Daily Republican., 1882-06-03
The STOLEN PLATES.
Details of the Largest FOfgery
Eyee PerDotraeod,

Details of she Largest FOIger1
Ever Perposrated.
NEW YORK, May 29.-In view of the
recent trials Of Brockway and Doyle
for counterfeiting Government bonds
everything that throws any light OF
how copies of the original plates were
secured from the Bureau of Engraving
and printing is interesting and is closely y
read by Government officials. A Sun
reporter detailed In this work, having
unearthed an old counterfeit or, obtain.
ed from him the following details OF
one OF the largest torgeries ever perpe-
tratet. The ex.forger was found In a
dingy cellar in this city, and on being
assured that his identify would not be
revealed, spoke as follows:
II have seeuthe time when | did not
mind going outito spend $500 in a single
night. That WAS when we did the
greatest jobs of putting out counterfeit
money that was ever done in this coun-
try, and when we worked the Bureau
of engraving aud printing. There was
lots OF money put up and it was a long
Job, bnt We worked it successfully. 1t
took us over year, and we spent SlO,.
600, on it. Hank Hall, Josh Miner and
PetOr Smith were the men who put the
job up, Their plan was to get some OF
the genuine work out of the Bureau OF
EDgravings and Printing. This was
about 1866. They got Minnie Langdon,
her husband, Ned Langdon, and her
father in law to 60 to work in ihe bu.
reau. The Langdons were plate print.
ers, and the plan was to get them to
steal lead Impressions of the genuine
plates OF the 7.3O Treasury notes and
other Government plates. They worked
for year in the bureau, and took out
part Of the work at various times.
These lead Impressions were used as
a matrix from which to make electro.
type plates. | recollect well the day
when Minnie Langdon brought the lead
Impression of the 1.3Os and the com
pound interest notes to New York. She
gave 1t to me, and gave her 2, 500 cash.
We had been suppl Jing her and her
relatives with money all the time they
were at work in the bureau. After we
got the leak impression it took three or
four IN 1nths to get the plates ready,
but when they were done, the notes
printed from t1em were as good as the
genuine. They were, in fact, printed
from copies of the genuine plates.
1.-The very irst day the counterfeit
was issued we put out $500, 900 of them
in the city of New York alone. We
found no difficulty in passing them
anywhere. Banks, bankers, brokers,
jewellers, storekeepers, everybody to
whom they were offered took them
without suspicion. The same operation
was repeated elsewhere. The whole
thing was done very quickly, and the
country was flooded with $500, 900 of
the counterfeit money before it was dis.
covered.
Some of the biggest bankers in New
York among others Jay Cooke and Fisk
" Hatch took them unsuspectingly. 1t
was three days before the counterfeit
was detected. Then there was trouble.
The way the thing got out was by the
capture of Chick Treat in the oil
regions In the act Of passing some of
the money. Hank Hall and some of
the others were with him. Then Colo.
mel William 2. Wood, Chief of the Sc.
cret Service Department, discovered the
plot, traced out the gang, and arrested
four of US, including the Langdons and
my self. The bankers had passed some
Of the money on the Treasury Depart.
ment and the counterfeit was so good
that the Government officers did not
letect it until long after the bankers
mad got their Money. There was a big
aw suit, and long trial grew out oil
his counterfeit. The bankers refused
o refund, and insisted that the notes
we're genuine.
They brought experts to swear that
hey had worked in the Bureau of En-.
craving and Printing, and knew the
work to be genuine. The bankers made
. hard f9ht of it, but they were beaten,
md had to refund, think, about $50.
100. This was saved to the Government
~ the efforts of Colonel Wood.
How is it that | am not afraid to-
ell the story Well, you must say
his, that | knew too much about how
he work was got out of the Bureau for
he Government to be very hard on me.
They were glad to let up on me very
asy. The job was success from be.
inning to end. ard paid us well for all |
he trouble we had III getting it through.
lost of the gang got OFT with very lit e !,
Minnie Langdon turned |,
tate's evidence. Her husband died |
Ot long after he shared the money. |
he old man Laugdon was, | believe,
t work in the Bureau of Engraving |
nd Printing when he was arrested |