The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-05-13
gecumte-feiiins. I

= q
The Detroit PJst contain, Che follow
ing account of the testimony of an cx-
pert as 10 the proces'S of cctlnterlcltilg-
He j. now serving out Il sentence III
the Indiana peIlitehtiary. The fast
says: f sT Sod
It,often' happc..s in trials in Courts
tbat The services OF persons specially
skilled in profession or. branch OF
business are required To throw light
upon the matter to bc considered by
the court and jury. y few weeks siilec
we gave some curious results ut the
examination of handwriting by eX-
perts, showing that kiRl of testimony
in that particular Instance at !e;i>t To
i,c contradictory and altogether iInrc-
liable. The value of an experts tes-
timopy. of course, depends altogether
upon his special skill an,l proficiency
i'm the matter about which hc is eailcd
upon totcstify. Tic 'nIest remarkable
case Of a particulaEis .ernsRe esst cxpert'
that }ios ialIeii 6r<lsg- tialYS Sissscrsationin in
this city was developed in the counter
feitiDg case now on trial in the nitcd
States District Court.
/ One John Ii. Trout. whe i> how serv-
ing sentence in the Indiana Stale
Prison, at Michigan City, was brought
her,.2tu show that. the Johnson Family
had been i'm the cpuntcricitiHg business
i'm Indiana from 1865 until lSG1. ut
which,. latter date Trout wss seEt ts
prison.. BuI it came out in the coursc
of the examination that he WIS tli0r-
ouchIv posted in the manufacture OF
counterfeit money. having been en@ag-
cd in the business for fifteen years;,s an
ensrarcr of plates and printer of bank
notes. For the benefit of the court,
counsel, Jury and spectators, he cntered
into minute description of the process
of engraving plates and printing notes,
describing the various articles which
lad been seizeti j., the Johnson house,
and their Uses IN countcrfeiting.
But the most wonderful exhibitions ei
his skill was in telling the name OF The
engraycr of u plate 10y examination oi
bill printed from il. lie was thor
oliyl,ly familiar with the work OF ail
the eugravcrs. He detected Il counter
felt from genuine bill ut glance.
He readily designated II counterfeit an
issue which even the Treasury Depart
ment 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 50
I nearly ,pcrfect. Tie United, States
Marshal has Il book containing samples
of all the e4,un,erfcits yet issued. Trout
Iool,esl nj these bills, and told the en-
erslycr CORRECTLY each time with very
little examination.
Anopg these bills were those ffon
plates etieravcd by Boyj, and Clricir.
and othercelebrated cotiiicrfeitcrs, and
whicI, are so perfectly done as 10 de-
ccivc nincfy-ninc out ofevery hundred
persops accustomed TO the examination
of money. Trout could not describe
the process 10y which hc distinguished
/ tbesesvarious bills, but characterized it
as am indescIibable instinct. he sai,l
me had worked off hundreds of thou
sands of dollars in counterfeit money
while he was engaged in the business.
Heis apparently, about tl,iTty-iiveyears
Of age, and seems Ia oic oiI the brink of
"a eonsumptiye's grave. His term of
scntence does notcxpire for two wears
| vet. But lie says, he does not expect a
pardon, though so near death.
He prefefs to end his days in prison
and has made his coffin with his uwn
hands. lie is nodcst, aiie.-looking
man and says that his. appearance al
ways won him the confidence OF those
with whom he came, in contact, and
/ had much 10 do with his success in dis-
| posing of counterfeit money. ltsccms
| surprising that a man of his talent
should choose to t,se il In q course OF
crime, and end his life in a State pris
on. His skill. exercised in a legitimate
direction. would doubtless have gained
him competency. But lie l. now q
sad example, how genius may I've per.
| yerted when il lacks the balance of
good principle or good sense >