The New York herald., 1873-10-21
Carolina, and upon the system of local police in

respondent accompanied the officers through
nearly the whole OF their latest operations; ana
since the first discoveries was astounded az the
OFFICIAL cRININALlTy AND DECENTRALIZATION.
that was ferreted out Ii had at first been cnaIi-
and crime were confined exclusively to the more
ignorant and hardened classes OF the
communities, in which they were engagea .i
these men, familiar with all grades
OF human depravity, were startled as ,ne,s
n,a6 oees Of trust and
ment both under the State and federal govern
ments, men OF high social position and regarded
nefarious crime OF buying and selling the
bogus money. Horrifying and lncredibe as
1t seems, here today lies piled Up the
corruption OF the most humiIiating character.
Lawyers, Doctors justices OF the peace, postmas-
ters. United States deputy marshals, clerks OF
courts and numerous merchants OF apparent re-
specrabiity did not hesitate TO increase their gains
and grow rich by the disreputable means OF
bartering bogus United states currency. AS soon
as there was unmistakable evidence OF this official
crlminality in their possession the officers lost no
Mas washington. and they We're at once instructed to
pay the strctest and closest attention TO this class
OF cases and TO obtain all the evidence possible,
as the
MORAL EFFECT OF CONVICTIONS
OF this character would be Of the most inestmable
value. 1t would be too tedious for the present
report to 60 into the full details OF all these cases.
but prominent among those criminated are a a.
snoddery,. assistant postmaster at Maynardsviiie,
ueion rel county, sna Serk John IN wson Of the
same county; J. J. Sellars magistrate in Granger
county J. NJ sawyer, United States Deputy Mar
shall for the Eastern district ofTennessec stationed
at Rutledge. and J. N. Ray late State Prose-
cutting Attorney OF Knox county, oIiice here
awe Numserng snen shnns lights s nese m
their ranks, IL was not to be wondered that the
more ignorant counterfeit dealers should have ielt
criminals. Some OF them are men OF wealth, and
these probably relied upon their genuine green
backs TO pull them through all legal difficulties
should they ever be detected in their vile trade.
The
ARTIFIcEs AND DEVICES
resorted to by some OF the officers In securing evi
dence against these parties age not only ingenious
but decidedly rich and interesting. Upon being
interviewed, they were generally quite ready to
relate their experience, asking as a iavor at the
same time that their names might not
be published in the HERALD, as that
into the mountains, and the mention OF their
names might probably impair their usefulness in
future cases. one OF them relates his experience
with J. N. Ray, the ex-prosecuJing attorney Tor
the people at Knoxville. He has already secured
some evidence against this party, but as another
witness was desirable. he was obtained in this
way:-An officer whom Ray had never seen
went to the East Tennessee National Bank and
purchased package OF the new dlty cent Dexter
head notes. The officer, who had already purchased
counterfeit money from Ray, met him (RayL and
told him he had friend who had just come TO
new issue, and would sell some Of them ul
provided he could buy some OF the bogus money OF
a large denomination. Ray expressed an anxiety
to see the new counteffets. and was at once intro
duced to the stranger, who produced his new IF
ties and spread them out before the admiring eyes
OF the delighted lawyer. The latter in aston.
ishment held up his hands and exclaimed :
'"rHEM's THE DAMNDEsr BEST THINGS EVER DID
SEEw
Believing now that he was dealing with genu-
inc counterleIter and no mistake, Ray produced
$50 IN queer" which he sold to the offcer
be wanted to puy some OF the new currency,
that he could not OF sell him any any ii them, en-
the Goth, in which they would talk the business
over. Another OF the officers stated that, alter
having made the acquaintance of counterelter
in Union county by means of forged letter of in
was. was delayed several days to give the
try to get the money. on his return
he learned tnat some suspicion had been aroused
found lrenu, the officer and going TO the latter.
he not only sold him the counterfeit money, but
advised nim TO arm himself thoroughly as there
were good many detectives about who might at
tempt to arrest nim The "queersmanr added
confdentially, that he had been
IN TIE BUSINESS MORE THAN FIVE YEARS
and no detective was ever smart enough TO fool
him. One OF the "heavyn dealers, old Nick Sharp,
OF Union county, kept his counterfets in a cigar
box on the shelf OF little rookery, called q
saloon. The secret service men learned that the
KEY TO old NicK's confidence lay in going to MS
him aside and ask him if he had any of '.them
dol gorned Ohio cigars on hand" He would
Fey by or asking Se low prce they WANTED the
notes. or fifty dollar bills. Alter learning this
secret, which was obtained by strategy, no less
than three of the secret service men went to
Sharp's place and purchased the bogus money
without either the slishtest trouble or the shadow
OF suspicion.
THE sAwpUsT swISDLE
1t would be pity TO omit the sawdust swindle
In the mountains. In their anxiety to obtain coun-
sources, many OF the bogus money dealers have
been severely bitten by that sharper and not more
scrupulous class, the "sawdust swinders,n that
abound in New York city. An amusing incident Is
related in this connection by one Of the officers
who arrived one evening about dusk at
the house OF a ,n conntere,ter some thirty y-eignt
that old Ira Benson, the dealer, was away from
home. The officer being known 70 the old lady as
counterfeiter. was invited to await Benson's re-
turn. After supper she grew quite laxative and
communicated the fact that old Ira had gone to
Asnve Ash to get right smart lot Of good stu-'
folks IN York is right smart" said she: "they sent
my old man this yere," producing one
OF the tmeworn lithograph letters that have
flooded the country for years past. ''an ne sent
'em 800 to git some Of the small kinds" The
otficer chuckled inwardly. but made no outward
',iog eat Dog" certainly. Old Ira arrived home
about ten O'Clock that night, having ridden thirty
eight miles horseback the day before to get to
and he was very tired; but the "dol gorned
box had come" and he was all right. 4
good pull at the corn Juice and a little supper
made him Jolly Then he unroed the package re-
yealng the box securely nailed. Removing the
cover was the work OF an instant, and the first
thlng to be seen was the sawdust.
"Iney pack II nice,n said the old lady; couldn't
be better II II was gass.r
Eyes, they do,r said old Ira, running his fingers
through the sawdust and dnaily emptylng it on the
moor; "they do 1t NICE and they have done mer
Profanity was in order for the next half hour
The candle turned blue with 1t. IL hung upon the
rasters and over the old crane in the fireplace
and oozed up the chimney. Nor was its volume
lessened when old Mrs. Ira told him he was "a
dol gorned old fool cuss" to have anything TO do
with .'them felars in New York;
THE "QrEER" IN THE NORTH STATE.
similar condition OF Illicit monetary affairs ex-
isted in the Western district OF North Carolina In
that mountainous section, famous as the rendez-
vous OF both federal and Confederate deserters
during the war; the gangs OF counterfeiters
were more thoroughly organized, IL possible,
han In Tennessee covering a much larger
lrea OF territory and numbering
great many more persons in their ranks They
we're more systematic In their apportionment OF
he country, and mutual agreement existed
among them that no gang should operate in the do
ninions OF another. The gang controlling the
rade the counties of Cherokee