The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1872-03-13
From the Diary of Detective.l
THE COINERS.

During the year 1947 the West was
| flooded with counterfeit coin. 1t was so
well manufactured that it passed readily.
The evil at last became SO great that the
| United States authorities requested that a
skillful detective might be used to ferret out
the nest Of coiuers. l was fixed upon to
perform that duty.
had nothing to guide me. The fact.
however, that Chicago was the city where
| the counterfeit coin was most abundant, led
me to suspect that the mandatory was
somewhere within its limits. 1t was, there
fore. to the capital of the West that pro-
ceeded. l spent five weeks in the city
without gaining the slightest clue to the
counterfeiters.
began to grow discouraged. and really
though: should be obliged to return home
without having achieved any result. One
Gay received q letter from my wife, re-
questing that should send her some money,
| as she was out of fluas4 gent to the
taeaA-4s--s~ r7t-ts <s~e
| time handing sum u E.cd.y 10 pay tor 1t,
| in which were several half dollars. The
clerk pushed three of them back to me. say
ing. " counterfeit
"What said l, "you don't mean to tell
me those half dollars are counterfeit!
lido
Are you certain!'
"Perfectly certain. They are remark
ably we'll executed, but deficient in weight.
See for YOURSELF
+ And he placed one of them in the bal
ance against a genuine half dollar. and the
latter brought up the former
This is the best counterfeit coin ever
saw in my life,' exclaimed, examining
them closely. us all the counterfeit
| money in circulation here of the same char
acter as this -
| "Oh, dear, no. the clerk replied, "it is
not nearly so we'll done. These are the
| work of the famous New York cOunterfeiter,
Ned Willett. know them well, for have
handled great many in my time. Here is
some of the money that is circulating here.
he added, taking some half dollars from the
drawer. "You see that the milling is not
so we'll done as Ned Willett's, although this
is pretty good, too
compared the two, and found that he
was right. l supplied the place of the
counterfeits with good coin, and returned
the former to my pocket.
| A few days after this received infOrma-
tion which caused me to mako a journey to
small village about thirty miles from Chi
caro. arrived there at night, and took up
nv quarters at the only tavern in the place.
II was a wretched dwelling, and kept by an
old man and woman, the surliest couple, !
think, it was ever my lot to meet. In
answer as to whether could have lodging
there that night. noticed that the host gave
a particular look at his wife, and after some
whispering, was informed, in the most un-
| -.~uo~ poaaihla I rOu1d have a
bed.
1 have frequently in the course of my
life been obliged to put up with wretched
accommodations, 30 l did not ailo" my
equanimity of temper to be destroyed by
the miserable sleeping apartment into which
was ushered after had finished my repast'
The chamber was OF small size. and GER
tainlv we'll ventilated, for could see the
stars through the roof. The bed was simply
a bar of straw thrown in one corner of the
room, without sheet or covering OF any
kind. This last fact, however, was not Of
much consequence as it was summer and
oppressively hot. stood more than an
hour gazing out of the opening which
served for q window. Before enc was an
immense prairie. the limits of which could
not see. Tho tavern in which had taken
up my abode appeared to be isolated from
ali other dwellings,; and. save the croak Of
the tree.toa and the hum of the locust. moi
a sound reached my ear. 1t was beauti
ful moonlight night. 80 bright that l coulc
read the smallest print.
At last began to grow weary. and throw
linz myself on pallet l was so"I
asleep. How long slept knew not. but
xas awakened by a dull sound which re-
sembled some one hammering in the dis
tanoe. suppose it was the peculiarly o
the sound which awoks me, for 1t was no
loud, bur conveyed to me the idea OF som,
one striking iron with mufasd hammer.
rose from my bed and went to the window
The moon was now in the western horizon
by which fact l knew it must be near morn
ing. The sound have before referred T.
reached me more distinctly than when in tn
back part of the chamber. Il appeared t
come from some outhouses which we're stu
ated hundred yards from the house.
Now, l am naturally of an inquiring mind
and this sound occurring as it did in tn
middle of the night, piqued my curiosity
and felt an irrepressibls desire to 60 ou
and discover the cause Of it. The desire
| =. ~. .ound continued, grew upon me Will