The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-10-19
AN AGED COuNTERFEITER.
The Professor of Half Dozen Lam
guhges "shOvIng the Queer How
the Detectives Found the Old Mans
Residence by Following Blncl<-and-
Tan Dog.

/ runues "shoyIng the Queer How
] the Detectives Found the Old Mans
Residence by Following a Blnel<-and-
Tan Dog. tk
From the brooklyn q. " August
/ In an earlier edition reference was
made to the arrest of an old man of
seventy for passing counterfeit silver
pieces. The mans refusal to disclose
his place of residence only excited the
police of the Fourth Precinct to greater
effort to discover it. Capt. Leech talk
ed with him two hours, and listened to
a rambling story that subsequent de-
velopments proved was of s most myth
cal character. The prisoner had given
the name of Alfred MaDgott, and this,
too, il was found, was a fabrication.
He was accompanied by small dog Of
the black-and-tan species, and when
standing in front of the desk he took
the animal in his arms. From that mo-
ment it was unsafe for one of the Of
ficers to lay hand upon his master.
Any effort in that direction
AROUSED IT TO A PITCH OF FERoCITY,
that was remarkable in so diminutive a
specimen. 1t snarled, showed its
teeth, snapped its eyes and growled in
a way that was specially suggestive and
unpleasant to the door-man who was
charged with the duty of conducting
the old man to cell in the basement.
The prisoner was locked up and the
dog stationed itself at the door, from
which neither coaxing or driving would
remove him. He few at one of the Of
ficers, who was in the act of peering
into his masters cell, and the blue coat
was glad to beat a retreat. Capt.
Leech consulted with his detectives,
Riggs and Price, as to the course to be
adopted to trace the history of
THEIR MYSTERIOUS PRISONER.
1t was suggested that the dog be tax
en- into the street, when, possibly, he
would return to his masters home.
The idea of taking" the dog was sub
sequently abandoned, and the united
efforts of four officers were directed to
''urging" him out of the station house.
The black-and-taI fought vigorously
against leaving his master, and made
things very lively for his assailants.
Finally he succumbed to superior force
and skulked up stairs, and, after anoth-
er fight, ran into the street. The plan
Of following the dog was now under
taken by two detectives. The animal
seemed possessed of almost human in
telligence, and labored, apparently, to
! throw them off the track. Up Myrtle,
through Washington, down Willough-
! by, Price followed him on the run.
Riggs corporosity is something, and be
boarded q street car in the pursuit. For
an hour these tactics were employed,
the dog always running to the neigh
borhood of the station house, where,
squatted on his launches, he appear
ed to enjoy the discontinue OF his pur-
Suers.
THE OFFICERS WERE ABAsHED,
for the Sabbatarians in the neighbor-
hood were attentively watching them.
Riggs directed Price TO hide himself
around the next corner, for,
said he, the beast has tumbled to
you - Finally they commenced to stone
him, and then the animal turned and
ran down Mytle Avenue. Down to City
Hall Square and through Montague
Street, through Hicks to Orange, and
from Orange into Willow Street, the dog
scud, followed by the officers. He dis
appeared in the basement of 4S-a large
brick house. One of the stories that
the prisoners had told was that he had
a partner who helped to finish the coun-
teTfeit pieces, and who was to visit his
house last night. The two officers
watched the building by turns through
the night, but no body called for " the
strange old man," who, Mr.. Thomas
Ryal, the tenant, said, lived on the top
floor. As Riggs watched, this morn
ing, the dog Teappeared and ran away,
and, as it subsequently appeared,
scratched at the door of the Station
House, where his master was confined.
The officers were directed TO make a
thorough search of
THE OLD MANS APARTMENTS,
and this morning they commenced what
proved a most unpalatable job. He oc-
cupied 4 single attic room, whose door
was never left unlocked, and whose in
terror even the inmates of the house had
never seen. They were as much sur
prised and disguised as the officers at
the scene of confusion that was pre-
scented when the door was burst in.
The room was about SX6 feet, with the
ceiling slOping to conform to the roof.
Two mattresses and one or two quilts
lay on a notwithstanding bedstead.
The frame of loOking-glass, a valen-
tine of bouncing widow to whom it
was dedicated, and scraps of newspa-
pers were hung and pasted upon the
walls, and little stove occupied.a spot
on one side of the little den. The floor
was in a most disordered condition,
leaves of books, parts of magazines,
| pieces of wood and metal, portions of
knives and spoons, bits of plaster of
| Paris, and vessels of water and acid lit
tering it up so that stepping without
falling over something was next to an
| utter impossibilily. In a small wooden
box about q foot square and deep were
! fifteen plaster of Paris molds, for run
ming FIVE, ten and twenty-five cent
pieces. The dies were almost perfect,
and had only been made with great
care and labor. Lead, pewter and
other metals were found in small guam
titles, as was also the ladle used in
MELTING THE MASS INTO MONEY.
The tools used in finishing the coun
terfeit pieces were of the toughest kind,
while the pieces themselves, some S. or
Sc of which were found scattered in the
room, were so nicely finished that nine
people out OF ten would never suspect
their business. There was a familiar
ring about them as they were jingled
upon the floor, and only their lightness
made their paternity doubtful. These
were all carefully collected, together
with the tools, to be used as evidence
against the old man. The old man had
evidently equally shared his lodgings
with his dog and the bugs, myriads of
which crawled over the bed and on the
walls. In a trunk were found 100 paper
collars done up in single papers, sew
eral pairs of hose and cOrsets, papers of
pins, needles and buttons. These he
had bought from time to time, receiv-
ing good change for the base piece he
rendered in payment.
WHAT is KNOWN OF THE OLD MAN.
better 'tr1aEe-111,'' of old Rim Van