In 1877 Becker and several others of his fraternity robbed the Union Trust Company of Brooklyn, N. Y., of $64,225 by means of raised checks. To save himself from state prison he “squealed” by turning state’s evidence, and Becker, the brains of the gang, was discharged.
The last crime Becker committed was in 1896 in California. Here he raised a check of twelve dollars to twenty-two thousand dollars. It was well planned and with the money that Becker and his “pal” had on hand to beat the case, they might have succeeded, but the other fellow was approached by a Pinkerton gentleman and as a result, turned state’s evidence. On the 29th of August, 1896, Becker was tried, and sentenced to imprisonment for life.
As a forger and check manipulator Becker is a genius. With the aid of acids he can erase any writing or figures. In checks that contain perforated figures and lines he fills in with fresh pulp and then irons it over in such a manner that it cannot be detected, even with a magnifying glass.
So skilful with the pen was Becker that he could counterfeit a ten dollar bill which so closely resembled the genuine that even experts were deceived.
While serving a long sentence in a California prison he made such startling revelations to the Pinkerton Detectives that one of the superintendents called on him in the interest of the Government and the Bankers’ Association for verification. Satisfied that he was able to do all that he claimed, a favorable report was made to the Association, and a movement for his release was soon afoot. He was pardoned October, 1903.
Becker is not only a wonderfully clever forger, but has amazing audacity. While in prison he counterfeited several bills of large denomination and would have caused them to be circulated had he found an agent with sufficient nerve. He approached several keepers on the subject but found none with the required courage.
He circulated several counterfeit bills of large denomination among the German farmers in Pennsylvania among whom his knowledge of German and the Fatherland gave him wide influence and many easy victims. He bought a number of horses and cows and paid in counterfeit bills; then he shipped the stock to Philadelphia and disposed of it.
In February, 1888, he purchased a fine residence on one of the most fashionable streets of Baltimore and paid for it with a draft on a New Orleans bank which had been raised from $180 to $18,000. Before the fraud was discovered he had sold the property for $16,000 cash and left the city.
In March, 1899, he purchased a farm in Talbot County, Maryland, tendering as payment therefor a draft on a Philadelphia bank upon which he had raised the figures from $120 to $12,000. The farm was valued at $8,000. Hence he received $4,000 in change besides the $7,500 he was paid for the farm the second day after it was deeded to him.
He is smooth, oily and ingratiating—well-nigh as slick in speech as he is with his pen. His manner is more that of a Frenchman than a German. He talks rapidly, and his gestures are almost Jew-like. He once remarked that if he had been born dumb he would have been able to make himself fully understood by his gestures. He cuts the air, shrugs his shoulders, shakes his head, and assumes all the airs of a tragedian in order to convince his hearers of his honesty and earnestness.