has, as a rule, considerable knowledge of
chemicals, which enables him to alter checks, drafts, bills of
exchange, letters of credit, or to change the names on registered
bonds. He is something of an artist, too, for with a fine camel's hair
brush he can restore the most delicate tints in bank safety paper,
which tints have been destroyed by the use of acids. In fact no bank
safety paper is a protection against him.

When the amount of the genuine draft or check is perforated in the
paper, certain forgers have reached such perfection in their work as
to enable them to cut out the perforation, put in a patch about the
same as a shoemaker does with a shoe and then skilfully color the
patch to agree with the original, so that it becomes a very difficult
matter to detect the alterations even with the use of a microscope.
This done and the writing cleaned off the face of the draft, check,
letter of credit, or bill of exchange, with only the genuine signature
left and the tints on the paper restored, the forger is prepared to
fill up the paper for any amount decided upon.

The backer or capitalist is rarely known to any member of the band
outside the "go-between," whom he makes use of to find the forger. He
very rarely allows himself to become known to the men who "present"
the forged paper at the banks. If the forgery scheme is successful,
the backer receives back the money paid out for the preparation of the
work as well as any amount he may have lent the "band" to enable them
to open accounts at banks where they propose placing the forged paper.
He is also allowed a certain percentage on all successful forgeries,
this percentage running from 20 to 30 per cent; but where the backer
and forger are working together, their joint percentage is never less
than 50 per cent.

It is an invariable rule followed by the backer and forger that in
selecting a middle man they select one who not only has the reputation
of being a "stanch" man, but he must also be a man who has at least
one record of conviction standing against him. This is for the
additional protection of the backer and forger, as they know that in
law the testimony of an accomplice who is also a former convict must
be strongly corroborated to be believed.

Out of their first successful forgeries a certain sum from each man's
share is held by the middle man to be used in the defense of any
member of the band who may be arrested on the trip. This money is
called "fal