The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-11-05
, NEW YORK.
A Notorious Gang Of Ceunterfeiters
Ferretcd Out.

Ferretcd Out.
New YORK, November 4.-Colonel
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
feiters in the country, and have just
brought their lsbors to q successful
close. 1t was ascertained that o dan
gerous sixty pound tobacco stamp was
being offered to enterprising tobacco
merchants at about one-fifth Of the
Government price, i. e., 50 for stamp
sold by the Government at $500. The
inducements were so great that many
firms heretofore bearing an unblem-
ished reputation in this city, Virginia,
North Carolina and other States en-
barked inthe enterprise and purchased
large lots from the New York manufao-
turers,
The first arrest was made OctoDer
18th, in the person of Volney "rSnu,
who, it is alleged, had endeaVoreu ~
sell an immense quantity OF these Shy
pound stamps to men named CoPeiahui
4. Walker. He was quietly held 10 pan
| in the ann of $4,000, to await the actioh
of the Grand Jury. The bed piece
roll and Mate, with six transfers, were
secured by the detectives.
The next arrest was one Hart Pierce,
an mplishsd engraver, of 80 Nassau
street. on October 30th, with whom
were seized all the dies and machinery
used in counterfeiting, among when
was press for transferring, costing
one thousand dollars.
| Colonel Robert Clark, who during the
war commanded the l4th New iofk
volunteers, was next secured ana DIS
rooms, at 1884 East 18th street, searched;
In almost every bureau drawer, stana
drawers, boxes, trunks and vallses, evil
dences of guilt were found. One valise
contained the plate of the sixty pound
stamp, dies for marking, ono penny
stamps, hundreds of sheets containing
2l0 pound stamps, together with about
SIS, 900 worth of clean genuine stamps.
Ii was next ascertai ned that the mill
where these stamps were ground out
was situated about fifteen miles from
this city, at Princes Bay, Staten Island.
Seven men were sent to the spot and
after a tramp of half mile through
the woods discovered the building IN
which were arrested John Ripon, steel
and copper plate printer, a native OF
England; his partner, VIM. S. Kempto n
a native of Maine. Ripon's wife, three
children and colored girl were on the
premises. In one room was found
large amount of paper, such as IS USED
by the Government in the manufacture
of revenue stamps, a large supply OF
inks, oils and jugs filled with gum; also
q die for making three-cent silver pieces;
steel dies for stamping coins.
In another room was a perforating
press for punching the holes between
the stamps on the printed sheets. In
the garden, about eighteen inches be,
low the surface of the ground, was found,
on information given by Ripon, box
which contained the plate on which had
been transferred the One-cent revenue
stamps two hundred and ten times, the
bed piece and transferring die, large
number of stamps, thousands OIL
printed sheets ready for use, and other
articles. The prisoners and materials
were brought to this city. 1t was now
ascertained that an engraVer named
Reuben Carpenter, having an Office al
No. IL Bloomfield street Boston, had
been employed to engraye United States
) 90 bonds. Officers were sent to Dos
ton, aud with the assistance OF the
detectives there, arrested Carpenter in
the act of engraving pass on the VIII
mington and Baltimore railroad. he
surrendered to the officers q one thou
sand dollar $50 bond, which he had
been employed to engrave by man in
the city, who was in the last stages OF
consumption. 1t is alleged that uumer-
Gus other prominent persons of this city
are under suspicion and surveillance,
and il il believed that several hundred
thousand dollars of these bogus stamps
have been put in circulation.