The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-05-13
COunterFeising.


| The Detroit Post contains the follow.
ing account Of the testimony Of an ex.
pert as to the process of counterfeiting.
He is now serving out sentence in
the Indiana penitentiary. The Pos
says:
i It often happens in trials in Courts
that the services Of persons specially
skilled in 3 profession or branch OF
business are required to throw light
upon the matter to be considered by
the court and jury. A few weeks since
we. gave some, curious results Of the
examination Of handwriting by ex-
perts, showing that kind OF testimony
! In that particular instance at least to
| be contradictory and altogether unre-
! liable. The value of an experts tes-
| timOny, of course, depends altogether
upon his special skill and proficiency
| in the matter about which he is called
upon to testify. The most remarkable
case of particularly competent expert
that has fallen under our observation in
this city was developed in the counter
feiting case row on trial in the United
States District Court.
One John 3. Trout, wiz l=SY serV-
ing a sentence in the Indiana State
Prison, at Michigan City, y as brouglS
here to show that the Johnson family
had been in the counterfeiting busAess
In Indiana from 1868 until 1867, at
which latter date Trout was sent TO
prison, But il came out in the course
of the examination that he was thor
oughly posted in the manufacture of
counterfeit money, having been engag-
ed in the business for fifteen years as an
engraver of plates and printer Of bank
notes. For the benefit of the court,
counsel, Jury and spectators, ne entered
into a minute description of the process
Of engraving plates and printing notes,
describing the various articles which
had been seized Ia the johnson house,
and their uses in counterfeiting.
But the most wonderful exhibition Of
his skill was in telling the name of the
engraVer Of a plate by examination of
a bill printed from it. He was, thor
ouRhly familiar with the work gof all
the engravers. He detected counter
felt from a genuine bill st q glance.
He readily designated as counterfeit an
issue which even the Treasury Depart
nnent took as genuine for some time
before detecting as false, the Depart
ment being then obliged TO cancel the
genuine issue because the false was so
nearly perfect. The, United States
Marshal has a book containing samples
of all the counLerfeits yet issued. Trout
looked at these bills, and told the en-
graver correctly. each time with very
little examination.
Among these bills We're those from
plates engraved BY Boyd, and Ulrieh,
and other celebrated counterfeiters, and
which are so perfectly done as TO de-
ceive ninety-nine out OfeVery hundred
persons accustomed TO the examination
of money. Trout could not describe !
the process by which he distinguished
these various bills, but characterized it /
asl an indescribable instinet5 He said 1
ae had worked off thou
uds of dollars in money
awhIe he was engagSssn 80 business. ]
He isspparently about thirty-ffve years
= age, and seeInstto be on the brink OF
8Aconsumptivels grave. his term OF ;
sentenee does1 expire for two years
stz But he does not expect a /
rdon, near death.
his days in prison, /
coffin with his own
st quiet-looking
llls appearance al
confidence OF those
il0s ne came in contact, and
iuch to do with his success in dis
5g OF counterfeit money. 1t seems
slirDrising that a man of his talent
sasuld choose to use it in q course of
crime and end his life in State pris-
on. His skill, exercised in a legitimate
would doubtless have gained
him q competency But he is now a
sad example how genius may be per-
verted when it lacks the balance of
good principle or good sense.