Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-11-12
THE COUNTERFEITERS.
from Correspondence Steubenville Herald
and News

| SLEN ELAND, VI, Oct. Atlu.
AS telegraphed you to-day the case
of the United States against John J.
Mcdonald, Geo. II. Brown and John
l.. Boyd was concluded this morning,
the jury returning verdict finding the
defendants guilty in manner and form
as they stood charged in the indict-
ment. The Indictment contained three
separate counts against each of the
defendants, dealing in counterfeit mon
ey, passing the same, and having in
| possession the same with intent to
pass. Upon the arrsignment of the
prisoners on Wednesday, a motion was
made for separare trial for Mcdonald.
The motion was overruled, and at two
O'Clock P. NJ, the defendants, in charge
of the U. S. Marshal, were brought in
to Court and the trial proceeded. US.
District Attorneys Wiley and Sher-
man appeared for the and
Crannis, of Cleveland, and w. P. Hays,
OF fSteubenvilie, appeared for the de-
PENDANTS. The first witness called was
WILLIAM P. BRADFORD,
who testified as follows: I live in Bell
aire, Belmont county, Ohio; am keep
ing store and hotel in that place; was
keeping a hotel last spring, and am
slightly acquainted with the defen-
dants; / saw them at SteubenvilIe on
July 9th of this year; man named
Springer came to see me; had known
him for two years; he told me he was
doing business for parties in Wheeling;
he had stopped with me several times;
Springer wanted to borrow some mon
ey, and loaned him thirty dollars; On
the same day this man came in and
gave me an introduction to a man
named Carman; the same night / re-
ceived telegraph dispatch to go to
Steubenvile; l went, and found Car
man there; he invited me into his room
and introduced me to Boyd; Carman
said if you make deal with Boyd
will see that it is all right; Boyd want.
ed 10 sell me five hundred or a thou
sand dollars in spurious money; 1 said
L did not want to buy it, but told Car
man l would take hundred dollars of
spurious money as security for what
Springer owed me; it was to be re-
deemed in ten days, and Boyd count
ed out the money; just as it was count
ed Carman started out; shortly after
ward started out after Boyd; Just as /
got on the steps two men confronted
us, Say ing: We arrest you in the name
of the United States; Mcdonald was
one of the men; saw something in his
hand that thought was the muzzle of
a revolver; we then stepped back in the
room; the man with Mcdonald was
Brown; Mcdonald ordered Brown to
search me while he attended to Boyd;
they took the roll OF money out of my
pocket and showed it to Mcdonald,
who said it was counterfeit; Mcdonald
said to Boyd, have been ON your trail
for some time; you have been deceiv-
ing people long enough; they said they
were going TO take us to Cleveland; /
said did not want to go to Cleveland,
but wanted to 60 to Wheeling or Bell
aile, where l was known. They then
wanted TO put irons ON me, but | said l
would go without being ironed; they
then took me down to the train that
was going to Bellaire; we got on, but
when the train halted at MingO we
got off. Boyd then said to me, "This
Is bad scrape we.are in; we caunot do
anything but compromise, or we are
gone up" He also said, "you see the
detective, and see what we can get off
for" saw Mcdonald, and he said we
could get off for two hundred and fifty
dollars. Boyd said he could raise hall
the amount, if could raise the other
half. then saw Mcdonald again, but
he said we could not get off for any less.
l then gave hundred dollars and
Boyd gave hundred and fifty dollars,
and we were released; do not think
the money they gave me was good, but
l could not swear it; it was all new
money, and looked like counterfeit.
Boyd offered to let me have it at thir-
ty-fve cents on the dollar. .-
Charge of Judge Welker.
The following is the charge of Judge
Welker in the late counterfeiting case
before the United States District Court
at Cleveland: .ei -"i
The indictment IN this case in the
first and third counts charged the de-
PENDANTS with uttering, publishing and
selling to one Bradford counterfeit fives
of the national currency, and the second |
count charged the defendants with be-
ing possession OF su :h currency with in
tent to defraud the United States.
The testimony showed series of
by these defendants and
others at and near Steubenville, in this |
district, by which parties would be in |
duced to buy counterfeit money from
some one or two of the gang ut some |
private room selected for the purpose,
and then, on a precOncerted signal as
soon as the deal or sale had been made, |
the members of the gang outside would
rush in with handouts and revolvers,
and representing themselves as United
States detectives, would arrest both
buyer and seller, and then, after terri
'ylng the buyer with the mock aid of |
he seller, would induce the buyer or
victim to pay hush money which would
De divided between the conspirators,
i'd then the victim would be allowed |
% go his way. In every instance theJ
,Ounterfit money thus used was got
,ack into the hands of the conspiratOrs
md could not be produced on trial.
The legal points raised by the defense
md discussed by District Attorney Will
ey and Assistant Sherman for the
government are sufficiently indicated
n the holdings of the court in its charge
o the jury, and by j. G. Grannis, of
and Hays, of Steubenville,
or the defendant. :.:.. -,.l.,.t-7 Il
First-That it was not necessary that
he counterfeit notes should be pro-
uced in court for inspection, provided
he proof satisfied the jury otherwise
f the counterfeit character of the paper I;
sed by the defendants. IL
SecOnd-That if the defendants pass
d or sold such paper, it was no answer
hat they had intended by the com mis-
ion of the further crime of robbery,
lackmailing or swindling. to recover
ne possession of the counterfeit money
efOre it should get into circulation,
nat the crime was complete when the c
paper was transferred to the t
urchaser because whatever purpose s
1ere might be to recapture it, it could
OF be certain that such purpose would
Q carried out, and hence there would t
q q n0SsihilitU fhaf tho ocnrtorfo;t | L