The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-07-16
A Family of Connterfeiters.

A correspondent of the Cincinnati En-
Qatarer, writing under recent date from
Toronto, Ont, concerning the notorious
Johnston family of counterfeIters, says:
Your correspondent had an interview
with George B. Perkins, United States
Government detective, concerning II E.
Johnston and family, forgers and COM
terfeiters, the female members of which
live in style here, the father being in
Jail, charged with counterfeiting. The
Johnstons are Kentuckians, the family
numbering nine persons, the father, Rob-
ert Johnston, five sons, Charles. Thomas,
Ira David, John and Robert, the mother
and two daughters. go
On the 10Th of last June, Ira, who is
lame, and two others visited Black Rock
and Fort Erie, where they uttered coun-
terfeit United States Treasury notes.
The next day it became known that new
tlve-dollar Treasury notes were In circu-
latlon. They were all arrested, and gave
false names; but they were identified as
the Johnston brothers, well known in In
diana and Ohio as forgers and counter
letters. Ira and Charles were found
guilty of uttering counterfeit notes, and
the former was sent to Albany Prison for
ten years, and the latter for eight years
and SIX months. John Johnston is now
IN Buffalo Jail awaiting trial for the same
ofense. David, printer, is at large, as
is also another brother living at Mon
treal. Ira is an expert engraver, and
made plates from which United States
notes and Canadian notes were printed.
The signatures were being forged by the
girls, who are all handsome and ladylike.
According to Perkins story the whole
family have been engaged in counterfeit
ing, the mother and two daughters once
being taken to Washington on charge
of that description. The father, who is
old, sick and in jail, divulged the whole
thing. He is one of the oldest and, most
successful counterfeiters on the CONT
nent, and his carefully executed bills at
one time would come to light in New
York, Chicago and other. American cities,
and then Canadian bills would go the
round of the cities and towns of the
Provinces of Ontario and Quebec The
detectives found in swamp, FIVE miles
from this city, buried in a box at the
foot OF tree, seven plates, viz: Ten dol
lars on the Ontario Bank, five dollars on
the Canadian Bank Of Commerce, four
dollars on the Dominion Bank, one dol
lar and two dollars Dominion of Canada
notes, and two fve-dollar plates on the
United States egal-tender. There is a
standing reward Of So, 600 blythe United
States Government for the capture of
these last two mentioned plates. The
whole of them are valued at $15, 000.e
Johnston has been counterfeiting for
the past thirty years. He is an engraver,
and his work was SO well executed that
the American notes passed through the
Treasury Department at Washington I'M
noticed, and the Canadian bills were as
good. They are all well known in Gin
cinnati, where they piled their business
until they came under the notice of the
police, when they removed to Canada,
where they have been watched for
year. With the arrest of the old man
the operations of the gang have no doubt
come to an end, and the detectives claim
that it is the most important arrest
Of counterfeiters ever made ON the con-
tinent. r.