The Portland daily press., 1883-05-18
THE Fac SMILE COMPANY.
A Statement from One OF the Implicated
Parties.

The Canton Telephone publishes the follow
ing statement from j. W. Bicknell, one of the
parties arrested in connection with the alleged
Fac Simile Company swindle:
In reply to the various rumors going, In re-
gard TO the swindling operations, which have
been going on in Canton, wish to make
plain statement, giving the facts of the case,
and, after careful reading, / ask you to Judge
impartially and unprejudiced, Some eight
months ago, several parties noticed in the N.
Y. clipper an advertisement OF $l68S In Green-
backs for 90 cents Knowing we'll what 1t was,
we tafter investigating the matter and being
advised that II was all right), arranged 20,
10, 8, ? and dollar bill in "A diamond shape
aud had half dozen photographs made from
them, These we're advertised in one paper
two weeks, and the only reply, in the shape OF
dollar bill, was deGov letter sent, as Ii
seems, by the detective, or his order These
were advertised in the name OF the Fac Sime
Go. After again considering the matter, we
decided TO let IL drop aud thai was the end of
this matter In regard to the 80 called
"bonds." A short time after the aforesaid
great swindling operation, our attention, was
called 10 these Real Estate Notes as something
to speculate in, aud after short correspon-
dence with Gen. g. w, Balloch, Secretary OF
the Real Estate Loan and Trust Co.. of WASH
ingtop, d. o.. who issued the notes in 1876, aud
recommended them 10 be all right and bona-
tide, Sl00 worth of tho goods were ordered Ia
the nam OF the Fac Smile Co. The goods
were paid for and divided, and shorty after,
nnding that other parties who, unknown to us,
already had some of the some notes, were get
ting into trouble using them, put mine away
aud never has one left my hands, and never
tried To use one. This includes the whole
operation, aud, with the exception of one letter
written IN answer to reply TO the ADVERTISE
ment comprises the entire correspondence
aud swindltng of the Fac Smile Go. On q
visit 10 Livermore Falls we found the gold
half dollars being made openly by Mr.. Thomp-
son, the jeweller, and inquiring into it found
oy his statement that he was making these
and selling lots of them for bangles 10 rings
lie pretended 10 have letter irom Nelson
Dingley, stating that the business was all safe
aud legitimate, aud he offered them TO me by
she thousand for II ceuis each.
The result OF the whole was that two
months ago one thousand blanks were
bought In Providence, II. l., and carried TO
LiveImore Fails, where the die was bargaine
Tor, aha Mr.. stamped the whole ios.- Going
TO Portland To sell the goods TO jewelers. the.
INST one they We're offered TO refused TO pnr-
chasr, stating that they would not be allowed
10 sell them. immediately consulted the u, S.
Attorney, stated 10 him what was doing, aud
no advised me that IL was All right ami egiti-
mate business, aud was in way counter
ieit. AS The United States Government never
made gold half or quarter dollar. paid
hun for his advice and that day sold two dozsn
oI the pieces, which is all | have ever sold.
Inc goods baye never, TO my knowledge, been
sold or used for anything but bangles, aud sold
Tor eight karat gold. Every thing rumored
different than the above is untrue. | hope to
hve aud overcome il all, as it is an outrage and
no justice in IT,
A Liyermore Falls correspondent to the
lewiston Journal says that the die Tor making
Tie goiu hall dollars Was changed after 1t left
Ihonpson's hands; that the words Quilted
States of America were added. That state
uent is false! The die is the same as when ID
lett bis hands, and has not been used since IN
our possession. The words UNITED States OF
AmeflcA are not on the die. He further adds
that Bicknell and Harmon had had suit
made by Whitney, their tailor, and that they
bought horse Of one Wsman, using the Real
Estate Notes. This is also fslsel | was not
connected III any way with either trade aud
know nothing about them. These falst hoods
are liable to come home 10 the one who ntters
them JAMES w. BicKNRLL.
District Attorney Lunt stated yesterday to
Press reporter he tod Bicknell that if he
punched holes in the CONS, so as 10 mutilaie
them, be would have right to sell them for
ornaments. Now, the Attorney says, Bcknel
announced in his circulars ''they are used for
bangles. They have good sale and can be
used for uarioas purposes" The word various
was emphasized. All the coins recovered by
the officers which Bickuell and partners claim
were to be used for bangles, were not punched,
but whole and uumntilated.
Gen. Geo. W. Bailoch says:-"The Fac
siinile Company wrote me for samples of notes
intimating that they wished 10 start similar
company in Maine. / sent them mutilated
samples, and suggested how they might use
them by erasing the name Of Second National
Bank and inserting the name Of some bank In
Maine, aud / also gave them suggestions as to
how TO proceed in the other details of the
business, in the appraisal OF property, sc.
They wanted TO buy some Of the blank notes,
bat never let them have any, declining absc-
lutely to let them have Guy in which the name
of the Second National Bank appeared. Upon
inquiry became satisfied that their purposes
were not legitimate, aud have had no further
communication with them since. Prior to
this, however, did sell to them, as agent for
other parties, about $1,000 of the valid real es-
tate notes, and accounted to the parties for the
same. My letter book and the papers In my
Office, am sure, will satisfy Chief Brooks that
l do not desire to be clsssed with counterfeiters
or swindlers. At the time when the plates
for these notes were being engraved by the
Excelsior Bank Note Company, the matter was
submitted TO the Treasury Department as to
whether the issuing OF such notes would be In
violation of law. have the answer. must
deny any collusion with anybody for any wrong
purpose"