The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-05-12
r. A. TURNER
w. l.. PARKS,

DARING FoRGERY.-Our exchanges bring
accounts of the arrest and imprisonment of one
W. w. SAMPSON, chief clerk in the Treasury
Department of this State, charged with coun-
terfeiting coupons of certain Blue Ridge Rail
road bonds which were lost at Pendleton in
May, 1865 The scheme was concocted and
carried out by SAMPSON and an accomplice
named MErcALF. The latter resides in Au-
burn, N. Y. Both were Captains in the 93rd
U. S. colored Troops, and SAMPSON was Pro-
vost Marshal at this place in August, 1865.
We give the following account of the Columbia
Guardian
The State, in 1859, issued bonds payable in
five wears, to the amount of $4,000, in aid of
the Blue Ridge Railroad. The bonds were
taken by the Blue Ridge Railroad Company at
par, to be used by them in the construction OF
their road A number of these bonds, which
had not been used, were stolen by ralding
party of Federal soldiers, which passed through
Pendleton, S. c., about the close of the war.
Tn 1865. two wears after said bonds became due,
the Legislature passed an act authorizing the
funding of past due bonds and the coupons
thereon. Under this act it was ascertained, in
1867. by the present President of the Blue
Ridge Railroad, Gen. J. W. Harrison, that the
identical bonds stolen in Pendleton had been
funded, having probably been sold to some in
nocent parties at the North but large amount
of the coupons were not presented to be fun
ded. Having free access to the books, Samp-
son was enabled to find out precisely what cou-
pons were missing and proceeding upon this
| knowledge he and Metcalf concocted sweet
little plan of appropriating some S42,O and
if successful there is no telling to what extent
they may have carried their thievish propensi-
ties.
Sampson, as clerk of the Treasury, sends on
burn, N. Y, where Metcalf now lives, and or
ders fac sin,iles struck off, to the amount of
$4,000. The genuine coupon being merely
stereotyped was easily counterfeited; but the
printing house in Auburn suspecting something
to be amiss reported the matter to the detec-
tives in New York city, and they to Constable
Hubbard here Plans for their detection were
at once Get on foot, letters were intercepted, a
large batch of the forged coupons seized while
| in transitu between Sampson and Metcalf, and
having obtained such unquestionable evidence
of the guilt of the parties, Hubbard arrested
Sampson here, and at the same time Metcalf
was arrested in Auburn. Sampson is now in
iail, and bail to the amount of 25,000 being re-
there till the time of trial. We have it from
good authority that the intimations are that
more persons in and about the capital than w.
w. Sampson are implicated in his crime.
The correspondent of the Charleston Repub-
Hcan, writing from Columbia, says:
The scheme for the consummation of this
fraud was very simple, and, with little more
foresight on the part of the parties arrested, it
might have been brought to successful termi-
nation. The old coupons are printed by ordi-
nary letter press process, on coarse bond paper.
The numbers are filled in with red ink by pen.
The signature on the original is written; but on
the counterfeit it is printed from q common
stereotype. Any person, with good knowl-
edge of Typography, could have made better
job The printing was entrusted to firm in
Auburn, New York. who said they were paid
$3.50 for it. They are known to be honest men.
>. The bonds from which these coupons were
supposed to have been taken were those issued
by the State to aid the Blue Ridge Railroad and
were supposed to have been lost or destroyed
during the war. 1t was the scheme of the par
ties to present these coupons, properly number
ed, and demand restoration of the bonds. From
his position as chief clerk, Sampson would have
had every facility for carrying out this plan.
The whole eamount of the coupons printed will
soon be in the hands of the State None what
ever have been placed on the market nor pre-
sented to the Treasury so that the State will
lose nothing.
Sampson, when arrested, appeared very calm,
and acknowledged the whole affair." exonerating
all but himself from blame. He is now con-
fined here, and his bail has been fixed at S25,-
900.
The estimated loss to the State, If the plan
h o1 ounreadpd is ohOut S300 0C0 y