The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-10
THE HAYTIEN FRAUDS.
100000 Spurious TwO-dOllar Notes Issued
The Most Extensive COunterfeitinR on RecOr'
-IntereafinR AfIldnNlts.

The Most Extensive Counterfeiting on Record
Interesting AnidRvits.
Some further and very interesting develop
ments in the case of the counterfeit Hayten
currency were made public in New York
at the formal examination held at the
Tombs Police Court before Justice Hogan. IL
will be remembered that John Russ, VIM. IL. H.
Jones, and Alphonse Brett were arrested on
Saturday and arraigned before the magistrate to
answer a complaint made by Avaristie Laroche,
the Haytien Minister and Consul-General in the
United States, who accused them of having Will
fully and knowingly entered into the manutac-
ture of 400 900 counterfeit 81 notes of the Hay
tien currency. At the hearing there were many
afidavits sworn to, but the statement of John
Russ proved the most interesting as II furnished
such of the links in the chain as had been with
held by the detectives, and is appended as fol-
lows;-
AFFIDAVIT OF JOHN RUSS.
John Russ, of No "a sixth avenue, being sworn
deposes and says-I am a native of Switzerland, and
have resided fifteen years in the United States; my
occupation is that OF a watch-case engraver; am
acquainted with Admiral RavignauX, late commander
of the Haytien man-of-war Alexandra Petion, and
also with Oflcer Cede and Officer Chalet, the
latter being an officer of artillery on said ship; these
three officers all spoke French-my mother tongue;
in the month of October, 1861, Chalet and Clede
came to my place of business in Sixth avenue,
of the denomination of two dollars, and asked me If
could engrave some like them; said could not
do 1t myself, 1t not my branch of the engray
ing business, but that thought could find some
who could do it; this interview was held
a Sunday; the officers remained at my place
about an hour; the whole conversation was
about these bills, the engraving, the paper,
and all particulars relating to them; they
be $4,000 they told me they found me by asking
barkeeper for an engraver who could speak French,
and he recommended them to me; they asked what
would be the cost of the bills, and l told them
would ascertain by the time of the next meeting;
went to Brett Co. about it, and Mr. Brett in
formed me that each 20OO 900 Of the bills would cost
about S1100; he did not give me this information
until after the second interview, which was about
of fbp HrGt lp1 haIl pt tOt
price at the second interview; was to deliver the
bills to the parties $4,000 at a time, and was to
with me in advance $500, and were to pay besides
s125 for each 25 600 of the bills devered delivered
four instaments OF the bills, and received the
amounts agreed upon; from October until the time
the bills delivered, the officers mentioned were
at my place as often as once week the Hrst guam
in March or April 1865; they said they would keep
the bills until the Alexandra Potion should be ready
to sail for Hayt and that they would be taken out
to Hayti in that vessel; conferred with Admiral
Ravignaux, the commander of the Alex
andre Petion, about fifteen times during a
period of two months, about this money which
had had manufactured; the money for the second
one hundred thousand of bills was not promptly paid
by Chalet and Clede, and they referred me to the
Admiral for the balance Of the money; accordingly
demanded of Admiral Ravgnaux the balance due me;
talked over between me and the Admiral, and he
promised to pay me the balance due on the contract
during the following week; he afterwards put of
for another week saw the Admiral twelve
fifteen times on this subject; on each occasion
in all some $500 or $500 in United States money on
account of the balance due me- there is still $500 due
me; the last instalment OF te bills was delivered
which was in September, 1S6S Chalet and Clede
took the bills away from my house in packages of $50
sheets at a time there were twenty bills in each
Sheet they were removed by me in two packages at
a time, as they could conveniently carry them; l
generally saw the Admiral with CHALET in this
matter; they always took the bills at my store;
l never delivered them at any other place; the
100000 bills not delivered by me to Chalet and
Clede were delivered to me in July, 1865; they
were all in one large package from Brett Co.;
divided them up into small packages of about 150
sheets each, and put them in trunk; kept them at
my house until October and then had the trunk and
contents stored at Seaman's feed store in Fourth
street; when arrested on Saturday told Onicer Far
ley where the trunk was stored and he went and got
it and took it to Police Headquarters when the sheets
of bills were delivered to me by Brett Co., the num-
bers letters, and series were not inserted in the
centre; Chalet and Clede gave me instructions as
to what should be inserted there, and brought
TO my house German who could not speak French I;
this German, with some type, ink, and a stamp
printed into the centre OF the bill the letters,
ber, and series-as for instance, No. 66,O04 Sic b.
s. the same German stamped on the back of each
bill black and red stamp; this German was at my
house in all about twenty days. engaged in letter
ing, stamping and numbering these bills; he was
paid for his services by Chalet and Cede Russ fur
ther testified that Clede and Chalet had shown him
specimens of red, blue, and yellow issues of the
Haytien currency, representing fves, tens ifties
and one hundreds, and wanted to know where they
could have them printed.
The rest of the deposition of Mr.. Russ was
withheld from the representatives of the press
by Mr.. Hawkins, the counsel for the Haytien
minister, on the plea that it contained informa-
tion duplicating persons alleged to be engaged
in the manufacture of these cOlored issues who
have not been arrested.
1t is understood, however, that the afidavits of
Russ afford information that shows that these
| Haytien naval officers were engaged in pro-
| curing the manufacture of these colored issues,
and il is as yet unknown how many of these
! counterteits have been executed. As the en-
| grayers and printers are known, more arrests
may be expected at an early day.