New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-01
COUNrERFEITERs ARRESTED.
A Dangerous Gang Broken Up-A Dozen
Dealers in Jail.

business. He Immediately addressed let
ter upon the subject to the Solicitor OF TIN
Treasury who took prompt action. One o.
the most skillful detectives in the service
was detailed and sent to this city. followed
| soon after by another, to assist him. After
conversation with Marshal Hastings they
commenced operations. During the past
two months they have been working ul
! the case, and have at last succeeded, there
| is good reason to believe, in breaking up the
entire gang. Arrests have been made from
time to time, until at last several f the
| ringleaders. some OF the most desperate
characters in this part of the country. have
| been taken into custody.
James Monroe Bissell was first arrested
| iii Alliance, ON the sixteenth of April, on the
charge of passing and offering Tor sale
counterfeit national bank notes of the de-
IN nj tons of ten anil twenty. How he
came to fall into the hands of tie Phllls-
tines, as narrated by the detectife, was in
this wise: He took little trip dOEn to Lee
tOnia, and while there Showed, in single
evening, ninety dollars in spurious tens on
the Poughkeepsie, New York, National
Bank. Three of these bills were traced, and
are now in the hands of the officers. Tie
three persons who had these bills pass, d
upon them made complaint to the marshal
of LeetOnia. and he, accompanied by one OF
the victims. followed Bissell to Alliance, and
arrested him. Bissell secured the serylc 6
of an Alliance lawyer, and took him with
him to Leetonia. Here twp other shy
ster were engaged, and between them and
| the marshal the matter was fixed up. Bis
| sell "ponyipg up" his watch and two hun
I dred and sixty-fve dollars IN good money.
| This was divided up between the marshal.
| the lawyer and the three victims. Two OF
! the latter were satisfied with the bogus bills
! ha;no rnoIn nnnl and fbe third pIVnd
| ffty dollars not to "squea" But the mat
ter leaked out and reached the ears of Mar
shall Hastings. He forth gith sent deputy
to Alliance. and upon his return from Lee
tonia. Bissell found that ne had only jumped
| from the frying pan INTO the fire. He
was arrested, had a preliminary examin-
alton before Commissioner White, and was
DO und ever TO the Unied States court for
trial, bail being fixed at $500. He gave
bail, and was released from custody. His
rearrest on Monday, June 26, will be men-
toned below.
The work of the UIited States secret ser
vice detet tives subsequently showed itself
in the arrest at Marion and Van Vert, of
William II. Bar, of Bucyrus; andrew Jack
son Bair, of Van W,rt; John T. Hickman,
Christopher G. Bady and George W.
Shawen, of Marion and George Fedick, #
Decatur, Indiana. All are charged with
dealing in and possessing counterfeit gree n
backs, national tlnk notes of various de-
nominations and fractional currency. They
were arraigned bifore Commissioner White
and bound over for trial. All gave bail in
sums ranging from $500 TO s2500 and were
released.
Shawen thought TO secure judicial elem
ency for himself by ''squealing" on his con-
federates. and Aid give valuable information
to the officers that assisted in prosecuting
their undertaking, giving the names of sew
eral operatOrsin aud around Fort Wayne,
Indiana. Among the names given were
those of government detectives who were
at work thers, who had so successfully in
gratiated themselves into the confidence of
the bogus gentry that they passed for cOun-
terfeiters. Shawen's repentance, however,
was but of short duration, for after his re-
turn to his stamping ground, being released
on bail he is known to have passed at least
one twenty dollar counterfeit He was re-
arrested June 20-Tuesday of last week-in
Cleveland and this is how it came about:
Among these counterfeiters are several
noted robbers, thieves and burglars, as pre-
cious ra,cals as ever saw the inside of
penitentary. Shawen, together with Ed
ward G. Kessier, alias Edward Boyer
Samuel Rivers and Harry Homer, cOncocted
a scheue to crack safe in Elmira, New
York, from which operation they expected
TO realize largely. Boyer, previous to this
time, had skirmished around for good
chance to betray his companions in crime
and shield himself, showing him to be an
exception to the honor that is said tradi-
tionaly to exist among thieves. He wrote
to lawyers in Marion and in Cleveland,
offering to give all the information necessary
tor the arrest of the entire gang of cOun-
terteiters, provided the government would
pay him large sum of money and assure
him OF protection. 1t was evident that he
desired to shield himself while still carry
ing On the business. The letters were
shown to the detectives, but, as may be
imagined, the offel was not accepted.
Rive,s and Homer, the other members of
the 6uartette who organized the Elmira eX-
pedIion. are said to be two of the most des-
per5te villains in Indiana, and the terror of
thai section, ready at any time for robbery
or burglary of any kind. Homer is a Ken
tudsian, and is wanted in that State for
murder Thus much personal in regard to
th5se members of what is known as the
Fort Wayne gang"
By some means, known only to tn en-
selves, the detectives obtained definite in
formation in regard to the excursion to
Elmira, and learned that they would pass
through Cleveland in detachments. Shawen
and kessler, alias Bower, were to 90 first
Rivers and Homer following few days
ater, the party to rendezvous at Elmira.
The detectives came to this city and pro-
;ured the assistance of j. w. Schmitt, SUI
of police, who cordially ex-
ended to them all the aid in his power,
placing at their disposal all the officers that
might be needed for any emergency. On
tuesday of last week, June 20, according
% programme, Shawen and Kessler arrived
n this city, and concluded to stop over
hort time, doubtless for the purpose of
The officers pounced upon
hem while they were in the Weddell House
barber shop, undergoing tOnsorial opera
ions. They were not little chagrined as
hey found themselves in the clutches of
he law. They were marched off to jail,
md the officers lay in wait for the other de-
achment. Subsequently Shawen was sent
or by officers in Indianapolis. where he was
wanted for counterfeiting. He was given
ntO their charge and is now in jail in that
:ity.
On Saturday Rivers and Homer arrived
n this city on train from Toledo. The
detectives were on hand to receive them at
he Union depot, with reserve force of
wo officers of the Cleveland police. Both
we're captured after hard struggle.
Rivers attempted to do little shooting
With his revolver, but was overpowered |
md taken into custody. Homer threw
way, when he saw there was no escape,
our counterfeit ten-dollar bills, but they
we're secured. With these gang-leaders
wo others were also arrested-Joe Warren
md man who goes by the soubriquet of |
Jim the Dutchman," both members of the
Hort Wayne party.
Saturday evening the detectives visited
Alliance, and rearrested j. NJ. Bissell, upon
he charge of dealing and having in his
possession counterfeit money-tens on the
'oughkeepsie National Bank, and twenties
N the Market National Bank, of New York
They also arrested, at Alliance, NJ. A. Boyd,