Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-07
CAJCLED BY a WOMAN.

| How a Dangerous Criminal Almost Els
capped Arrest by Secret Service Agent.
| In the summer of 1864 complaints
were made to our bureau that some one
was showing bogus shinplasters in
the neighborhood of Green Bay A
good many hundred dollars worth of
the currency was let loose all at once,
and | was detailed to proceed to Wis
consin and work up the case. 1t was
settled before / started that the '.stufr'
had been printed from plates made by
an engraver known to us as ..Slick
Sam" His right name was, I believe,
George Disston, and he was then in State
prison on a long sentence. 1t was
pretty certain that the plates had fallen
into the hands of some of his pals, and
were being made use of in a lively man.
ner. 1t was probable that the printing
was being done in Chicago, and that an
''agent" had struck Green Bay to un-
load.
Upon reaching the place mentioned I
| found that almost every branch of trade
had suffered, and pretty soon / was able
| to show that most of the bogus money
had been passed upon them during the
week. Then they began to hunt up
sales and remember buyers. and it was
settled that the ''shovern was an old
gray-haired man named Newell, who
| lived on farm few miles away. He
| had purchased dry goods, notions, hard
ware. drugs and almost every thing
else, paying in shinplasters which APP
| peared almost new. 1t was plain to me,
after getting thus far, that he had
| bought his bogus money outright of
some agent, or had sent to parties in
some city for it. Had it been otherwise
he would have sought to turn it into
good money.
/ swore out warrant for him, took
the cars to within four miles of his house
and accomplished the rest of the way on
| foot. He lived in the woods, in a log
house, and had but a few acres cleared.
Evidences of poverty and shiftlessness
could be found on every hand. l was
quite certain that / saw him about the
| door of the house while l was yet some
ways off, but when / reached it the door
was shut and no one was in sight. How
ever, after had done some lively rap
ping a muscular woman about thirty
| years old opened the door and inquired
my business. l replied that I was an
|
| her husband. She invited me in. be-
| Iieving, as [ meant her to believe, thatI
had come as the agent of the counter
| feiters She stated that her husband
was off hunting, but would be home
| soon.
After we had talked tor half an hour
the woman's demeanor suddenly
changed. What aroused her suspicious
/ can't say, but / saw that she looked
on me with distrust Thinking that the
plain way was the best way, l told her
who was and my errand.
$50 YOU are a detective, come to ar
rest my husband!' she called in a loud
voice.
| l sought to calm her, and had instant
success. She settled down in her chair
and said she had been expecting it for
weeks, and that her husband must make
the best of the situation. She shed
tears and seemed much affected, and as
time passed and l wanted to go out and
hunt up Newell, she excused his con-
tinued absence and kept me seated ON
the plea that he must soon show up.
had been there two hours when
we heard a voice shouting for help.
While | ran out doors She rushed
| into the other room. Ipassed half way
around the house to find the old man
hanging head downward, hands on the
ground and feet in small window four
or five feet up. After | had released
him and taken him into custody found
that he had run into the room when he
saw me approaching the house. When
the wife raised her voice it was to warn
him who | was and what brought me
there. He climbed out of the window
to escape, but in his descent his trowsers
caught on nail and held him fast. The
wife was OBTAINING me in order to give
him a good start, bul it turned out that
she was only prolonging his sufferings.
He stood it until he could bear it no more,
| and then called out. The case against
him was so strong that he made no de-
tense, and received sentence of sig
years. Detroit Free Press.