The Daily Advertiser

A singular Method of detecting a Forgery.—In the late Mr. Ford, a gentleman well acquainted with the law, and the modes of discovering and detecting infamous villains, was sent for by a Foreign Minister, to trace a villain who had forged his name, and drawn large sums, out of the hands of his banker. Mr. Ford, observing that the forged notes were all spelt according to auricular orthography, instantly conceived that the forgery was committed by a foreigner, and soon after strongly suspected the Minister's own secretary (then present), to be the forger; with that man, however, he was left by the Minister, to consider what were the most prudent steps to be taken to make a discovery…after a little conversation between them, Mr. Ford proposed inserting advertisements in all the public papers, offering therein a reward to the discoverer, to which the secretary very readily agreed; but Mr. Ford, under the pretence of having left his spectacles at home, desired the secretary to write, and that he would dictate; and so contrived it, that he introduced into the advertisement every word, which in the forged drafts had been spelt according to auricular orthography: and as every word tallied to a tittle, Mr. Ford retired, satisfied in his own mind that he had discovered the man; the advertisements were, however printed in the public papers, and about a fortnight afterwards, (Mr. Ford waited upon the Minister, but found only the secretary at home. After mutual civilities, Mr. Ford placed himself near, and almost vis-a-vis to the secretary, who asked him whether he had discovered the forger? Mr. Ford, looking the secretary steadfastly in the face, replied, "I have;" he then perceived such a sudden change of countenance, that as soon as the secretary had so far recovered his alarm, as to ask him, who is the man? Mr. Ford clapping his hand violently upon the knee of the secretary, said, "You, Sir, are the man!" Conscious guilt struck him to the soul; and the window being near and open, he instantly jumped out; and impaled himself upon the iron rails before the door!