Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-05-12
VOL. XTH..--hO. is.
Mysteries Of Counterfeit
ing Unveiled.


Penitentiary.
From the Detroit Post, March %.
| 1t often happens in trials il
courts that the services of persons
specially skilled in a profession
or branch of business are required
to throw light upon the matter &c
he considered by the court and
jury. A few weeks since we
gave some curious results of the
examination of handwriting by
experts, showing that kind of
testimony, in that particular In
tance at least, to be contradicto.
ry and altogether unreliable
The value of ain experts testi.
lnony, of course, depends altogeth.
er upon his special skill and pro.
fciency in the matter about
which he is called upon to testi-
fy. The most remarkable case
of a particularly competent ex-
pert that has fallen under our ob.
servation in this city was deyel-
Ioped in the counterfeiting case
now on trial in United States Dis
trict Court. One John B. Trout,
who is now serving a sentence
in. the Indiana State Prison, at
Michigan City, was brought here
to show that the Johnson family
had been in the counterfeiting
business in Indiana frem 1865 un-
til 1867, at which latter date
Trout was sentenced to prison.
But it came out In the progress
of the examination that he was
thoroughly posted in the manu-
fracture of counterfeit money,
Having been engaged in the bn.
siness for fifteen years, as an en-
|graver of plates and printer Of
bank notes. For the benefit of
the court, counsel, jury and spec.
tators, be entered into a minute
description of the process of en-
Craving plates and printing notes,
describing the various articles
which had been seized in 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 examina-
ton of bill printed from it,
He was thoroughly familiar with
the work of all the engravers.--
He detected a counterfeit from a
genuine bill at a glance. BE
! readily designated as counterfeit
an issue which even the Treasury
Department took as genuine for
some time before detecting as
false, the department being then
obliged to cancel the genuine Is
sue because the false was so near
lily perfect. The United States
Marshal has a book containing
samples of all the counterfeits
! yet issued. Trout looked at
these bills and told the engraver
correctly each time with very lit
| tie examination.
Among these bills were those
from plates engraved by Boyd and
Ulrich, and other celebrated
counterfeiters, and which are 50
perfectly done as to deceive nine
ty-nine out of every hundred
persons accustomed to the exami-
nation of money. Trout could
not describe the process b. which
Fhe distinguished these various
bills, but characterized it as an in
describabIe instinct. He said he
had worked of hundreds OF thou
sands of dollars In counterfeit
money while he was engaged IN
the business. He is apparently
about 35 years Of age, and seems
TO be on the brink of a consump-
tiye's crave. His term of SEN
tence does not expire for two
years yet. But says be does not
expec. pardon, though SO near
death. He prefers to end his
days in prison, and has made his
coffin with his own hands.
He is a modest, quiet.looking
man, and says that his appearance
always won him the confdenceo Of
those with whom he came In CON
tact, and had much to do with
his success m disposing of coun-
terfeit money. 1t seems surpri.
sing that man of his talent
should choose to use it in a course
of crime and end hislite 10 state
prison. His skill, exercised in a
Legitimate direction, would doubt
less have gained him a competen-
Icy. But he is now a sad exam
pie of how genius may be pervert,
led when it lacks the balance Of
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