The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-04-14
Mysteries of Counterfeiting
Ut yelled.
testimony of an Expert Now Serving q Sentence
In the Indiana Penitentiary.

From the Detroit Post, March IS.
1t often happens in trials inscourts that
the services OF persons Specially skilled in
la profession or branch of business are re-
qniredsto throw light upon the matter to
be considered by the court and jury. A
few weeks since we gave some curious
results fthe examination of handwriting
by experts showing that kind of tes tiIn0-
ny, In that particular instance at least, to
be contradictory and a1toge her unrelia--
bic. The value Of an experts testimony,
OF course, depends altogether upon his
special skill and proficiency in the mat
ter about which he is called upon to tes-
tify. The most remarkable case of
particularly competent expert that has
fallen under our observation IN thlS CITY
was developed IN the counterfeitlng case
now on trial in the United States D strict
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 counrerfeiting business IN
Indiana from 1868 until 1867, at which
latter date Trout was sent To prison. But
At came out In the progress of the exam
lnatlon that he Was thoroughly posted In
the manufacture of counterfeit money,
having been engaged in the business for
fifteen years, as all engraver OF plates and =
printer OF bank notes. For the benefit
nt the court, counsel, jury and spectators :.
he ente ed into minute description of
the process of engraving plates and print-A
ing notes, describing the various articles
which had been seized in the johnson
h use, and their uses in connterfeIting
But the most wonderful exhibition OF his
'Nlll was In telling the MAINE or the en-
g aver OF plate by examination OF
oil printed from it. Was thoroughly
familiar With tn, work OF all the j
engravers He detected counterfeit
from genuine bill at glance. & lie
readily designated as counterfeit an is ue
which even the Treasury department.
cook as genuine for some time before
detecting as false, the department. being
then obliged TO cancel the genuine issue
because the false was So nearly perfect.
The United States Marshal has book
c ,ntaining samples of allthe counterteits
y issued. Trout looked at these bills
aud told the engraver correctly each'tinle
with very little examination.
Among these bills were those from
plates engraved by Boyd and U,rich, aud (
her celebrated counterteiters and which
a. - p ri, city done as to deceive ninety
nine OUT of every hundred persons accus-
toned to- the examination of money!
trout could not describe the process by
which he distlngn shed these various
bills, but characterize d it as an indescrib-
able instinct. lie said he had worked
| If hundreds of thousands of dollars in
c unterfeit money while he was engaged
IN the business He is apparently about
30 years of age, and seems to be on the
brink of a consumpuve's grave His term
Ut sentence loes not expire for two
years yet. But says he does not expect
pardon, though SO near death He pre-
t, rs 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 confidence Of those with whom he
came in contact, and had much to do with !
his success in disposing. of counterfeit
money. 1t seems surprising that man
OF his talent should choose to use it in
course of crime, and end his life in state
prison. His skill, exercised IN legitimate
j direction, would doubtless have gained
him competency. But he is now sad
example Of how genius may be perverted
WHEN it lacks che balance of good princi-
/ pies or good sense. s.eFsr s, ~
T. a fT#N E# aN # @a& #&a& f e