Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-08
A COuntcrfeiter Convicted.

JONATHAN HUGHES PosTPoNEs SENTENCE nv
FALLING IN A FIT AT THE JUDGES FEET,
Jonathan Hughes was tried in the federal
court at Trenton, N. j., yesterday on a charge OF
manufacturing and passing counterfeit silver
money in Elmer. Cumberland county, n J.
Secret Service Officer Bell arrested him at the
camp-meeting at Pitman grove last August A
Trenton special to the Philadelphia Press saws:
The prisoner led a double life, that OF a Chris.
tian and of connterfeiter. On the night
of his arrest he offered to show the detective
where his tools were secreted. He supposed the
officer knew, and that it would be a good thing
for him when brought into court to have If
shown that he surrendered his implements
The officer. carrying d lantern. went with him
into the woods skirting the town, and in the
shade of tree, beneath q pile of leaves, discov-
cred the tools, consisting of plaster Paris mouds
and the usual paraphernalia. The prisoner was
convicted, and when arraigned for sentence fell
In tit at the judges feet. Two physicians
worked with him several hours before he could
be removed. The sentence will be imposed
next Tuesday.
Dynamite and Gun Cotton Not Good for
Shells.
From the Court Journal
The experiments with high explosives have
been concluded at Lydd. Although the results
have not been Of such nature as to Justify any
practical use of dynamite gun cotton. or other
dangerous compounds in connection with shell
hiring, still much valuable information has been
obtained. 1t Is found that the effect of the eX-
posives against earthworlxs, intrenchments.
&c, is not greater than that of shells filled with
the ordinary gunpowder, and, of course. the
danger of premature "bursts' constitutes a
drawback To their use. Gun cotton is of least
value, the shells nearly all being blind" l. e..
the fuse fails to ignite, rather to detonate the
charges. Blasting gelatine, on the other hand,
was found to act too soon, and it was this ener-
getic compound which, after twice bursting the
shells prematurely, on the third round Shat
tered the howitZer from which it was fired
Another method was that invented by Ger
man who conducted his experiments IN person.
and this was. on the whole, successful, Nitric
acid and another, highly dangerous chemical
were enclosed In the shells in glass TASKS. and
on the shock of discharge the TASKS were
broken, the two substances being subsequently
thoroughly mixed by the rotation of the she'll
in its progress through the air. The second
shock, when the shell struck the ground ex-
ploded the latter with excellent effect 1T is
admitted that where 1t would be necessary to
make a breach In a fort vessel defended by
metal plating of any kind, these shells would
be superior In effect to the ordinary nr,iectiIes
fired with gunpowder Their action Is local
that is, the whole, or nearly the whole, of the
force is expended on the spot where tile she'll
Strikes The blasting gelatine is now being
utilized by the royal engineers, who are about
to conduct q series of Interesting experimenfs
in its use in connection with the delnoiitiOn of
stOckades and other similar defenses The
question will have been thoroughly gone into
before the stock Ofexplosives is exhausted