Lot # 3267: 1944 Eliot Ness Signed Check - JSA - Prohibition Agent Against Al Capone and Author of "The Untouchables"

Bank check dated October 11, 1944, and signed by Eliot Ness (1903-1957), in black fountain pen. The check, drawn on the Riggs National Bank of Washington, DC, is made out to "Hollenden Hotel" in the amount of $65.00. One of law enforcement's most enduring figures, Eliot Ness came to the attention of the public due to his high-profile battles with notorious gangster Al Capone during the 1920s and 1930s. Though it was tax evasion, and not Ness, that eventually put Capone behind bars, his efforts in frustrating Chicago organized crime are legendary. In 1935 Ness was lured by the city of Cleveland to become their Safety Director, a position established to help rid the police department of corruption. His efforts there were so successful that by the 1940s the Cleveland Police Department was a model of efficiency, and criminal activity was greatly curtailed. This check dates to the period when Ness served as a Director on the board of the Diebold Safe and Vault Corporation. Eliot Ness died in 1957, just months before his book The Untouchables was published. The book went on to become the basis for the 1960s TV series starring Robert Stack and the 1987 movie of the same name featuring Kevin Costner as Ness. The check has normal bank cancellation stamps and perforations, as well as two vertical folds. In Very Good to Excellent condition overall. Full LOA from James Spence/JSA.