The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-10-16
TIE COUNTERFEITERS.

IWo Ssomen-OeclSlon Oh the OOm InIS-
sioner-Ballard's Invention to Prevent
Counterfeiting-His Offer to Submit 1t
to the Government.
BUFFALO. Oct 49, 1874.
Since my former letter detailing the arrest or
the notorious Tom Ballard with the capture OF his
implements, stock OF finished aud unfinished
counterfeit notes and the plates from which the
same were printed, additional Interesting develop
ments have taken Place. the examination OF
the prisoners been held, and, In default oil
$4,000 bail. all are now in jail In this city. The
antecedents OF Tom Ballard, as we gather them
from the secret Service officials, show him to be
one OF the most expert counterlelters IN the coun
try; indeed, he Is believed to have been the
engraver OF the United States Treasury $500 bill.
OF which several were received at the Treasury
Department, having successfully passed the most
rigid scrutiny of the business public. His skill Is
supplemented by an inventive genius spurred
into constant activity by nervous sanguine
temperament. which demands constant and
exciting employment In the exercise OF
this genius Ballard has succeeded in solving all
the secrets connected With the manufacture OF
the pulp OF which the peculiar paper used for
bank notes is made, also the cooring matter and
can DO all his engraving and printing. AS viii be
seen below, Ballard puts into written form the
claim referred to in my last, that he
mas llVelteQ d pTOCeSS-OT, TdIHcTy SeIleS
OF three processes-which will put an end to-
the practice OF counterfeitng. He understood
from Mr.. Simon B. Benson. First Assistant Of the
Secret Service Department to whom the letter
below Is directed that 1t is accompanied with no
proposition, but thar he simply expresses the be-
lief that should the experiments any experts
selected by the government might make under his
direction prove the correctness OF his theory, 1t
would induce mitigation OF his punishment.
JOSHUA D. MINER.
Billiards. nrst arrest, In october, 1877, was in
connection with the charges against this notorious
individual, now a wealthy resident Of your CITY,
and it was expected at the time that Billiards.
testimony would have convicted him. Mr.. Benson
does not hesitate to express his belief in Billiards.
statement that Whitley agreed not to prosecute
him should he give the required evidence;
but as Ballard escaped from Ludlow Street
JAIL in November. before Miners trial
was neld-no doubt receiving outside assistance
through Miners influence, thereby himself
breaking the tacit agreement and permitting the
escape OF Miner from punlshment-he has no oc-
cason to blame the department. either for Its
failure to save him from punishment or the per-
tinacity with which 1t las endeavored to secure
his capture. 1t is now believed here that II Bal
lard should be taken to New York his old asso-
cla,es IN the business would manage either
ment. BY the liberal Use Of money
defeat the ends Of ,s Justice or i
best guarded OF our State prisons. and IN a con-
yersaIon with Commissioner Scroggs he informed
your correspondent That II IT was within the pos
sbllties ne should be retained in this district for
trial. Ii he Is not taken out OF the district his
opens on the third Thursday Of next month. The
maximum term OF Imprisonment IS fifteen years,
and i ndcec ana oaa1 sry on ts three
him to bail, sentence OF forty-fye years may be
pronounced.
1t VIII be remembered that during the invest.
cation the District Attorney sale burglary. ut
Washington. Netteshp, then first assistant OF the
tee that he was in Washington looking Tor the
notorious lorger Tom Ballard. This was ques-
tened but i appears Sm Baards statement
and that he left because Nettleship was following
him too closely.
Ten O'CLOCK this morning was the time set for
the examination before Commissioner Scroggs and
down from the jail. Ballard was handcuffed to
Marshal Toies assistant E. Brown, and the two
females were under charge OF policeman. Ballard
looked cheerful and conversed freely with the
officers, detectives and reporters, and listened to
the arrangement without a twinge, and pleaded
not guilty in firm tone, but when
and the evidence OF Detective Perkins aud
Was 20 ee hrs a1d an
expression which plainly showed that he APP
preciated the full gravity OF ms situation. Com
was in substance that Thomas Ballard. Ann Adams
and Elizabeth Ballard were charged with making
and spurious Currency Of the Quilted States; with
making and engraving plates AFTER the simlli.
ade OF sae paei uIeE IN ph a
dies. plates, press and paper with the intent OF
counterfeiting the obligations and securities Of the
United states; also with conspring with others to
deiraud and commit an offence against the United
States. Each OF the prisoners Ballard standing
erect and rather defiant) pleaded not gully, and
I'm to the usual question the male prisoner
acknowledged that his name was Thomas Ballard,
and the old lady was Ann Adams. Mrs Ben Bal.
her name gave 1t as julia Ann Elizabeth
Britton. she is q native OF Northern Central
brother OF Tom Ballard, some Six Years ago, and
has followed his fortunes ever since. She con-
fessed to the oiicer that she had been arrested In
her person, and on trial she was convicted and
sentenced to six months in the penitentiary, and
it would break up the business, which
oaa Is Would ars not saat
husbands name was Ballard, calling him CHARLES
Marshall but this L. known o,n by the governments
@ esa & l ss s d a Friday k sss na sHs
Clear Lake Iowa. is the locality sae gives as their
and she corroborated Tom Billiards. Statement
that he had been in the neghbornood only about
American, though OF the lower class. but possessed
Of more than ordinary shrewdness and an entire
devotion to the outlaw to whom she is bound By
heart, II not BY legal ties. Among the sixteen
different plates captured was one on which Tom
had been at work most OF the time since his ar
rival In this CITY, This Is or steel, and the Design
Is that Of the Bank Of British North America He
had only completed the border and vignette, but
the work ~ OF o superior character, and, as the
prisoner remarked to 9E, Benson, II he had
made our Canadian neighbors Sick"
Gilbert ID. Perkins, VINO gave mis- business as
that OF an operative o. the Secret Service Depart
ment, ana David =. Reynolds formerly Chief OF
Police OF this city, now engaged In the customs
detective business were the only witnesses ex-
ahmed at any length, the others engaged in the
capture being simply questioned in corroboration
OF these, and the points OF their evidence In add-
/ ton to that already sent you Is given above At
| the conclusion the Commissioner gave his declg-
ion holding all the prisoners lor trial on three
charges, as f0llOws:-
THE CHARGES.
Erst-The making and issuing OF counterfeit