The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-11-05

NEW YORK, Nov. 4.-Col. Whitley,
of the Secret Service Division, and
assistants, have, for over month,
been engaged in ferreting out one of
the most notorious gangs of counter
teiters IN the country, and has just
brought his labors to a successful
close. 1t was first ascertained that a
dangerous sixty pound tobacco stamp
was being offered to enterprising
tobacco merchants at about one fifth
the Government price-three dollars
for stamp, sold by the Government
at SO 20.
The inducements were so great that
many firms heretofore bearing un-
blemished regulations in this city,
Virginia, North Carolina, and other
States, embarked in the enterprise,
aud purchashed large lots from the
New York manufacturers. The first
arrest was made October 10Th, In the
person of Volney Wright, who, it is
alleged, had endeavored to sell an
immense quantity of these sixty pound
stamps to men named Copeland and
| Walker. He was quietly held to bail
in $4,000 to await the action of the
Grand Jury. The bed piece, roll and
/ pAalCg Will CAA AAduSlCISs WGIG
| by the detectives. The next arres {
was one Hart Pierce, an accomplished
epgraver of 80 Nassau Street, October
Both, with whom were seized all the
dies aud machinery used in counter.
feiting, among which was press. fo1
transferring, costing one thousand
| dollars.
Colonel Robert Clark, who, during
the war commanded the Fourteenth
| Brooklyn, New York Volunteers, was
next secured and his room, No. 81
East Seventeenth Street, searched. Ir
almost every bureau. drawer. stand
boxes, trunks aud valises, evidence O.
guilt were found. One valise con
tanned the plate of the sixty-pounC
stamp dies for making one penn,
stamps. Hundreds of sheets contain
ing two hundred and ten pound
stamps togethtr with about $15,00l
worth of clear genuine stamps. Th,
property was all seized. 1t was mex
/ ascertained that the mill where thest
stamps were ground out was situated
about fifteen miles from the city, a
Princes Bar, Staten Island. SEA
Seven men were sent to the spot
and after a tramp Of half q mil
through the woods, discovered thl
building in which were arrested JohI
Ripon, steel and copper-plate printer
native of England, thirty eight year
| of age; his partner, VIM Skempton,
native Of Maine, forty years of age,
J, retired sea captain.
Ripon's wife. three children aud f;
, colored girl were on the premises. Ii
ono room was found a large amour
of paper, such as is used by Govern
ment In the manufacture of revenul
stamps, q large supply of inks, oil
, and jugs filed with gum; the latte
used for adhesive purposes; also
, die for making three. cent silve
: pieces, steel dies ter stamping
coins containing ali the letters of tn
alphabet, dies for all arithmetical fig
ures, but no plates or printed work
In another room was a press TO
punching the holes between the
stamps on the printed sheets. In tn
garden, about eighteen inches below
the surface, was found ION informa
ton given by Ripon) a box, whicl
contained the plate on which ha'
been transferred the one cent stamI
210 times, The bed piece and transfer
| ring die, a large number of stamps
thousands of printed sheets ready fo
} use, and other articles.
The prisoners and materials wer
3 brought to the city, and the forme
! taken to the U. s. Marshal's Office
where they were held in custody.
1t was now asccrtained that an en-
f graver named Reuben Carpenter, hav
(: ing an Office at No. IL Bioomfiel
Street, Boston, had been employed t