Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-01-31
Last Wednesday S. NJ. Field. a veal

Last Wednesday S. M. Field, wealthy
and prominent citizen of Newport, Yer.
mont was arrested by ]. P. McIlrath. a
secret service agent of the United States
treasury department at Washington, for
passing counterfeit money. A great deal
of counterfeit silver has been in circulation
in that section which is supposed to have
been made by a gang of counterfeiters
who have headquarters on the Canada
side of the line. The coins are of the
denomination of fifty cents, and made of a
composition TO which powdered glass is
added to give the true ring" to the metal
and are then silver plated and. when new
are good imitation. The coins are all
dated 1878.
Mr.. Fields was taken to Burlington on
Thursday and had his hearing Friday.
We copy the report of the hearing from
the Burlington Free Press:
The case Of Solomon NJ. Fields, the
prominent and wealthy citizen of New
port VT, who was arrested on January
9th, on the charge of uttering counter
felt money, came up for hearing be- ore
w. l.. Burnap, United States commission.
er, yesterday morning. John l.. Edwards
of Newport and A. G. Stafford of this CITY
appeared for Mr.. Fields and Kittredoe
Haskins of Brattleboro, United States
district attorney, represented the govern.
ment. Only two witnesses were exam.
Gust
Memphremagog House, Newport, testified
to having received from Mr.. Fields (who
it appears is bibulous cilzen) six coun-
terfet silver fifty-cent pieces in payment
for liquor at the bar of the hotel mentioned,
during the present month. Five of these
were kept and marked by the witness and
identified by him before the commissioner
They are very poorly executed indeed and
would be detected as spurious coin at a
glance. A long cross.examination was
INDUCED in by Mr.. Edwards, the chiel
practical outcome of which was the
enumeration by the witness of number
of prominent citizens of Newport who
are in the habit of shaking their thirst a,
the hotel named and who might have
paid therefor in fifty-cent pieces but
didn't work off counterfeit ones.
The second witness was Mr.. J. p.
McElrath, chief of the New England
department of the government secret ser.
vice. He testified that he investigated
the case and tracked the counterfeit m on
ely to Fields. The spuri' US coins taken al
other places were exactly similar to those
taken at the hotel and were made from
the same die. He proceeded TO arres,
Fields, and while doing so Fields attempt
ed TO throw into the stove package done
up in paper which he carried in bis peck.
ct, and which on investigation the witness
found to be five dollols in the counterfeit
fifty cent pieces. Fields thereupon showed
every sign of trepdation and expressed
m earnest desire TO settle the case, offer
ing to redeem what counterfeit coin he
had passed and to pay the witness wha,
expenses he had incurred. He stated &c
the witness that he did not know where
the counterfeit coin came from and tina,
he must have taken it in the usual course
of business.
This closed the testimony, no witnesses
being offered in the defence; and no argu
ments were made, The commissioner
then held the respondent for trial in the
coming term of the federal court in the
sum of three thousand dollars; and the
respondent himself and E. A. Baker oil
Richford were accepted us bail. The
extreme penalty of the crime with which
Mr.. Fields is charged is fine of $4,000
and ten years imprisonment