The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-09
EXTRAORDINARY cOUNTERFEITTNe n,
THE TURKISH BANK.



[From tho Now York Herald, Oct 81
One Of the most extensive oounterfeitinr oD.,,.
that ever known to light yesterday, nearv
amiilion Of the spurious money being recovered h,
police together with the dies plates, &c. used for ~
uhcturing the bogus stuff. The money is all Trlss y
bills, and large amount of IL has been successfully ~
cd Ia Constantinople by woman, who, from all t6sr.
ticulars that we have been enabled TO learn was
prime mover in the operation and the PRINCIPAL az IA
OF a gang who aided her in its circulation
1t appears that the woman, whose name Is Mrs Sa,.
a Modavan, came to this country about a year ago y
put up the St. Nicholas Hotel under the assumed ma
Of Madam Gardner 1t IL not known il she was 49,
panied here by any person, but after short stay at ~
above hotel she changed her quarters TO a private k
ing house in the upper part Of the city Early last
she called upon Mr. VIM. T.. S. Harrison printer dS
business at No 81 Duane street. and desired to know NJ
he would print certain amount of labels for and obh
the plates, &C., necessary for the printing Mr. Harris
informed her Of his price, when she left but In ~
days after she again called and ordered four dozen
electrotype plates to be made representing very c
looking label, which appears to have been COPY Al
Turkish BILL with various Arabic letters In the eentpsn
around the edges Mr.. Harrison thought them 10 h n
label for Chinese invention, and did not for ana
moment hesitate TO accept the job. He accordingly a
to have the plates manufactured at tho earliest moment
An arrangement then made that MIR. Harrison oa
print 600 900 copies at dollar thousand and I'M
they should be done within certain given time ma
work accordingly finished aud all delivered with N
exception of about onequarter of tho bills which b
geher with the plates were left in Mr. Harsons cn
until they should be called for by Mrs Seyes NOTHING,
further heard of this by Mr.. Harrison unit
yesterday when about two o'clock in the afternoon MI
surprised by the entrance of body of men, who wen
no less than Sergeant Bcrncy Acting Sergeant Thomas
Sampson and officers Bnsteed, Blackwell, Hilard Hul
rigan Meals, Fowler, Armstrong, and Freeman Of th
Mayors squad, with warrant TO seize all found in L
place.
Madame Sovcst 1t appears MS she procured ii
bills, had three large trunks manufactured with falls
bottoms, and in o short time sailed in n steamer tt
Europe. There she procured passage in the sleama
Agia Sofia, with runs between Liverpool and Constant
nople, and landed at syria. On leaving the steamer
she appeared very anxious about her luggage and re
quesed an Engshman, who was attached TO the Steam
Companys office, to accompany her to the customhoue
hoping that by his assistance she might have the exam
nation got through readily and with less rgor S
also expressed anxiety lest her dresses and other articles
of toilet should be rumped The director Of the custom
house, Abdallah Het Bey assured her, with the greatest
courtesy, that nothing should be injured but that her
trunks must DO opened. This done. and the very
first looked at found to have false bottom On this
the director had all tho rest Of the baggage removed into
an inner room, and requested the lady to follow him
there A further search was then made, and two other
trunks were found to be made in the manner, and to
have carefully packed in them forged notes Of twenty
pastres to the total amount of $50 900 piasc made
up in packets of 1000 each The lady herself was after.
wards searched and there found, carefully scwed
her under garments 10000 pasetrs more Of the
notes. The lady and her baggage were Immediately sent
off to the Ministry Of Police and on her way ththc she
betrayed the utmost alarm and agitation. On being in
terrogatcd by the Minister she gave her namo as S.
c. that of Of the first families in the East She
stated that she was native of Modaya and was mar
ricd woman She was afterward removed to the prison
for and carefully watched and the following
day was taken to the Porte aud examined by the Grand
Is ID ly taa
Of a band Of forgcrs who have made SYRIA their head
quarters.
The fact of her arrest caused great sensation for
time in SYRIA, and steps were Immediately taken by tho
minister of police and the Ottoman government to ferret
out if possible where the bills were obtained and printed
The Ottoman government accordingly wrote TO the Turk
sh minister at London, stating the arrest OF Mrs Seye
with large quantity Of g caimes.n or paper money;
and that she had, during Judicial proceeding made BE-
fore the Minister Of Police stated that she had caused tho
~ Gaines to be printed by the abovcnancd printer
this city The Turkish minister at London accordingly
wrote to the consul for the Ottoman Porte in this city
Horsford Smith, esq, which letter arrived on "Wednesday
by the Arago giving his suspicion that there was yd
large quantity of the counterfeit money to be found
Harrison premises
Mr. Smith proceeded at once before the mayor, where
he made on affidavit, upon which warrant was Issued
and placed in the above officers hands On searching
Harsons place. they recovered about $500 600 OF tho
counterfeit money, which they found upon the shelyn
the Office All the plates were recovered and, together
with the prisoners, conveyed before the Mayor
Mr. Harrison, when arrested, seemed very much sur
priscd especially when informed that he had been arrest
cd for conterfeiting. There be doubt but that
Mr. Harrison was entirely ignorant Of what the ma
teria was to have been put to- and stated by him be-
fore the mayor that he supposed them TO be labels m some
Chinese articles The other parties arrested were John
Sorney Richard Tweed J. w. Runiscy, M j StiweAL
Fred Stiner Morris Roach, James Conrelly, and v.
Griffith, all printers.
The mayor after short conversation with Mr. Smith,
decided to hold Mr.. Harrison to bail in the o$2 O0
to answer, If any examination might BIO required Lila
clerks also held as witnesses Mr. Harrison soon
gave the required bail, and was discharged.
He describes Mrs Seycst as woman apparently abou
forty years Of age and at all times elegantly atd
and very lady-like in her manners.