Helena weekly herald., 1886-04-15
From the Daily Herald of April Is.
COUNTERFEITERS CAPTURED
An Illicit Mint Discovered in Butte
and Seven of the Bad Money
Makers Arrested.
One Member of the Gang Still at
Large.

Deputy L. S. Marshal, j. s. Roberts, of
the wake of a counterfeiter who had eluded
arrest at Butte and struck over the noun
tains in his attempt to escape. Mr.. Roberts
and other officers pulled counterfeit
mint at Butte last week and succeeded in
capturing five out of the eight members of
the gang who were running it but the
other three having got wind of the raid
before it was made, exercised that discre-
tion that is the better part of valor and
SKIPPED OUT.
The officers were prepared for this, how
ever, and were soon on the track of the
fugitives. One of them went to Boulder,
where an officer followed and arrested him,
and the other two took the other route tor
Helena, one of them buying ticket for
this city and the other, going through no
such formality, beat his way over. One of
these fellows was arrested in the Star
saloon here on Sunday night last on war
rant brought over by Mr.. Roberts and
served by one of the Helena police force.
He was
PLACED BEHIND THE BARS
in the city Jail at once and the following
entry was made on the police record
"Squires. arrested on warrant for counter
feiting L. S. money" 1t seems that the
fellows true name, or that under which he
went when he was here before, is Squire
Waddles, and that he resided here IN past
years, keeping saloon on Bridge street.
When arrested he was in a Bridge street
saloon, among acquaintance of former
years.
The capture of Squires, or Waddles,
leaves only one member of the gang still
at large and there is probability that he
too will soon be run down and captured.
He was traced to Helena and is probably
still here, secreted in some. portion of the
city. All the avenues of escape are guarded
and unless the fellow left the city i'm
mediately after his arrival he will in all
probability be caught in day or two.
GREAT. SECRECY
has been observed by the officers in work
ing out the raid on the counterfeiters'
stronghold and effecting their arrest, and it
is greatly owing to their caution and vigi-
lance that only one out of the gang is still
at large So quiet was the affair kept that
even the newspapers of Butte were left in
complete ignorance Of the arrest of the
counterfeiters and the raid on their den.
THE GANG AND THEIR WORK.
Mr. Roberts tells us that the gang of
counterfeiters, who have been so success
fully run down, have conducted their ne
farious occupation for many years on the
Coast and in this Territory. The effect of
their work has been seen for nearly year
past in the number of counterfeit coin and
notes that got into circulation in the Terri
tory, but especially on the west side of the
range. Here great annoyance has been
CduSeu Dy spurious uOttS anu COlu vi all
denominations, and indeed the evil is not
yet abated, as ten and twenty dollar gold
pieces and five, ten and twenty dollar bills
of counterfeit make are still in circulation
in Butte. After these are detected and
thrown out the nuisance will probably be
found to have been permanently stopped,
as all the tools, materials, dies, etc, of the
counterfeiters were found in their mint
at Butte and confscated. The dies for sill
yer quarter, half and dollar pieces, as well
as for gold two and halt, five, ten and
twenty dollar pieces, were found besides
engraved plates for bills of various de-
nominations The fellows were all experts
in their illicit business and produced a
spurious article of exchange that was very
difficult to distinguish from real money.
The chain of evidence against them is
complete and when their trial comes off
long sentence in the penitentiary will no
doubt be awarded them as a penalty for
the unlawful avocation they have pursued
for so many years.