The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-11-17
BASE DOLLARS.
A Lewiston Machin1st Arrested for
SHOWING the Queer"
DESCRIPTION OF HIS WORK AND
HOW HE WAS CAPTURED.

WORCESTER, Nov. 10. George W. Davis of
this city was arrested tonight on a charge of
counterfeiting silver dollars, and will be taken
to Boston tomorrow morning to answer before
the United States court. When the two
Corams were arrested in Lowell, Wednesday,
for passing counterfeit dollars, letter was
found In their possession from Davis, saying
he could furnish them all the money they
wanted. The Oorams made clean breast of
IL, and said Davis could be found in New Bed
ford. Inspector Dan Hayes of Lowell was
put on the case. He went to New Bedford.
and found that Davis had left the city. He
traced his furniture to the freight depot,
where it was shipped to Worcester, to G. W.
Bradley. Hayes came to this city. and with
Inspector O'Day of the local force, traced the
goods to No. SO Chandler street, where Davis,
his wife, his wife's mother and his 14-year-old
daughter were keeping house. They arrived
here Nov. 3. Tho officers visited the house
this afternoon, finding only the women at
home. They began search of the premises,
and finally, on breaking in door to garrett
room, discovered full set of counterfeiter's
tools, including plaster of paris moulds, with
counterfeit coins In them, pure tin, antimony,
lead, an electric battery, a finely constructed
lathe. machine for milling the coins, and
other evidences of crime. The women at once
made full confession, and said Davis had gone
TO Boston The officers placed the women an
der guard, and, when Davis arrived at the
house, arrested him. He talked freely about
the affair. He says he learned the machinist
trade at Lewiston, Me-, and while working at
it, fitted himself for a homeopathic physician.
He went to the war as private in company
Il, 9th Maine regiment, and served three
years, nine months of the time as hospital
steward. After the war he practised medicine
nine years in New Bedford and one year in
Lowell. He left the latter place and went to
New Bedford to live While in Lowell, he
made the acquaintance of the Corams, and be-
came quite intimate with them. They sug.
gested the counterfeiting idea to him. he at
first declined to entertain their proposition,
but business was very poor with him at Low
ell, and he was badly in debt; so upon his
return to New Bedford be begsn the manu-
facture of bogus dollars. He made his moulds
in plaster paris from genuine dollars, and
then run his base metal into the moulds. He
destroyed q mould in each operation. He
then milled and polished the metal, and finally
silverplated it.
The counterfeit dollars are very nearly per-
feet in ring and in appearance, but trif1e un-
der weight Davis says he made about 100 of
these counterfeit dollars in New Bedford, and
since his arrival in Worcester has turned
out 800 pieces. Tho Corams had given him
$40 per 100 for his coins, and his trip to Bos-
ton to-day was to turn over to them another
lot he not having seen the notice of their ar
to meet them, and, when he entered his
house here tonight, had 120 of the counterfeit
coins In his possession Since his arrival
here, he has done his work in the night, his
wife explaining to the people in the house
that her husband was an inventor, and pre-
ferred to perfect his inventions when every
thing was quiet.