Numerous Forgeries
A fraud scheme using forged Treasury drafts threatens Arizona, Southern California, and Utah
The federal Sub-Treasurer in San Francisco uncovers a network of forged payment orders imitating the signatures of army paymasters in Arizona, a fraud that left innocent victims out of their money — a case of institutional swindling from the Old West that history never recorded.
NewsPipe summary
La CróNica · March 5, 1873 · Page 2
1 min readTranslated from Spanish · original wording preserved in English
San Francisco
Charles N. Felton, Sub-Treasurer of the United States in San Francisco, has just discovered a system of frauds being practiced in Arizona, Southern California, Utah, and perhaps other parts of the United States. It is not known exactly how or in what manner he discovered it, but it can be affirmed that a large quantity of drafts purporting to be issued by United States paymasters in Arizona and other frontier stations, drawn against the national Sub-Treasurer in San Francisco, are being put into circulation by persons as yet unknown.
It appears that drafts amounting to many thousands have already been presented at the Treasury in this city by innocent persons; fortunately they were discovered before being paid, but the persons who presented them were victims of the fraud and lost their money with little likelihood of ever seeing it again.
These drafts are excessively well imitated and could not be recognized except by persons who know very well the signatures of the individuals whose names have been used. Among those presented are found the forged names of the following quartermaster officers stationed in Arizona: W. T. Ross, Fred. H. E. Ebstain, and F. K. Upham.
It is of great importance to persons living in Southern California and in Arizona to be very careful when purchasing drafts or orders of any kind, and to make certain they are legitimate before purchasing them.
The police are attempting to investigate the matter and to secure the punishment of the guilty parties, and that is certainly the wish of every honest man.
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