did a certain amount of genuine business. He attended horse sales. He sold eggs. AH the time, not far away, were hie shadows, patient) vigilant, waiting for him to ehow his hand. At last it happened. Somehow—never mind how— the two detectives were at hand when he opened negotiations with a possible client who could help to unload on the British market a parcel of not less than £600,000 worth of forged Polish bonds. The deal, in fact, never ■went through, but the Scotland Yard men heard quite enough to show that they were on the track of s great conspiracy—how gigantic eren <hey never gueeeed at the time.

Now, this is largely a story of stoolpigeons. All over the world, wherever detectives exist, there are stool-pigeons —or, if you prefer a bit of old English slang, "coppere' narke." Their status is hazy, and their names are never divulged. In this case there might even be a danger in disclosing the real identity of the two men who were called in at about this point to assist Scotland Yard. So I will refer to them onlv by the intimate names under which they ultimately became familiar to Najmark and his friends—as Louis and Mac. These two had roles to play which it might have been difficult for even the most versatile of Scotland Yard men to sustain. Mac first got into touch with Najmark at a horse sale near the Elephant and Castle. He had a way with him, had Mac. Najmark, although he had to be cautious, was -willing enough to be friendly and take stock of his new acquaintance. When a man is in the wholesale forgery business he never knows who may be useful. One day over a cup of tea in a Piccadilly restaurant, Mac introduced Louie as his partner. Louis was even more agreeable than Mac. His parents, he said, lived in Poland. He talked freely ind fluently about his own affairs, the half-dozen shops which he owned, and the kind of business he transacted. Altogether, Najmark decided, he was Mich a man who, if properly handled, might become iieeful in his project*. Never did it enter hfs mind that this "liij gentleman might be in any way associated -with Scotland Yard. Not by any stretch of imagination could he be a detective. That, you see. was one of the beauties of the arrangement. So well did Louis play his cards thnt when Xafmark went back-to Poland he went with him. He even became a guest in the forger's hou«e, and wae introduced to many of hie friends. But he

This is die twelfth of the series of feature articles from "Man Hunters,* , written by George Dilnot, called the greatest of living crime reporters, author of "The History of Scotland Yard" and "Great Detectives." It covers methods of detection, especially die "fashionable" use of science, giving the mystery of murder from die viewpoint of detective and scientific investigation. The articles set out to encompass the most outstanding crimes in Europe and die United States in recent years, the details being given forcefully and widiout frills.

did not get much farther than that for a time. Xajmark was not telling too much. There were many indications by which Scotland Yard men, who also visited Warsaw, were fairly sure that there wae something in the wind, but nothing that would have justified any legal action on their part—even if it had been advisable. What they felt was certain wae that eome where in Poland there was a forgery factory on mass production lines—a factory with workmen of the highest degree of skill and with sales ramifications in many countries. That factory had to be located. Greeno wae one of the Scotland Yard men who made a trip to Warsaw. His investigations brought to light some of the productions of the factory. These included forged postage stamps and a counterfeit 100-dollar bill of almost perfect workmanship which had been made from an ordinary one-dollar bill. These were n o more than 4 hint of the operations of the gang, for they had a wide range. Later it was found that they had got hold of part of an iesue of Austrian bank notes which had been withdrawn from circulation. These were "reconditioned" and then sent back to Vienna, where a special bank had been opened for the purpose of putting them into circulation again. All this was not necessarily anything to do with Kajinark. Xor was it necessarily anything to do with Scotland Yard, except indirectly. There was, be it remarked, no adequate proof of any crime committed in England. Anil before the ramifications of this almost world-wide plot could be explored, the forgers and their associates unmasked and their factory discovered, a long and difficult campaign had to be carried out. Detectives continued to work quietly in Poland and England. Louis and Mac kept in touch with Xajmark, sometimes

in one country, sometimes in another. Louis was building up an intimate relationship with the forger chief and making other acquaintances. Anions three were two business men imiiiod Edward Popielec and Benjamin Tuiek. In certain circles in Warsaw Louie appears to have become quite a well-known figure. They called him "the English rabbi," and he had the reputation of being a wealthy man. "He never walked anywhere; he took a taxi," said Turek. Another little touch wae a supper party to which Turek and a friend were invited. Turek caught a glimpse of the bill, and was impressed by the fact that it was as much ae three pounds. A pound a head for a casual supper. This ingenuous surprise, at what he deemed lavish expenditure on the part of a man engaged in such a plot, perhaps gives some sidelight on hie character and on the methodrs of Louis. Louie knew what he was about. From time to time there trickled into Scotland Yard bits of information thet were followed up and added to by the detectivee.

