The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-09-06

The COunterfeiter DISCOVERIES
and Arrested.
lCAUGHT IN THE VERY ACIy
Wonderful and Astonishing
Revelations.
lie Confesscs to Have been Engaged in
the Business for Years.

readers that we called attention last week
to the large number Of counterfcits That
were being put in circulation about here.
Also that some of our citizens thought
they were made in this place, and such
has proved to be the fact. Last night
the countcrfeitcrs were discovered and
arrested.
The following are the particulars
Last night our sheriff had occasion to
90 to his Office in Stewards block, at rath-
er of late hour, and while there, hearing
considerable noise on the floor above, no
latter finishing his business) went up
stairs, knowing well who occupied that
floor, not suspccting any thing wrong, but
thinking to give the occupant scare.
Finding the door locked, he quietly pro-
ceeded to open it with means he had at
hand, when inside he saw light which
shone through a partly open door at the
farther end Of the room. lie cautiously
approached and succeeded in gaining it
without being discovered, taking a look
into the other room. There sat Styles
very busiy at work. The sheriff was
about to burst in upon him, when move
ment on the part eff Styles caused him to
stop. He Styles had Just finished a
piece of work and was carefully laying it
on a file of others now. The sheriff no.
ticed there was on the table several SINH
lar files, and Good Heavens what were
they? Could it be possible that those were
files of bank notes? He looked again to
be sure, thinking if those were indeed
bank notes they must be counterfeit, and
if counterfeit, then Styles must be coun-
terfeiter. Instantly, thinking of the large
number of counterfeits that were being
put in circulation, and believing that the
originator of them was before him, he ell
tered the room, which attracted the at.
tention of the occupant, who instantly
started up and when he saw who was be-
fore him exclaimed, Caught at last. y
The sheriff remarked that he rather
thought he was, and very quietly inform.
ed him that he should be obliged to take
charge of him. Mr.. Styles made no re.
sistance, said he was fairly caught, there
was no use in denying it. He also con-
fessed that he had been engaged in coun'
tcrfeiting for nearly fifteen years, and that
he had been doing more and more every
since he came to Middlebury. The sher.
if, on making an examination Of the
premises, found a perfect and complete
set of counterfeiters tools, with a large
quantity of material for making counter.
feits, also great number of counterfcts
in all stages of COMPLIMENTARY thing
seemed to be in perfect working order.
We visited the gallery this morning
when we very unexpectedly met Mr.
Styles, but we also found the sheriff there
Mr.. Styles received us pleasantly, said
he supposed he was to be interviewed
He very politely showed us the working
apparatus, told us to proceed, ask any
questions, make any examinations We
wished. He also showed us some of the
chemical manipulatons that have to be
gone through with. In his hands all seem.
ed easy, but to us the changes were per.
fectly wonderful. On examining those
files of counterfeits just finished, we could
not but admire the beauty of finish and
the perfect imitation of the original they
all seemed perfect. But at last we came
to one that fairly startled us, it was the
Sheriff's Own Face, counterfeited 50 per
feet as to be almost impossible to tell i
from the original. We looked no more, w,
had seen enough, we were fully convinced
that Styles as counterfeiter of The
Human Face has no equal in these parts
We are requested (by the sheriff. to sa,
that Mr.. Styles will be confined for SAT-
keeping at his (Styles) Photograph Gal
r lery, where he can be visited by any o
his friends who may wish to shed a sym
pathetic tear with him, in this his tim
Of trouble. Styles wishes us to say tina
he will be happy to put up any job o
counterfeiting that his friends may wisl
D DONE