Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-10-07

Armstrong exchanged good money for
bad. Just then an officer approached,
with Mr.. sPaist, md arrested the three
men. Bracelets were placed upon the
wrists Of Bacon and Chase, while to
avert suspicion the officer assumed con-
siderable severity toward Mr., Arm
strong, and, regretting that he had no
handouts with which to secure him,
handed him over to the care of Mr..
Paist, with the caution to "keep a
sharp eye on him, for he is the worst of
the lot" Bacon and Chase were i'm
mediat.ly taken to St. Paul and lodged
in jail, On tho way up from Rochcs-
ter Bacon cried Ikea child. and ex-
planned how he came to occupy such u
painful position. lie told the Marshal
that a short time ago a young man
came to the town where he lived,
with whom he became acquainted. The
young man was a pleasant, gentlcmanly
fellow, with a very insinuating address,
and Bacon became very much attached
to him. The acquaintance thus formed
became in short time very intimate
one, and during its existence the young
man unfolded to Bacon his business.
He represented himself as the travelling
agent of James Boyd, of Frcilingburg,
Vt, who. was q manufacturer Of coun-
terfeit money, and who desired to estab-
fish agencies throughout the West, to
whom this money could be sent for dis.
tribution. The ]oung man informed
him that this money would be furnished
to him for thirty-five cents for each
counterfeit dollar, and SO plausibly did
he talk, and with such success did he
the impossibility of being de-
tected, that Bacon finally consented to
take the agency. All letters sent to
Boyd, who manufactured the money,
were to be marked il the corner, Up.
g." Chase was also let into the bust
ness, in some way, whether as an actual
partner with Bacon Or not, does not
clearly appear. At any rate, in the
issuing Of the money for which the ar
rest was made, Chase, as we'll as Bacon,
was engaged. n.
The above statement varies somewhat
from one given to the reporter Of the
Pioneer. The latter is to the effect that
he and; Chase were partners in the
nursery business and had gone up to
Rochester to purchase trees. They
had now over 100000 soft maple trees
out. At Rochester they purchased two
thousand apple trees Of a Mr.. jackson,
near the fair grounds. For these they
paid 1926, While Bacon and Chase
were in Rochester, the former had a
$50 bill, and was fearful that it was not
good. The two we're acquainted with
Edward Armstrong, brother to the
Lieutenant Governor, and getting into
conversation with him, they consulted
hin, as to the $50 bill, which was by
him pronounced good, but as Bacon still
insisted that it was counterfeit, Arm
strong to satisfy him took it to a bank,
where it was declared good. It was,
as Bacon affirms, while this consultation
was going on as to the geuu;ncness of
the bill, that Bracket made the arrests.
1t is said that part of the money
received by Bacon had been sent to a
Mr.. Albertis, Of sOwatonna, who was
subsequently, arrested. 1t is also stated
that lawyer Of Austin had received
some Of the counterfeits, but whether
he received them from Bacon or was
made special agent for this place, is
not.clear. CAT any rate says the re-
port, instructions were sent by tele-
graph to arrest him Immediately, and
we presume that before this the in
structions have been carried out" We
await further developments.
Mr.. Bacon has q wife and nine chill
drcn, and both have good farms, and
were thought to be in prosperous cir
cumstances. 1t is painful circum-
stance that two such men, should expose
themselves to SO serious a charge rs
that for which they have been arrested.
It is to be hoped, however, that
legal investigation will materially
change for the better, the aspects Of
the case. Later St. Paul papers are
quite silent on the subject.