Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-10-18


turns Detecfive---His Career Of Crime
He comes to GrieE...And the Pentten'
tIary.
The history of DR.. Joshua Webb, Of sa-
lem, Columbiana county, tried in the Uni
ted States District Court week or two ago
for counterfeiting United States coin, and
convicted of the crime, would rival in
interest, conld it be written out in full, the
strangest and most fascinating OF :, ,tions.
It contains more salient features, darker
shadows, more novel and startling revela-
tions, more curious illustrations Of the
blindness which sometimes renders justice
unjust than any of the elaborately construct
ed novels Of the Minerva press and the New
York Ledger. The man himself-an auda-
cious, shrewd, subtle, skillful scoundrel-
would be fortune in the way of new
character to an aspiring novelist. Wilkie
Collins would shout with joy at getting hold
Of him, and Miss BraGdon would give all
The profits on "Aurors Floyd" for the chance
of writing his biography. His story is
that of daring, keen-witted sooundrel, a
skilful chemist, learned and accomplished
scholar, assuming the double position of
counterfeiter and government detective of
counterfeiters,-humbugging at once the
victims whom he charged with counter
feiting, and the officers of the law to whom
he delivered them up,-eOrrupting limo
cent men and then betrsying them,-in
some cases procuring the arrest, conviction
and imprisonment of men entirely guilt
less,-pursuing this course successfully for
series of years-snd at last discovered,
tried, convicted of crime. Such a story,
could it all be told, would possess the deep
est interest.
We first hear OF Doctor Webb some seven
or eight years ago, when he was arrested
by the deputies of Matthew Johnson, U. S.
Marshal for this district during Buchanan's
Administration, and some seven thousand
dollars of counterfeit notes on the Forrest
City Bank, together with about six thou
sand dollars in counterfeit coin, discovered
in his possession. Had the law taken its
course then, much injustice and crime
would have been nipped in the bud. But,
by one of these mysterious processes which
sometimes occurred in the course of United
States business during Buohanan's admin
istration, the proceedings against the Doc
tor were suppressed, and,,th arrested cou1"
terfeiter was transformed into a govern
ment detective, in which guise he bloomed
forth upon an unsuspecting world. The
transformation was not great one at
any rate, and it seems peculiarly
appropriate that an administra-
ton which had Buchanan forl its Presi-
dent, and Floyd for its Secretary of War;
to go no farther into detail-should have a
noted counterfeiter for its trusted en-
ployee.
But DR.. Webb, as might have been ex-
pected, proved an unfaithful servant. In
stead of going faithfully about his work
the detection and arrest of counterfeiters-
he leagued himself at once with the most
successful and celebrated of them.
Himself a skillful chemist, an ex-
pert assayer, a scientific scholar,
and an experienced counterfeiter, he was
one of the most successful imitstors of gov
ernment coin that ever practiced that ne
farious trade. But the character of his
genius is evidenced not so much by the
success of his mechanical labors in making
counterfeit coin, as in the audacious skill
with which he made his two professions
play into each others hands-the counter
feiter assisting the detective and the de-
tective assisting the eounterfeiter. His
plan Of proceedings was to manufacture a
large amount of coin, and then oeffr it for sale
to parties whom he thought he could cor
rupt, and, after disposing ofa large quanti-
ty at fifty or sixty cents on dollar, to be-
tray the purchasers to the officers of the
law, and reap a rich harvest of witness fees
and mileage. Thus he sold his coin and
saved his reputation as a detective; he fat
tened alike on his dupeS and the govern
ment; he betrayed both the victims whom
he had corrupted and the officers who had
pardoned and trusted him. Never did de-
tective discover more criminsls,-never
did counterfeiter dispose of more base coin.
This course of proceeding was repeated
over and over again, We know not how
many times, under Marshal Johnson's ad-
ministration. The accused would often de-
nounce the detective, and relate how they
became possessed Of counterfeit coin,
but their stories were all pooh-poohed out
of existence by this most accomplished
villain. Their reeitals were received as
the wild fabrications of criminals, and pass
ed unheeded. But there has since been but
too good reasons for believing that they
spokethe truth.
The blackest part of the story Is yet un-
told. When the Doctor failed of success in
his efforts to tempt weak-minded people TO
buy his coin, this Mephistopheles in the
guise of policeman, whether out of pure
diabolism or from the greed for a few wit
ness-fees, has deliberately accused, and, BY
sheer perjury, convicted entirely innocent
persons. OF these cases we have space to
recount the details of only one, which may
serve as a sample for the rest.
A young, lame, Scotch Ichoolmastsr, liv-
ing in Columbiana county, was arrested by
the deputies Of the United States Marshal
on the information of Webb. He was found
in his room in the evening, holding ladle
filed with smelted metal over the fire. In
the room was found black sstchel, con-
tanning mould and other cOiner's appara
tus, and large amount ofcounterfelt coin.
The proof against him was strong. He was
deprsEsnsEs in faetO. He was tried, convict
ed, and sentenced to seven years imprisQn-
ment. HIS story was that Webb had been
showing him some chemical experiments,
and had gone out, under the pretencs of