A professional forgery gang consists of:  First, a capitalist or backer; second, the actual forger, who is known among his associates as the “scratcher”; third, the man who acts as confidential agent for the forger, who is known as the “middleman” or the “go-between”; fourth, the man who presents the forged paper at the bank for payment, who is known as the “layer-down” or “presenter.”

The duties of the “middleman” or “go-between” are to receive from the forger or his confidential agent the altered or forged paper.  He finds the man to “present” the same, accompanies his confederates on their forgery trips throughout the country, acts as the agent of the backer in dealing out money for expenses, sees that their plan of operations is carried out, and, in fact, becomes the general manager of the band.  He is in full control of the men who act as “presenters” of the forged paper.  If there be more than one man to “present” the paper, the middleman, as a rule, will not allow them to become known to each other.  He meets them in secluded places, generally in little out-of-the-way saloons.  In summer time a favorite meeting place is some secluded spot in the public parks.  At one meeting he makes an appointment for the next meeting.  He uses great care in making these appointments, so that the different “presenters” do not come together and thereby become known to each other.  The middleman is usually selected for his firmness of character.  He must be a man known among criminals as a “staunch” man, one who cannot be easily frightened by detectives when arrested, no matter what pressure may be brought to bear upon him.  He must have such an acquaintanceship among criminals as will enable him to select other men who are “staunch” and who are not apt to talk and tell their business, whether sober or under the influence of liquor.  It is from among this class of acquaintances that he selects the men to “present” the forged paper.  It is an invariable rule followed by the backer and the forger that in selecting a middleman they select one who not only has the reputation of being a “staunch” 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 an ex-convict, should he conclude to become a state’s witness, would have to be strongly corroborated before a court or jury in order to be believed.

As the capitalist and forger, for self-protection, use great care in selecting a “middleman,” the middleman to protect himself also uses the same care in the selection of men to “present” the forged paper.  He endeavors, like the backer and forger, to throw as much protection around himself as possible, and for the same reasons he also uses ex-convicts as the men to “present” the forged paper at the banks.  The “presenters” are of all ages and appearances, from the party who