Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-01-09
Seizure orCon.cdernsc r,onds.


cases ever worked up in this city was CON-
pleted at a late hour on Saturday night, and
has resulted in the seizure of about $6,000,-
600 in Confederate bonds, $1,000,000 in
Confederate Treasury notes, and u large
quantity of dies, printing presses, lathes,
and other machinery for doing fine bank
note engraving The history of the case
from beginning to end is full OF incident,
and the measures taken by Marshal Murray
to ferret the matter out and bring to justice
the parties implicated are highly crtdihblc
to the skill of that officer and the efficiency
of his aids. The services of Chief Young, of
the Metropolitan Detective force, and of
Detective Smith. now of the Marshafs office,
were also invaluable in securing thepersons
J engaged in the transaction, and the docu-
mentary and mechanical evidences of their
guilt.
| The first information obtained by the
| Government OF The matter was through n
letter intercepted on It's way South 10y the
War Department. This letter gave the
names of parties inNcw York who had here
engaged in the business, and this iniorma-
| tion was lodged with Marshal Murray, about
two days ago, with special instructions to
| spare neither time nor expense to ferret out
! the matter and arrest the parties. The
! principal party named was Winthrop +.
| Hilton, printer, doing busincrs at No. Ii
| Spruce street. and who resides IN Forty
ninth street. AS this individual and his
| place Of business were unfamiliar to the
| Marshal, u skillful detective was selected to
ascertain something about both. 1t would
hardly be wise to publish the exact method
adopted by this capital officer in arriving at
| the information desired, but it was certainly
ingenious, and attained the very best results.
..,N4l' 4 g..
ness, all its occupants noted, and their de.
| scripti0ns taken down and handed to the
Marshars men, who from that time out fol-
| lowed each and every one of the principals,
day and night increasingly, until the case
was consumated.
On the 31st of December matters were
ripened so that several arrests were made
simultaneously Hilton and another party
| named Williams, were traced to an estab-
| hshment ut the corner of Ann and Gold
streets, over u lager beer saloon. Here they
were found to go several times q dav, and
as soon as the Marshal had secured these
men, he organized his forces into sections
despatched one posse to the above place and
took possession, and another to No. II
Spruce street. At the corner of Ann and
Gold streets, several fine lthographc stones
were discovered for printing 500, $50 and
50 Confederate notes. 1t being late at night
guard was placed over the Spruce street
concern, with strict orders to allow no one
to pass in or out. 1t became apparent at
this stage of the proceedings that large
number Of parties were implicated in the
manufacture Of these notes and bonds. and
the Marshal called in to his assistance Chief
John Young, of the Metropolitan Detective
force, and, aided by him and Detective
| bn "A HOY f,ffi .nl
the business.
At two O'Clock on New Years morning
the eXertions OF the officers were rewa dcd,
and portion of the machinery, consisting
OF geomctrical lathe, and II large number
OF dies and plates, were discovered in room
IN Park row. Captain Mills, of the Second
Precinct, aided considerably in this Giscov-
cry. The room was entered iorcbly, and
In the room where the machinery was stored
was found between S5,000,000 and $4,000
600 worth Of Confederate bonds, printed
and ready for signature, and 81 100000 in
Confederate money. The detectives then
went on track of the proprietor of the place,
and by eight o'clock in the evening had
him in custody. He proved to he entirely
innocent o: any completely in the matter.
having allowed Hilton, with whom he had
4 previous slight acquaintance, to store some
goods there, the character of which he was
ignorant On the following day two finely
executed stce! plates were discovered, to-
gethcr with the remainder of the machinery
After the seizure the next step was to dis
cover the manufacturer OF the geometrical
} lathe. This was soon done, the maker being
found in New Jersey, some six miles back
of Newark. lie was ascertained to be a
loyal man who had boen employed by the
United States Government in doing work
for the Treasury. lie stated that Hilton
came To him long time ago, and represcn-
ted lhat he was about starting n new ban.;
note company, similar to the Continental
! Company and that lie desired lathe made
!; of this desert pton. The machinist put him
) oil Tor some time, because he was greatly
driven with work, but finally succeeded IL
finishing the machine, and delivering the
, same about ten days ago. He was arrested
; and brought to this city, but succeeded il
showing his entire innocence and loyalty.
On Saturday several lawyers were at tho
| Marsha1s Office. in search of Hilton but that
} gentleman, as Il precautionary measure, hao
been turned over to Major-General Dix, anc
5 sent down the harbor
From further information obtained h,
Marshal Murray, it appeared that the bonds
and notes already printed, as well as tn,
, machinery for making them, were to havt
been shipped on the Isl of January to Hall
fax, and from thence 10 Nassau to u Conied
: crate agent. From there they would hav
been shipped on a blockade runner for til,
= coast of Florida. The plates, dies, &c.
were spoken of in the intercepted letter n
being superb and it was also stated tha
> Hilton would act in perfect good faith from
' the very large pecuniary interest he had il
> the matter.
1t was further asccrtained that Hilton haC
!. q regular contract with the Rebel Secretar
! Mcmminger to furnish him with the bonds
f plates, &c, in question, and that his yea
q and despatch in forwarding the same shoul,
\ be well rewarded. Hilton is man of unu
sual ability, and discovered that the detec
# tives were on his track on the third day o
a their search for him. He at once took pre-
n cautionary measures, and scattered the evi
y .dences Of his guilt about in various place:
p Nearly all these have been asccrtained an
!. the property found, and the Marshal an.
y his officers are in track of the others. TIL
; parties having them in charge will be hell
/ strictly to account for the manner in whie
they became possessed OF them. Altogethe
r, II is one of the most important and best
!. worked Jobs" ever done here by the GOV
a ernment, and will tend as much to discoui
! ace the Rebel leaders as a Great victory h