Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-07
Five Italians Arrested in This City To.
Day.

FASSAN0 CVUNlENFEIE MONEY.
Five Italians Arrested in This City To.
Day.
GUIsED IN AN AGRICULTURAL GARB-AN
EARLY EXPEDITION TO THE CENTER MARKET
AND ITS RESULTS.
This morning party, consisting of Chief
Brooks of the Treasury secret service and a
number of his officers Lieut.. Arnold OF the fifth
police precinct, with some of his men and
Detective Mattingly, made an early visit to the
Center market. They arrived there about $50
O'Clock, and soon accomplished the purpose of
their visit. They put under arrest four Italians,
who had come into market in an old, dingy
farm wagon, drawn by a dingy mule. There
looked like gypsies. brown a a1d swar rhe
and wore about their Threats the colored hand.
kerchfefs without which no stage Italian or
company was taken to the fifth precinct sta
tfonhouse. Meanwhile Officer Herbert and
q secret service officer were dispatched after
another man who had started on his rounds as
q Vender. They came across him in South
washington carrying basket of lemons, which
he was peddling. He was young and vigor-
Gus, and made a desperate resistance The
officers finally overpowered him, and brought
him and his lemons to the station.
PASSING COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
All Of these arrests were made sequel to
a recent discovery that the Center market was
being flooded with counterfeit silver coin. The
ing the counterfeitS, and the officers think,
may have been engaged also in counterfeiting
IT. The two men arrested at the market
ian, Matteo PistelIo, Josephine Arrigo.
wife of Matteo and Anna Maria Gentle. They
are apparently Italians of a low class. One Of
the officers remarked that the men looked like
brigands: Apparently they have been engaged
in peaceful agricultural pursuits. coming into
the city from their farm every other day, and
bringing garden truck to the market.
HOW THE CASE WAS WORKED.
About six weeks ago Lieut. Arnold received
Information from the special officers around the
Center market that they had gotten possession
Of several counterfeit half dollars, which
ket. Lieut.. Arnold began an investigation
and traced the half dollars back to these
Italians, who lived on farm at Forestville, on
the Marlboro road, in Prince Georges county
The farm belongs to Mr. Frank Phillips, the
proprietor OF barber snop, No. zoos Pennsyl-
vania avenue. The suspected Italians were
then, in the Language of the police, 'piped" very
thoroughly. 1t was found that they were cir
culating considerable spurious coin. Several
marked them, and secured the proper evidence
as to who passed them, to be used when the
arrests should be made.
SECRET SERVICE OFFICERS ON THE TRAIL.
Lieut.. Arnold then consulted with Chief
Brooks, of the Treasury, and discovered that
he was working up independently. During the
past week Chief Brooks and Lieut. Arnold, with
Detective Mattingly, have been working up a
case together. AS the talk among the dealers
about the market concerning counterfeit
money was getting louder every day, it was
thought best to bring the matter to a head to-
day, before the alleged cOunterfeiterS were
frightened away. Hence the expedition made
early this morning. The police found on the
prisoners :, IN the counterfeit a coin They
speak English. Lieut.. Arnold said that they
had several good cases against the parties.
GOOD COUNTERFEITS.
Chief Brooks says the counterfeits are unusu-
ally good. They are of debased metal and light.
Their mode OF operation, as described by the
officers, was to go into stores or to market deal
ers. make trif1ing purchases, get good money
in change for their spurious COIN Two Office s
went out to-day to the farm in Maryland to
cOunterfeitlng was done there not. 1t is
charged that the Italians on the farm had per-
en- this sty they seppea
the peddler, was one of these. The prisoners
will have a hearing before United States Com
missioner Mills this afternoon.
After being locked up at the station, Jose
phine ArrigO complained of being sick, and
was put under the doctors care.
WHAT Mr.. PHILLIPS SAYS.
Mr.. Phillips, the barber, when q STAR re-
porter called on him, was looking ruefully at
the old farm wagon and mule, which after the
I'M front of his shop. Salvador Arrigo, he said,
had been in this country about five years and
came to Washington about three years ago.
He opened a store on Pennsylvania avenue, be-
tween I'd and Sd streets. Business however,
was not lively. When Mr.. Phillips farm was
vacant, ArrigO came to him, asked permission
to work the farm on shares, and Mr.. Phillips
let him have it. This was three years ago. He
had always found him honest in his dealings
with him, and knew little more about him
than that. Pistello had joined him there about
a year ago.
MORE ARRESTS.
Late this afternoon Sergeant Perry arrested
Joseph PuSadarO and Salvatore Tunnelli and
Officer Edward Horne arrested Cannatelli Sal
vadore as members of the counterfeiters' gang.
ARMY ORDERS.-Leave for one month on ac-
count of disability is granted I'd Lieut.. VIM. E.
Craighill, corps of engineers. Maj. VIM. H.
Bell, cOmmissary of subsistence, will proceed at
once from nt chsye1ns w T. to Denver Col,
missary OF subsistence, of his duties pur-
chasing commissary at that place, and then re-
10 nlS
temporarily, of Capt. Wnitehead'S office and
perform the duties thereof, making such Oc-
Yer as may. be absolutely necessary. Capt.
Charles Bendire, 1st cavalry, and Capt. J. Scott
Payne, 9th cavalry, Will report TO Brig. Gen.
board convened at Fort LeavenwOrth, Kans.,
for examination for retirement. The leave OF
I'd Lieut.. John w. hickman, 5th artillery, is
extended one month. LIST Lieut. George Z.
Sage, 9Th artillery, is de allied as professor of
Military science and tactics at the MasSachu-
sets Agricultural college. Amherst, Mass. The
leave OF LIST Lieut.. Alton III. Budlong, 9th cav
airy, is extended to include January 81, 1856.
The Heath and Smith Failures.
From the New York Tribune to-day.
There were no new developments yesterday
in regard to either the Heath or Smith failure.
The schedules are not likely to be filed before
the last of the week, even if they can be COM
pleted by that time. Wall street still talked
about the affairs OF the broken firm, and with
greater freedom. 1t was learned that in sew