Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-10-18
CoUNTERFEITERS CAUGHT.
, clever Piece of Detective Work Re
emitting i'm the Capture of Three
Con,,erfeiters, with their Plates,
,..s and whole Outfit.

n COunIerIelteE~s
Processes. and whole OUTFIT.
A telegram from Chicago OF
Oct 10th. says-One of the most
clever pieces of detective work that
was ever planned and successfully
executed was the capture of a gang of
ssskijlful counterfeiters by Capt. Hall,
III the government secret-serylce Of
n This city, who has just returned from
v Minnesota, where he has been en-
% raoed for the last three weeks in
a working up an extraordinary compI-
u Gated case. The trip resulted in the
M capture of the three men implicated,
III and the seizure of the entire mill.
Il A short time ago Capt, Hall noticed
q in one of the city papers an item that
had been copied from paper IN
Brainered, Mimi, that ticket-agent
at that place had had counterfeit
u $40 silver certificate passed on him.
The captain at once telegraphed to
the agent and the report was corrob-
GRATED Knowing tnat If such
note was in circulation 1t was
y a new one, he proceeded at once
in company with his son William, to
Brainerd. The agent there gave him
a very meagre description of the man
a to whom the ticket had been sold, but
Il the conductor of the train was hunted
n up and happened to know the man.
III He. however insisted that the party
# was above reproach. Under direction
81 of Capt. Hall, the agent wrote to the
party requesting him to redeem the
\ spurious note, but in the reply that
was received all knowledge was dis
claimed of it, and the man was very
indignant that he should have been
y accused of passing counterfeit money.
His name was Frank Waters, and he
was engaged in a business peculiar to
the northwestern states known as an
explorer or locator of lumber lands on
which preemption is made with large
profits to the spectators. Capt. Hall
had him placed under surveillance,
and all his movements were noted.
While working up the case the cap
tain heard of one of the notes having
been passed at Grand Forks, d. T.,
and accordingly went to that place.
A Chinaman had attempted to pass it
there at the postotfice in payment for
money order, and upon inquiry, it
was found that he had received it
from Charles Chambers, who had pre-
viously run a saloon with James Nc
Govern, but haI subsequently been
burned out and removed to Duluth,
Mimi, where they had opened a gro
Gerry store. The captain then made a
trip to st. Paul, where he ascertained
that small hand printing-press had
been forwarded to Chambers at Grand
Forks. From Grand Forks the press
had been sent to Waters at Duluth,
and the express agent at the first
named place had noticed that in the
reshipment the box was much
heavier. Duluth was then visited
But little trace could be found of
Waters, as he took his
meals at the restaurants and
slept at the hotels. 1t was
finally learned, however, that he had
a room in block, and VIII Hall was
assigned to watch for his coming.
After patient waiting he was seen to
enter the room, and was at once
placed under arrest. The box which
had contained the press was found,
but was filled with clothing and odds
and ends. Chambers was then ar
rested, but still no clew could be
found to the counterfeiting material.
Convinced that it was secreted some
where in the grocery store of Cham
bers & McIovem, the latter was ar
rested two days later and a thorough
search instituted Every nook and
corner of the store was searched, bar
rels of sugar, crackers and flour were
emptied, and at length the press was
found hidden away IN barrel of
coffee. The plates and notes We're
still missing. There was cellar under
the building, and in the centre of the
floor augur holes had been bored in
order to let the water run out when
sweeping. While poking down these
holes with a stick Will Hall felt pa
per, and upon breaking open the
flooring a large number of the notes
were found, all of which had been
torn into pieces.
The captain In the meantime had
been looking around, and had no
ticed that the top of one of the boards
Z to the window casing had been sawed.
Upon removing the top of the casing
the board slipped readily from its
place, and in the recess between the
inner and outer walls the plates and
Photographic material We're secreted.
Waters when arrested was taken to
st. Paul, and after the discovery of
the mill the other two men were al
50 taken there, where the three have
been indicted. The work is pronounc-
ed to be one of the finest pieces of
] eoHnterfeibing that has ever been
4 done and preparations had been made
for doing a large business.
On the Wrong Back.
From the Port Jervis Union
An invalid gentlman and his wife