Title:

George M. Saville alias Lord Ashburton alias H. Percy alias W.J. Hadley alias Charles Bertrand alias Big Griff was arrested in this city December 24th, 1878. He posed as an Englishman traveling for pleasure and uttered forged letters and checks on different Eastern Banks and also in Canada. Captain Lees arrested him in this city on a forgery charge and on June 14th, 1880, he was sent to the Folsom penitentiary for eight years. While in the prison he dosed himself with pills made out of soap which kept him constantly sick in the stomach and pricked his gums till the blood came his hope being to create the impression that he was suffering from hemmorage [sic] of the lungs. He played the part so well that he received a pardon from Governor Perkins in 1882. He introduced himself to Studebaker the wagon manufacturer, as agent for the Standard Company and through these means he would secure letters of introduction to prominent people whom he would swindle.

Contributing Institution:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library