DEMENTED MAN TRIES TO CASH $150,000 CHECK BEARING HARDING'S TYPEWRITTEN SIGNATURE
Elizabethport, New Jersey* (JFK+50) On January 12, 1922, a "tall, angular stranger" attempted to cash a $150,000 check bearing the typewritten signature of Warren G. Harding at the Elizabethport Bank.
The stranger, identified as 44 year old John Gabrielle, was soon arrested by police with "the crumpled check...in his pocket."
Mr. Gabrielle, who is believed to be "demented**," said his business was "flying kites."
*Elizabethport, NJ is the oldest & most diverse neighborhood in Elizabeth, N.J. It is named for the city's dependence on businesses catering to seafaring ventures.
**Demented is defined as driven to behave irrationally due to anger, stress or excitement.
SOURCE
"'I'm a Kite Flyer,' Says Man With Harding Check," The New York Tribune, January 13, 1922, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
