Alleged Far Eastern Participation:
$2,5¢0 Reward Offered for Information London, Sept. 10.
The police of London, Quebec, New York and China are investigating a robbery of £32,000, of which it is alleged that the Guaranty Trust Company of New York are the victims.
A cable was received by the Trust Company's. Lonjidon offices from New York asking for the transfer of £32,000 from the account of a client to a person in England, and only after the money had been handed over was it discovered that an ingenious fraud had been perpetrated, the cabled instructions not having emanated from the man who signed the cable.
Several persons are involved. The chief conspirator is believed to have gone to Quebec.
The Vice-President of the Trust Company expresses the opinion that a copy of their code was obtained. from one of the Far Eastern correspondents of the Trust. Ho declares that the receiver cabled to Peking £25,000 of the proceeds, of which the Trust Company has recovered £15,000.—Reuter's Special Service.
Peking, Sept. 12.
With regard to the Guaranty Trust Company fraud, it appears that the telegrams in question were signed Robert Billiard" and handed in at the Hankow telegraph office at the end of July. They were in the Guaranty Trust Company's code and ciphered by a test key, which has now been supersede ed, and called for London of £31,730 to Max Elliott" (alias Peare, alias Pearse, alias Shabin, who posed as manager of the International Trading Company of Vladivostok at (Peking) for the account of "Chester James,'"' legal adviser at Wuchang to the Civil Governor. The money was paid to "Elliott," who retained £2,930, remitting the balance of £28,800 through other banks to Peking to be paid to the Asia Banking Corporation for the account of Chester James," who was posing as " partner in the firm of Billiard. & James, engineers, Peking."
Mr. "James"? has been seen at the Peking Club, but he was not introfluced to the Club.
The fraud was carefully concooted, involving a forged letter of introduction. £15,000 has been recovered. The loss is covered by insurance.
On behalf of the Guaranty Trust Company, the Asia Banking Corporation offers a reward of $2,500 for information leading to the apprehension of the criminals.—Reuter. at a luncheon to Sir Laurance Later in the day Sir Laurance sailed for Hongkong.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.