A Forged Check and a Clean Getaway
A discharged Tobin camp laborer signed his former boss’s name, cashed the check in Newport, and vanished before the bank caught on.
A discharged laborer from the Jas. Tobin camp signed the name of that contractor to a check for $20.80, which the man cashed at one of the stores in town after having made some purchases. Fortunately for the merchant, he left the goods, so the latter was loser only by the amount of change handed back. The check was drawn on the First National Bank, where the forgery was discovered, but before Mr. Tobin could be communicated with the forger made his get-away.
“Fortunately for the merchant, he left the goods, so the latter was loser only by the amount of change handed back.”
The loss was small—$20.80 and some change—but the episode shows how payroll checks moved through Newport’s stores and bank on personal trust. Modern fraud units would recognize the pattern: a former worker, a forged signature, and a narrow window before the scammer disappears.
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