Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-12-15
ARREST OF COUNTERFEITERs

Every business man is aware TINT
there is gang Of counterfeiters doing
u thriving business in the country
and that the grecnback. stamp and
bond business has doubled their mum.
bers and improved their skill to such
IN extent that the government cannot
keep up with them The statement
below, which we take from q New
York paper, shows the ramifcations
of this illegitimate business. The
journal in question says:
Colonel Whitney of the secret SER
vice division and assistants have, for
over month, been engaged in ferret
ing out one of the most notorious
gangs of counterfeiters in the country,
and have just brought their labors to
u successful close. 1t was first ascer.
tanned that dangerous sixty pound
tobacco stamp was being offered to
enterprising tobacco merchants at
about one-fiith the Government price.
Three dollars for stamp sold by the
Government at nineteen and twenty
dollars. The inducements were so
great that many firms heretofore bear
ing unblemished regulations in this
city, Virginia, North Carolina and
other States, embarked in the enter
prise and purchased largo lots from
the New York manufacturers. The
first arrest was made October 18th, in
the person of Valney Wright, who, it
is alleged, endeavored TO sell an i'm
mense quantity Of these sixty pound
stamps to men named Copeland and
Walker. He was quietly held to bail
in the sum of IS, 900 to await the action
of the Grand Jury.
The bed piece roll and plate with
six transfers were secured by the de.
tectives.
The next arrest was one Hart Pierce,
an accomplished engravero of 80 Nassau
street, on October 30th, with whom
were seized all the dies and machinery
used in counterfeiting. Among which
was press for transferring, costing
one thousand dollars.
Col. Robert Clark, who, during the
war, commanded the Fourteenth New
York Volunteers, was next secured,
and his rooms, at 3l7 East Seventeenth
street, searched. In almost every
bureau drawer, stand drawers, boxes,
trunks and valises, evidences of guilt
were found. One valiso contained the
plate of the sixty pound stamp dies
for marking one penny stamps, and
hundreds of sheets containing two
hundred and ten pound stamps, to-
gether with about fifteen thousand
dollars worth of clear genuine stamps
The property was all seized.
1t was next ascertained that the
mill where the 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 q tramp of half a mile
through tho woods, discovered the
building, in which were arrested John
Rippoh, steel and copper plate printer,
a native of England, and thirty eight
years Of age His partner, VIM, L.
Kemptoh, is a native of Maine, forty
years of age, and u retired sea captain.
Rippon's wife, three children and n
servant girl were on the premises. In
one room was found large amount
of paper, such as is used by the gov
ernment in tho manufacture of revenue
stamps. A large supply OF inks, oils,
and jugs filed with gum that the latter
used for adhesive purposes. Also, n
die for making three cent silver Pieces,
steel dies for stamping coins, contain
ing all the letters Of the alphabet, and
dies for all the arithmctical figures,
but no plates or printed work. In
another room vas perforating press
for punching the holes between the
stamps on the printed sheets. In the
garden, about eighteen inches below
the surface, was found, on information
given by Rippon, box which con-
tained the plate on which hid been
transferred the one cent rovenue stamp
two hundred and ten times, the led
piece and transferring die, large
number Of stamps, thousands of print
cd sheets ready for use and other arti.
cles. The prisonersand material were
brought to this city, and the former
taken TO the United States Marshals
office, where the former was held in
custody. 1t was now ascertained that
an engraver named Reuben Carpenter,
having his Office at No. IL, Bloomfield
street, Boston, had been employed to
engrave United States $40 bonds.
Officers were sent TO Boston, and with
the assistant detectives there, arrested
Carpenter in the act of engraving n
pass on the Wilmington & Baltimore
Railroad. He surrendered to the Off.
GERS a one thousand $40 bond, which
be had been employed 20 engrave for
man in this city who was in the last
stages of consumption. II is alleged
that numerous other prominent per.
sons in this city are under suspicion
and surveillance, and it is believed
that several thousand dollars in these
stamps have been put in circulation.