Delaware tribune, and the Delaware state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1877-18??, 1877-10-11
A DETECTIVES RUSE.


During the year Of 1648 the West was
flooded with counterfeit coiners. Il was
80 well manufactured that it passed readily.
The evil at last became 80 great that the
United States authorities requested that q
skillful detective might be sent to ferret
out the nest Of coiners. I was fxed upon
to perform the duty.
had nothing to guide me. The fact,
however, that Chicago was the city where
the counterfeit coin WAS most abundant,
led me to suspect that the mandatory
might be somewhere within its limits. It
was, therefore, to the capital of the
West that first proceeded. spent i've
weeks in that beautiful city, but without
gaining the slightest clue to the counter
feiters.
began to grow discouraged, and really
thought should be obliged to return home
without having achieved any result. One
day l received a letter from my wife
requesting that l would send her home
some money, as she was out of funds. 1
went into bank and asked for draft, at
the same time handing sum of money to
pay for it, in which there were several
half dollars The clerk pushed three OF
the half dollars back to me.
Counterfeit" said he.
"What!" sid I, ''do you mean to tell
me those half dollars are counterfeit ?"
II do"
Are you certain ~
Perfectly certain. They are remark
sbly well executed, but they are deficient
IN weight See for yourself"
And he placed one Of them in the scale
against genuine half dollar on the other
side. The latter weighed down the former.
''FhAt is the best executed counterfeit
coin ever saw in my life," l exclaimed,
examining them very closely. SIS all the
counterfeit money in circulation here OF
the same character as this ?"
30, dear, no." replied the clerk, sit il
not nearly so well done. These are the
work of Ned Willett, the famous New
York counterfeiter. / know them well,
for have handled great deal of it in my
time. Here is some Of the money that ID
in circulation here, he added, taking
several half dollars from q drawer. "You
see the milling is not nearly as perfect az
Ned WilIett's, although it is pretty well
done, too"
compared the two together, and found
that he was right. supplied the place Of
the three counterfeit half dollars with good
coin, and returned the former to my
pocket again.
A few days after this received in 70,
nation which caused me TO take jou-. .nev I
village situated about thirty M iaaa fror
Chicago. I arrived there at nioht an
took up my quarters at the only tavern
the place. 1t was Q VIZ ,tehed DWELLING
and kept by an old m. IN md woman. II
surll.A couple I thir.k il has ever been m
lot to meet In answer to my inquiry
to whether l ~.uld have lodging there II
the night, noticed that the host gave
peculiar look at his wife, and after son
whisr ,ering was informed in the mo
ur.4racious manner possible that / oou
nave bed.
have frequently in the course OF n
life been obliged to put up with wretch'
accommodation, so I did not allow n
equanimity of temper to be destroyed |
the miserable fare set before me, and Il
still more miserable sleeping apartme
into which was ushered after had co
cluded my repast. ..r.
The chamber was small in aixe, and v
certainly well ventilated, for could q
the stars peeping through the roof 7
bed was simply bag of straw thro'
into one corner of the room, witho
sheets or covering Of any kind. This Il
fact, however, was not of much com
quence, as it was summer time, a
oppressively hot. s'
/ stood for more than an hour gaxi
out of the opening which served for
window. Before me was spread an j
mense prairie, the limits of which I Col
not see. The tavern In which I b
taken up my sbode appeared to be isolat
from all other dwellings, and save
croak Of the tree frog and tho hum
the locust not . sound reached my 90
1t was beautiful moonlight night, and
bright that could see to read the small
print.
At last I began to grow weary, q
throwing myself on my pallet was *
plunged into deep slumber. How Il
slept I know not, but was awakel
by dull sound which resembled 30
one hammering in the distance. I supp
it was the popularity of the sound VII
awoke me, for it was by no means 10
but conveyed to me the idea of some
striking iron with a muffled hammer.
rose up from my bed aud went to
window the moon Was low in tho west
horizon, by which fact knew it must
near morning. The sound have bel
referred to reached me more distin
than when in the back part Of
chamber. It appeared to come from u
outhouses which were situated about
hundred yards from the house.
Now, I am naturally Of an inquiring m
ao.l this sound, occurring as it did in
mt.,e of the night in such remote,
ut-the-way plata, piqued my curiosity,
/ felt M irresistible desire to go out
di,coyer the cause of it. This desirt
the sound continued. grow upon me \