The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-26
The Relation the Doodle Business
Holds to Counterfeiting,
A Systematic Effort on the Part of Sin
dlers to Victimize and Defraud
Would-Be Criminals.
"A Confederation of Counterfeiters
Extending Over Several States
Samples of Circulars with Which the State
Is Flooded - What the Secret
Service Officers Know.

For several years one OF the most common
crimes in Indiana has been counterfeiting, and,
with the exception of Kentucky and Tennessee,
there is probably no State which has given the
government secretservice officers more trouble.
There are more eounterfefters than any other
class OF criminals among the convictions in the
federal court, and there are communities in the
State where spurious coin has been in as COM
mon circulation as the genuine treasury issue.
1t has been somewhat spontaneous in
its outbursts, and has spread
contagously through the communities,
where the business could be operated for any
length of time without detection by the secret
service. The members of the gangs which have
been broken up have nearly all been engaged In
farming pursuits, and have been drawn into
counterfeiting by specious Inducements, with the
hope of finding easy relief from financial diff
9ulties, or acquiring wealth more rapidly than
they capable of by honest an d plodding in
dustry. They are seduoed generally into enter
ing upon a life of crime, and complete
Decentralization after the initiatory step has been
taken is soon accomplished
A CoNFEDERAcY OF coUNTERFEITERs.
Counterfeiting in Indiana, particularly in the
southern part OF the State, has sprung from the
same state of Generalization that gives the
moonshining crime to Tennessee and the Caro-
linas. The people engaged in the two branches
OF Legitimate industry, belong, mentally and
morally, to the same class, and counterfeiting,
like mooashining, thrives the most in the wilder
and more impoverished sections of country.
Until the recent raid was made
upon the gang which had been oper-
ating for years in southern Indiana,
confederacy of eounterfeiters extended in
chain Of small bands, reaching tr ON the hills of
the Ohio river through the wild country of Ken
lucky and Tennessee down to the Caronas, and
stretching out through the mountainous region
of Missouri. Thousands of dollars of spurious
coin nave been put in circulation by this cOnfed-
eracy of criminals. 1t will be impossible for the
government to punish all who have engaged in
the business and until some greater ciVilizinP
influence than law bears upon the wildness of
the country the crimes both OF NOON shining and
ceunuerfeiting will never be entirely sup
pressed
There is no crime which breeds criminals with
such prolificacy as COMMUNICATING. Before Jesse
Houchins one of the eaders OF the southern In
oil ana gang, who was recently convicted, was
sent to Michigan City, he sent message to f.
A. Abbott, the chief of the tservice in this
district, stating that he had some information
which he would communicate. When Abbott
visited the jail HOuchins told him that there
were number of the farmers in southern Indi-
ana who were making up large sum of money
with which they were making arrangements to
purchase sew eral thousands of dollars III counter
ielG treasury notes, which were just being
issued.
1.-The men that want to buy the counterfeit
live all through that country" HOucbins said.
"They live in several counties, are most of them
good farmers, and are going to raise S4 900 to
buy big lot of the new stuff"
"Where are they going to get it2" inquired
I'm New York. They are going to send on g of
the men on to make the deal"
IAN right" answered the detective. ."They
will get no counterfeit in New York." and, eatIs-
ned with the Information, he lett.
THE DOODLE GAME.
"Are there any counterfeit treasury notes in
circulation" inquired Journal reporter after
ward, in speaking with the detective about spuri-
GUS money.
NO." answered Abbott; 81 was surprised that
an old counterfeiter like Houchins should get
caught in such a game. There have been no
counterfeit treasury notes in circulation for sew
eral years. There is no counterfeiter now at
large who can make good bill They can't
get hold of the fiber paper to print It on
even il they had the piates and there
are many difficulties in the way of making a
good treasury note. There are now some fell
lows working on the photo-engraving process,
who are trying to make a perfect counterfeit.
They have been labOring on it for a long while.
but we are advised right along regarding the
progress they are making, and when they get
ready to issue their stuff we will take them in
There is absolutely no counterfeit currency in
circulation. The thing that Houchins tells about
and which the southern Indiana fellows will get
caught on is the poodle game"
"IRdiana is flooded now with noodle circu-
lars" continued the detective, "and there is
hardly d day that we fail to get letter from
some person who thinks he has information
about big gang OF counterfeiters. There have
been thousands sent into this State in the last
few months. The 'booder' is swindler who
pretends that he has counterfeit treasury notes
for SALE He HASN'T though, and never handles
any of the stuff He generally lives in New
York and has several 'cappers to help him
They find men who want to buy some good conn
terfeit-'gOOd as the genuine, you Rnow'-and
make deal with them, taking good money for
stuff They never give any counterfeit, but
work a roll OF paper or something else on the
man who is cOnn1ving at fraud. OF course he
dare not make any complaint when he finds
that he has been swlndled. These hoOdlers send
out circulars making a speciOus offer to sell
counterfeit, which they call by the names of
'tchromos,' cigars green leaf, etc, to some
man tn at they find in trouble and needs money,
man who is INSCRIPTIONS ard will pass
counterfeit II he thinks he can do SO without
being detected, or TO any person that
they can catch on their game. They get the
names OF men through their 'cappers,' or from
these alleged home and treside publications.;
which offer a premium to any one sending the
names and addresses of certain number of
persons They pay two cents q name, or some
such price, aud the Doodle circulars are sent to
those whose names have been obtained IN this
way"
METHODS OF THE BoODLERs.
In ex planning the methods OF the "bOodler,"
Mr., Abbott produced several circulars which
ment by the persons receiving them. The fol.
lowing is one which was received last month by
q man living in indianapolis:
NEW YORK, -, -,
"Dear Sir-I learned of your name and bust.
ness by mere accident, and being in a sure DO
sition to help you through any business or
money troubles you may have now or at any
time, took the liberty to write to you, not
knowing what the consequences might be- and
If l have done wrong in so doing, hope and
rrua unll will ha ind 1Uh Mt tna
Now, bear in mind it is no enemy who is writ
ing this letter to you, and no trap set for you;
my heart and principles are as true as the sun
that shines on Gods earth. and | promise you
this before heaven and earth. Now, you may
need my assistance in some manner, and you
may think am trying to harm you, but so help
me God, wish you no harm, but can and viii
put you in a way to recover money or property
and pay your debts, matter how large they