Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-09-20
THE WHOLE CLAN FLUSHED.
David Finn, the King Of the Counterfeit
ers, Arrested-WhRt and Who
He is.
He Turns States Evidence, and Impll.
Gates all Sorts Of People, Includ-
ing Ministers Of the GOspel,


our town, says the Canton Nail Of saturday,
was in a lively state Of excitement last Mon
day. on account Of the arrest Of David Finn,
who now comes TO light as the king Of the
counterfeiters. He has been living for the
past six years IN Rankin county, near Rat
cliffs Ferry, and is known TO many Of the cit
iZens OF Canton. We had two hours cOnver-
satlOn with the Old man, ana MS story sOunds
more like romance than anything we ever
heard. He is eightT-five years old, but would
readily pass for stXty-hve or seventy has a
keen penetrating black eye,and, although an
able TO read, is a remarkably well-infOrmed
man. especially in all things relative TO chem
istry. Although he IS able 10 counterfeit gold
coin in a manner which absolutely deneS de-
lection: although he has been in the business
forty years and has been the owner of hun-
dredS OF thousands OF dollars, he Is now, and
has been Tor six years, in extreme poverty.
He declares that he has not Tor years, passed
any counterfeit money, but that he has been
in the power of an extensive clan which eK-
tends from Georgia to Texas, many OF whom
he has never seem but for whom he has been
At " Ork.
He SAYS that he taught the art of counter
feiting 10 Beecham, CradiCk, BlantOn, Null
lins, Crabiree and Ditchie, men who became
famous in the art, and have expiated their
OtfenseS by weary years Of Imprisonment he
tells how he supplied Confederate officers
with an abundance Of the queer which
they received and passed, knowing il TO be
counterfeit and as he has turned state 5 eVl-
dence, he makes no hesitancy in disclosing
names which viii create a stir after while,
Ye saws that even ministers OF the Gospel
be such. This charge seemed so sweeping
that We asked and Obtained permission TO
publish the names. Their names are Jones,
Brisc0e and Thompson, al Of Morgan county,
Alabama.
He made a clear confession, giving the
names OF nearly "a hundred Of the clan, and, of
course, the detectives made good use OF the
telegraph. At WinOns, "A man by the name OF
Gibson, with his four daughters, have been
arrested, and also Columbus Finn and Heze-
kiah Walker. This man Walker Is well
known in this county as Cow Walker. lie
OVerseed for Mr.. Brit. Pritchard for ten years,
and 50 arranged the business that nearly all Of
Mr. Pritchard's 5 COWS were in Walkers mark,
hence the name Of Cow Walker. BE also lived
two years with Kicks Weatherby.
Two nephews Of the old man are stlu al
large, in Louisiana, and have complete set
Of dies of one, two and a half, fve and ten de-
nominations. All these dies were made blythe
old man Finn and sold for eighteen dollars.
These prisoners were all under the charge OF
c. Wiley Wells, United states District AttOr-
new for the Northern District of Mississippi,
and j. H. Pierce, United States Marshal.
These gentlemen, aided by a firSt-ciaSs corps
Of detectives. have been on the track OF these
cOuuterfeiters for six months, and flushed the
whole bevy, king and all, by a little bOtch-
work Of columbus Finn, son or the king.
These gentlemen gave US much information
in reference 70 the whereabouts OF q large
number of the clan, but II would be ilnpru-
dent TO publish the facts until they are in the
clutches OF the officers MessrS Wells and
| Pierce deserve much credit for the manner IN
which they have conducted this business.
Z of this counterfeit money Is in circulation IN
I Mississippi, mostly in ten-dOllar pieces, and
/ the public are cautioned against receiving
l this Imitation gold.