National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-04-18
COUNTERFEITERS CAUGHT
A FLOOD OP BOGUS FIyE.DOLLlR BILLS

,innH Of Countsrfeltsrs Broken Up by
the secret Service Deicctivcs-Thc
Names Of the ConspIrntorr to Defraud
the Trer-ury-LurEr scI1urez In Va
riou- Parts Of the Country.
A series Of operations, conducted for several
weeks past under Colonel whitley, chief Of tho
United states secret service, which have culm-
mated In the arrest Of numerous parties and the
capture Of all tho implements necessary for the
manufacture Of bogus nyc-dollar greenbacks, AZ.
forls notable instance OF what patience, indus
try and an untlring energy may do In the sup
preston Of crime; and nothing can better dem.
Onstrate the utility and success Of the system OF
detection now employed In the secret service than
the manner In which this wholesale attempt 10 de-
fraud the people has been met aud thwarted At
every point. II Is presumed that this SYSTEM which
has grown up with the incumbenry Of the pres
cnt chief Of the service. aud which met the full
approval Of Mr. Boutwell,, will bq continued I'M
der Secretary Richardson, Whose wcll.known
| antaROnlsm To criminals IL rruyefbiAl, and from
whom Offenders against the laws may expect
nothing hut that treatment which IL their Just
due.
TuE rvs DOLLAR aREEsBACS COUNTERFEIT
Is not nearly ns well calculated to deceive as
that Of many others that have been put forth by
tie counterfeiters, but lts very general clrUula.
/ llOU uttu upOnt anu arrange
ments had been male to issue the bogus notes
| simultaneously at different points, In order that
large numbers OF them could be passed before
the public generally could receive notice OF their
appearance. Col. Whitley had learned the en-
tire plans OF the consplratOts many days pre-
vious to their execution, and detailed secret
service men to all the suspected localities, with
moment they made the 1fst move. John Nor
gan and Floyd Graham, OF vlncennea, 1ud., led
on 70 this unlawful crusade against the public
| DDgkpt and ranfuFRI uif Ian a
dollars OF the spurious stuff IN their possession
before they had time to utter q single piece OF
u; AZ about the same time Charles d. sherman,
OF Florida, commenced operations In that State,
| aud was taken In the act OF dlspo ling OF a por-
ton Of the money, large quantity Of which was
found on Hun AZ the time OF his arrest. John
Culkin, who had been entrusted with a quantity
Of the bogus hills for circulation on the Paclnt,
coast was captured In san Francisco Just as he
was leaving that place to supply his customers.
Morgan were arrested at indianapolis, also with
a quantity OF the bogus nves upon their persons.
Other arrests, the details Of which have not
| July come to hand, were made at Plttsburg,
| Chicago and ~. Louis, and thousands OF dollars
OF the counterfclts captured before q single note
could pass from the hand, Of the retail dealers
| to the showers.
| PHILADELPHIA
was the great central point Of this conspiracy.
| II was there that the money had been minufac-
| tured, and " was there, also, that combination
had been formed, headed by the notorious steve
| Payne and Miles Oge, and embracing within Its
folds those men whose names have for years
| figured prominently In the criminal annals OF the
country. Among these were Rams Reuboltoni,
alias Rams Abrams, formerly OF Troy, N. Y, and
who has already done one term Of service In the
| state prison; Charles Weisner, alias Black Char
ley, who, for years, has managed to elude the
vigilance Of the local officials John Wallace and
| Dck Digelow, OF Baltimore, old offenders
a ,SS ,ne aws: n and MARX RsinhaTt alias
ing a legitimate business, but really using
ms ptetenheh ayocallon as a cover TO his
ranged TO supply the dealers In the bogus ives
oil over the country, and at this point d'hladcl.
phia) Col. Whitley concentrated some OF the
best men OF MS service. SO complete were the
arrangements upon the part Of the offcers that
every one OF the Aboye-named parties were taken
into custody with all the Implements, consisting
| Of plates, presses, ink and other material, fol
making the counterfeit money.
This was probably as complete an effort "a
mood the country with spurious currency a. has
been attempted for many years. The men en-.
invested largely In the enterprise. Steve Payne
who stands at tho head OF the list, Is reputed "a
be worth nearly 100000. lie seems early 10 life
TO have had q prOcliyity for
| CoUsrERFEITERs AND CoURTERPETr;Hg
AMI married the daughter OF one Of the most eN
pert engravers Of counterfeit plates In the coun,
| try. For years he has been 10 Philadelphia what
Jock Miner has been TO New York, handling
bogus currency by the wholesale aud supplying
dealers In the nefarlous stun In all parts OF Penn.
| sylvania. II Ia matter OF congratulatiOn tina,
Payne Is now safely housed In Jail Ia the West,
ern district OF that state which he has so long
made public highway for the distribution OF
counterfeit money, and that he has fallen into
energy and promptness In the prosecution OF
criminals has earned for him the title OF "thC
chain;lighlnng attorney OF the West" 1t Ia
probable that Payne will at last do the State some
service, anu that society will now enjoy respite
from his rayages.
Altogether some twenty persons were en-.
gagged In this dishonest and dangerous consplr.
acy to mood the country with n spurious issue,
which, but for the ubIqulty OF the secret ser.
Vice onicers, would have been successful, and
would have inflicted great damage upon the
community. As II Is, every one OF the offenders
are locked up, awaiting trial In the various ju.
diciAl districts. At about the same time thai
the plot aforementioned was being agitated
Information came to Colonel Whitley that an
organized attempt would be made TO Mood the
State OF Maine with
SPURIOUS TEs.DoLLAR NOTES
on the Poughkeepsie Bank OF New YORK.. The
steel plates for printing notes OF this Kind were
captured nearly two years ago by the secret
service officers from Jock Miners own hands
and are now safely lodged In the vaults Of the
Treasury. IL was known, however, that large
edition OF the money had been struck and
planted by the cOunteTfetcrs, and this accounts
for the occasional appearance Of these notes IL
various parts OF the country II was probable
therefore, that the Information as to the premed
rect, and Colonel Whitley sent operatives 70 t6 H
state, who succeeded In arrestlng one T. T. Col
ton, a wholesale dealer, who was to have sup
pleu tue rcthllets, Dut VINO was captured, witt
all the money In his possession, thus COmpletelI
frustrating his designs.
The Held of operations Of the secret service O
the United states Is a broad one. IL has no
only turned It's attention to the detection OF
counterfeiting and other frauds upon the Treas
ury, but has lent It's aid In ferreting out dis
honest Ofiiclals and rendered valuable assistance
to Attorney General Williams In breaking III
the ku-kuN organization, which, thanks 10 TIL
energy displayed In the Department OF Justice
are now numbered among the things that were
COMMITTED tn IAN