FIVE YEARS' GAOL

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 98, 27 April 1935, Page 11

FIVE YEARS' GAOL

EXPERT FORGER

"SCHOOLMASTER OF CRIME"

■ ; ,riye men, said to be,members.of a gang which stole and forged cheques and defrauded' banks of large sums, including, according to the police, "the cleverest forger in England," and "the. j schoolmaster of crime," were, sentenced at the Old Bailey recently. They were: Jack Seymour, 36, no j occupation, said' to be the cleverest forger, in England—five years' penal servitude; John Smith, 39, traveller ] (real name Leon Taumah), the "school-; master of crime"—four years' penal servitude; Lawrence • Charles ■ Martin, 30 waiter—four years' penal servitude; Isaac Jacobs, 37, traveller—three years': l^nal servitude; and William ,>Tate, 55,-printer—lß months1 hard labour. All were accused. of receiving stolen cheques, and defrauding banks by : means of forged cheques: ■;-"■;.■■ ! Detective-Sergeant •Keen gave the following details of the-accused:—Jack Seymour: Real name Owen Jennings. Six previous convictions, sentences including one of six years' penal servitude for receiving stolen property and , stolen cheques. .Released in. May, 1932, getting a year's remission for going to the assistance' of a warder who was. being attacked during the Dartmoor mutiny. Known to the criminal world as "three-fingered: Jack," because he has three fingers missing from, his left | hand. Undoubtedly, the most expert forger in-England. He received the cheques, forged them, and then sent out his gang to utter them. His address had been sought by the police for the past year, but he never went to a bank himself, and they were unable to arrest him. His forgeries \yere so clever that ■' people whose names were forged were unable to . say whether they were their signatures or riot. He had written: to the banks1 and told them he had invented a way of writing a cheque so that any erasures or alterations were- impossible. He had received thousands of pounds from banks by means of- his forgeries. Always well-dressed, and in the evenings usually in the company of respectable people, to cover , up; his movements during the day. John Smith: Real name Leon Tauman. A Pole, and had been recommended for .deportation, but his country would not have him back. Previous sentences included three years' penal servitude for shopbreaking. An expert in all branches of crime. At his house the police found 160 skeleton, keys, including a number, of safe keys. His house more or less a rendezvous for thieves. The. police had seen 12 or 14 criminals enter. He was looked upon as the "schoolmaster of crime." Lawrence Charles Martin: Six previous convictions. An expert letterbox thief and housebreaker. Stole letters and gave any cheques they contained to Seymour to alter. The letters were stolen from business premises or private houses. A sheet of newspaper was put under the door, and when letters fell on it they were drawn out and cheques extracted, Sometimes a piece of wire was used, at the, end of which was some adhesive substance. Isaac Jacobs: Also a Pole. Had been lured into the matter by Smith. William Tate: Three previous convictions. Eight months ago'took,a small printing business in Red Lion; Street, Holborn, where he engaged chiefly in printing filthy literature. His premises were used by the others to dispose of stolen letters which were not required. Mr. Wilfrid Fordham (lor Seymour) said during the war he lost, his fingers and. received the Military Medal and bar for bravery. Judge Dodson said that nothing could be more grave than the state of affairs disclosed." By organised conspiracy the men, as members of a gang, had robbed, forged, and looted with great skill. To Seymour, the Judge said it was a great pity a man of his talents had not been able to serve the community, instead of making war upon it. _ It was necessary to protect people against a man with the reputation of being the cleve'^st forger in England. He had played his part, and now the reckoning had arrived and he must pay the price.