. As the question of armor that can not be pierced and
projectiles that will pierce anything are first one and then the other
a little ahead, so it is with the bank forger and the banks.

Admirable as some of the work unquestionably is, if anything so
disreputable can be called admirable, there is even yet a something
about either the work or the operator that should arouse the
suspicions of the teller or cashier who is on the alert; and a teller
or cashier without suspicion, and who is not on the alert, may be a
comparatively good man, but is certainly in the wrong place.

The presenter of a counterfeit bill at the teller's window may have no
knowledge of the character of the bill that he is presenting, but he
who presents a forged draft, in addition to presenting a bad bill, has
a consciousness himself of the fraud that he is attempting, thus
giving the teller not only the chance of scrutinizing the bill, but
also to judge of the appearance, whether nervous or otherwise, of the
man who is laying the trap, and these two facts should inure greatly
to the advantage of the teller.

As the news of the many successful depredations is scattered, we see
banks trying different methods of protection, many of which at first
glance are admirable, but which it will be seen on a little careful
study simply require but slight change of method on the part of the
professional forger to successfully evade. For instance: Many banks
are daily advising their correspondents of the number and amounts of
drafts issued, either in the course of the mails or otherwise. This at
first sight would seem to be almost absolute protection, but it really
may prove a trap to the bank so advised, as may readily be seen. Let
us suppose that Mr. Forger steps into a bank in Cleveland, buys a
draft for $5; a day or two later, or on the same day, he buys another
draft for $5,000. The first draft is successfully altered to $5,000,
but would not of course be paid by the correspondent bank for this
amount, because of the advice they have of this number is that it was
issued for $5; but it was a simpler matter to change the number of the
draft to correspond with the $5,000 draft, the number of which the
forger has, than it is to make the other alterations necessary to
raise it from $5 to $5,000. After making these alterations it goes in
for payment, and on reference to the advice sheet it is found that
this apparent number was issued for $5,000 and paid accordi