The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-03
THE COUNTERFEIT PLATES
FOUND,
THEY ARE SAID TO BE THE BEST
EVER MADE,
The CourterfeTts from Which Have De-
ceived Even the Keenest.
FROM the Chicaoo Times.

are to be congratulated on their successful
capture and complete breaking up Of the
most successful gang of counterfeiters that
ever infested the country. The bankers,
and especially the country merchants, have
long been troubled with counterfeit ma
tional bank note of the IS denomination
which was such good imitation of the
genuine as to deceive even the lynx-eyed
bank officials The bill was first issued on
the Traders National bank of Chicago,
and was circulated in such quantities
throughout the country that it became
necessary to call in all of the genuine issue.
When the bill became too we'll known the
counterfeiters changed the plate and
printed bills on the first national banks of
other places. The detectives have been
hard at work trying to find the operators,
but without success until recently, when
they managed to get on the right trail, and
succeeded in
ARRESTING PART OF THE GANG
near Cent-alia, ILL.,, on the 2lst Of last
month. The parties arrested were man
named briggs, his wife, his wife's father,
mother, and nephew. A few days after
ward the officers arrested Benjamin Boyd,
the engraver, who made the plates for the
bills, The presses, ink, paper, and about
$l50,000 in counterfeit money were Sc
cured at the time of making the arrest,
but the plates themselves were not found.
Without the plates, Chief Washburn felt
that he had only gained half victory, as
the work Of printing the stuff could still be
carried on by other parties. He therefore
determined to secure the plates, and set
himself to work to accomplish the object
He first made an examination of the
papers found in possession OF the man
briggs, and discovered frequent reference
to certain packages which had been hid.
den. The packages were designated as
"Old Mike" Little Mike, big Mike"
Stink" and Transfer" 1t was after
ward found that these names were given
to certain of the plates used for printing
the queer" odd Mike" was a plate
for fractional 5O.cent piece having the
head of Stanton; Little Mike" was a
plate for 50-cent piece bearing the head
of Dexter; "Big Mike" was the plate for
the IS bill; 'Stink" meant the plate used
for printing an imitation of the fiber on
the paper; and Transfer" was the plate
bearing the name of the town to which the
bill was to be changed. By following out
the clue given by the papers.
THE PLATES WERE DISCOVERED
on Sunday. buried in the edge of a corn
field in five packages. Each package was
buried opposite young sassafras tree, the
tree nearest the road being blazed to
mark the spot and enable the gang to
readily find the exact location of the pack
ages.
The place was about two miles from the
spot where briggs and his nephew were
arrested, and was FIVE miles north of Cen
tralia, on the road to Odin. The plates
were protected by being first waxed and
then placed in tin boxes, which were filled
with printers ink. The plates are Is in
number. Three Of them were used for
the production of the celebrated Traders
$5-one for the face, and che for the en-
craving of the back. and the third for the
border Of the back. The face plate had
been driven up from the back of the plate
and the name TRADERS" erased, the word
First" being engraved in its place. This
enabled the cOunterfeiters to make So
notes on any first national bank in Illinois
by simply printing the name of the town
from the transfer prepared for that pur.
pose. The plates were of steel, about 6
quarter of an inch in thickness, and are
pronounced.
THE FINEST EVER MADE
outside the government Offices The en-
craving was excellent. and proved Boyc
to have been frst-class workman, The
transfer plates were of copper, and sim
ply bore the name of the town, and the
signatures Of the bank officials, Four o.
these were found, being engraved for Pax
ton, Canton, Aurora. and Peru. A large
number Of bills on each of these bank:
were printed, and are now in circulation
throughout the country. The stink" OF
fibre plate, is of steel, engraved in imita
ton of the fibre which appears in the gen
uine paper. The counterfeiters have il
some cases secured the genuine fibre pa.
per, or an exact imitation of it, and were
thus enabled to make bills which almost
de6ed detection.
The 50.cent plates were also of steel IN.
face and back of each kind being ,.ncro o,1n;
on Separate plates, making FOUR in ali IN,
remaining two Plates we're for printing
the red seals on che bills and scrip.
THE AaoUNT OF COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
manufactured and put in circulation b,
this gang is perfectly enormous. and th,
man Driggs,who is the capitalist and lead
er Of the gang, has accumulated fortune
lie owns $4,000 acres of land in Texas, ant
has bank account of some $5O,OOO i,
Clinton, Iowa. The stuff was put in circu
lation by selling to dealers" and "sbov
ers' at from Is to 80 cents or, the dollar
briggs himself showed" mt verv little =
1t, the greater porto being sold to ''deaI
ers' for distribute ,on in The sontbern an
western state, " WIZ '
THE ARREST OF THE GANG.
and the capture of the plates is one of tn
most skilful pieces of detective word eve
performed in this country, and Chi
Washburn and his subordinates desery
great credit for the job. The briggs part
are now safely lodged in the county ia
at Springfield. while Boyd is behind tn
bars of the Cook county jail. The captul
of the gang was accomplished entirely
the detectives, none of the guilty parti,
being promised any immunity or asked
turn states evidence on their companion
Chief Wsshburn has in this departed fro
the usual custom of arresting one of Il
gang, and granting him pardon on co
dition Of his ''squealing" on his pals. III
chief has made this a rule in all his ope
atoms; and secures his own evidence i
dependent Of the members Of the gan
The captured plates are
NOW AT THE PALMER HOUSE
in possession of the chief, and were e
hibited by him on yesterday to numb