A KING OF FORGERS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1666, 3 February 1904, Page 17

A KING OF FORGERS

(From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, December 18. If it be true that the Boston police have captured Scimndt. the forger, wno turned -King’s Evidence and assisted to convict’ the Bernsteins and Barmashes for forging Bank of England notes at the Old Bailey last December, the most notorious forger of the ago is in. their nands. At the tiiho of his detention in connection with the Bernsto.n case our authorities cannot have been iuiiy cognisant of Schmidt’s identity and antecedents. or most surely they would oever have allowed him to profit by his treachery to the extent of his freedom. Schmidt, who is known as “John Davis” and “Henry Liebennun” in Mew X ork, was “wanted” there badly at the time of ms appearance in Eu.g.a.id, ami the Belgian authorities would have been glad f-o relieve our-* police .of Ins .custody had they known thas “Selim.dt” .was “Philip Schwarz,” the clever manipulator oi et-ters of credit who had worked their banks to such good purpose a few years before. It seems, probable, indeed, chat “Schmidt” could find free lodgings m almost any oivdisefl country so widely has he extended ins operations during the past ten or twelve years, lie i© oniy about thirty years of age. and appears to have lived by crime from li s youth up. forgery and count, rfciting he.ng h'is principal occupations. A- German. by birth, well educated and possessing more than average intelligence, quite early in lire became proficient in forgery, and was particularly skilful in altering “Letters of credit.” As a bank note forger ho has proved h-imseF a master craitsman. Some men who commence the lorgery of notes are never able to complete them. They forgo the water mark only, but Schmidt had a special preparation, of his own for putting in the water mark and print--ng the notes —in fact making a complete article. He is the only mail known to the police who can tdo it all himself. The fact that Schmidt was able to do everything inniself was the secret of his success. He would take a house in. some quiet suburb and get some people to find him the necessary, money to work the forgeries. Beyond this they would render him no material assistance in production.- but later they would ass st 'in passing the notes. The other men who have been placed under arrest in America are probably the men who have financed him. THE BERNSTEIN AFFAIR.

It is now a little over twelve months since the Bank of England first became aware that Schmidt was forging their notes with a- perfection that wellnigh defied detection, arm it was Schmidt who first informed the- bank of Ir s handiwork. A few months before a man named Davenport had been arrested for forging Bank cf England notes. All that gentleman’s productions, however, had not been seized, and the bank, in the hope of inducing Davenport’s confederates to confess, offered a sum of £IOOO to any person who would givo evidence as to the whereabouts of the ve-st of the notes andi the names of the confederates. Schmidt, who had landed in England about tins time, and who had been engaged by the Bernsteins and Barmashes to forge Bank of England notes, saw the advertisement, and thinking that it applied to the notes he himself had been manufacturing, went to the solicitors of the bank, Messrs. Freshfield, to claim the award. Great was tho surprise cf Mr Freshfield when he discovered that his shot had brought down a bigger bird than ho aimed at, and that, although he had learned nothing- about thc N Davenport notes, he had discovered tTkt further notes, the extent of £35,000 had been forged, and some actually put into circulation. The city police took .charge of Schmidt and used him {until at last they captured not only all the leaders in the conspiracy, but a little band of foreign Jews who were employed in passing the notes into circulation. Through the treachery of Schmidt the elder Barmash was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment. This man shot lumseif in his cell at the Old Bailey within a few minutes of being sentenced. Barmash’s son was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, and the ©ldler Bernste.n, who was believed to be the capitalist of the gang, was sentenced to twenty wears’ penal servitude (subsequently reduced .to ten), while his brother, who was extradited from Cape Town, was sentenced to a similar term. While he was assisting the police in running down his confederates, Schmidt had to be •carefully watched, lest he should either bolt orTbe shot by friends of the men be had betrayed. Throughout" the long period over which the Magisterial and judicial proceedings lasted, he lived with a detective at a little village in Kent. He was at times recalcitrant, and his keeper had all his work in inducing him to conie to London to give evidence. Once he threatened to close his mouth for ever unless the reward which ho thought he had earned was at once paid over. ' -Asked what he was going to do when ‘ the trial was over he had earned his £IOOO, Schmidt said he should farm in Argentina. -But it appears, that he went on to the Continents, and after a prolonged holiday on his gjQQO r&wftrd. went theno© to Amonca-j where he landed, last Augfusb,