Things were getting ripe towards the end of 1934. There was word of a new enterprise—the forgery on a wholesale scale of British National Health and Unemployment Insurance Stamps. This was getting nearer home. These would no doubt have been sold at a discount to cashiers and others responsible for fixing the stamps to the cards. It was far from being an unusual fraud, although it lias not had much publicity. The risks to the forgers are less than in the case of bank notes, for instance, for cancelled stamjis on a card are not liable to be the subject of severe scrutinv. A C.T.D. man in Warsaw came home. At long last he had traced the place where it was believed the forgeries were made —a printing establishment called the Mercury Press. He actually had with him photographs of the building, plates from which stamjis were printed, and specimens of the forgeries themselves. Within a few days, he added, Najmark and other emissaries of the gang would be on their way to England with a big consignment of forged stampe. His information was very precise, j

Chief Detective-Inspector Dan Gooch, with Detective-Sergeanti Greeno and Salisbury, quietly departed to Harwich to wait upon events. Just at about the same time Louis, Mac, Turek and Popielec left Warsaw. They travelled across Europe in the same train, and reached Harwich on the eame boat at six o'clock in the morning on April 2, 1934. At thie point Louis and Mae drop out of the story. Their work was completed. Three trunks belonging to Turek and his companion were cursorily examined by the Custom!", and were "seen on to the train by their owners, who were obviously fidgety and nervous. They would have been still more norvoiis if they had known that the two detectives were in the next compartment, while Chief Inspector Gooch was already on hie way back to London by car to await them at Liverpool Street Station. Showed Signs Of Anxiety At the terminus the luggage wa< piled on to a taxi end the two suspect* drove off. Behind was another taxi with Greeno and Salisbury. Behind that wae Gooch in his car. In this order the little procession made \ta way to Bloonisbury. Outside an hotel the leading cab halted. The forgers look a single suitcase inside and en me out empty handed a few moments later. The cab with the rest of their luggage had vanished. In fact, it was on its way to Scotland Yard under the escort of Gooch. Turek. and Popielec showed signs of anxiety as they hurried across the square. Two polite but firm young men barred their way. "We are police officers. Let Uβ see your passports, please." There were frantic gesticulations, voluble expostulations in Polish, with ! here and there a word of broken English, but the passports were produced. Then two very depressed gentlemen were carted off to Scotland Yard to confront Gooch. They shook their heads when he demanded the key of the trunks. "Not my baggage/' they protested in chorus. But when Turek wee searched a key wrapped in a £1 note was found in the lining of his hat. It fitted the trunks. In each of the trunks there was found a tray which in effect formed a false bottom. Beneath these tray* the detectives found—as they expected- thousands of sheets of forged National Health and Unemployment Insurance Stamps. Altogether there were 619.000 stamps, and their face value was £44,700 —not a bad haul. Moreover, there were some < 'othes belonging to Najmark, and a pair of pince-nez of peculiar pattern which Greeno remembered he had seen him wearing. Najmark himself was picked up by Greeno and Salisbury when he got off the boat-train at Liverpool Street that afternoon. They closed on him while he was looking up and down the platform as if expecting someone to meet him. All the incriminating material he had on him were half a dozen forged stamps. "My comrade's here with luggage," was all he said. Not a word of these arrests leaked out at the time. There was a good reason for secrecy. This was why the forgers had been permitted to come to London instead of being seized when they landed at Harwich. The three prisoners were taken through the magistrate's private entrance at Bow Street for the first hearing of the charge against them, which took place behind locked doors.

Within an hour or two of the arrests Detective-Inspector Hutherill w a* on hi* way to Poland. He carried with him all the details of the plot an<l a list of person** believed to l>e implicated. Soon after his arrival at Warsaw, and aftor a talk with the Chief of Police, there were hectic times in that city. Raid* were made in many quarter*. The premise* of seven printing firms were searched and altogether IS people were held on suspicion. The trap was sjuiihji in the nick of time, for all w a« ready for a colossal campaign, of which the

stamp business formed a comparatively small part, in France, the United State* and England. Forged bond* and forged currency notes were to be planted on a wide settle. The story was now allowed to become public. "We are satisfied," said the Warlaw Chief of Police, "that, thank* to the co-operation of Scotland Yard, wn have captured the entire geng. They will be tried in Wareaw." Hβ addo«l fame compliments to the efficiency of the lx>ndon C.1.1)., and went on: "Thin is the most remarkable gang I haw ronie aoros* in the whole of inv exjwri once. Noun of them ha* ]>re\ ioun con vie!ions, nnd ; t has taken months t<> track them. The majority are Pole* or Jews, end the arrangement» they hnd made for launching thi« great plot upon three tuitions must have involved a. tiemondoue amount of travelling. Another week or no would have seen the, plot fully launched." In the witness box at the Old Bailey (ireeno and Hathori'i' told their stories, frankly admitting the parts that h«id been played by 1/oiiiß and Mac. although saying no more about thono gentlemen than necessary. Imprisonment In Poland The trial wu, of rourine, confinerl to the stamp forgery. Hat Iwiill told how gummed sheets iiad been taken fioin N'ejmark's home to the Mm-iny I'm---to be pr:nte<l, and afterward* curried to fliiot her place to be perforated. ''From your iti\ out igat ioiw." ii-ked prosecuting counsel, "do \ mi cniiic In any coiiclusidfi as to »lid «a« Jit tin , h< , n<l and front of tlii* cotiMpirucx '." "Undoubtedly, Najtuaik." replied tin , inspector. On M«y 3, 10:t4, the prisoners s1 1 in the dock while their sentence? uef translated to them. The ju<lj;e «a> in no doubt, that Najniark »«i. the inspirei of the eoiip. while he thought I hat the other two men bad pioliablx l> i selected to come to lid liim-.i u«---they had not l>een here before, and it ums thought they woiihl imt be klii'«ii to the police. Najmark \«..i- ynen loin veers and the other*; two each. All »eie afterwards deported. Almost exactly a year later tin r aci-omplices were nenteneod In \arii>iii terms of imprisonment in Poland.