Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1886-04-30
ADANGEROUS WOMAN.
The Narrative of a Secret Sel
vice Detective.
A Counterfeiter's Wife who SuccesS'u'J
Assumed Numerous Disgu!ses'

A O0unterfeiter's Wife VINO ouccee'''''''
Assumed Numerous DISCUSSES
In january, 1868, the Secretary ol 'n9
Treasury was notified that new anu
dangerous counterfeit on Cinclnna''
National bank had been put ailoat II
Boston. The Detective Bureau beng no.
titled in turn | was detailed on the case
and left for Boston the same day Apou'
s., 600 of the queer had been hoateo l"
one day, and the work had been done py
woman. At one place she had pur-
chased 5000 worth of diamonds; at an
other a $3.50 gold watch; at another a dla'
mond bracelet. The goods in all cases
were such articles as could be sold again
for at least half their value.
Each victimizcd party described her
differently. At the first place She was a
blonde, plainly dressed. At the next she
was a brown-haired woman in mournInsi
at the third she had black hair, was
showily dressed, and claimed relationship
to wcll-known family. After a day
spent in taking notes and making deduc-
tions came to the conclusion that there
was only one woman in the case, and that
she had assumed disguiscs. Boston was
thoroughly searched for her and had
not yet found a clue when the chief tele-
graphed me that she had appeared IN
Philadelphia, reached that city to ina
that she had purchased 81, 600 worth OF
diamonds at one place and $500 worth at
another paying, of course, in the coun-
terfeit bills. The first jcweler described
her as a showy woman with gold in her
upper front teeth. The second jeweler
described her as very plain and demure,
and he was sure that she had no gold in
her teeth.
l had set out under the belief that |
had only one woman to deal with, and
would not now admit there were two. |
looked Philadelphia high and low for fe-
males bearing the description, and at the
end of four days received another tele-
gram from headquarters. She had ap-
peared in Pittsburgh, where she had
made three different purchases Of jewel
ers. l hastened to the Smoky City as
soon as possible, and 10! the three de-
scriptions given were SO entirely different
that one was almost sure there were three
women at work floating. off the counter
feits.
One jeweler had been mashed or IS
customer, and ha4l-therefoee s&s.l-.~.s 4
ticular notice that her eyes were blue,
her hair brown, and her height medium
She had gold in her upper front teeth
and was affected in her ways and speech.
The second jeweer wasn't mashed but he
was an old detective and he noticed that
she had brown eyes, dark hair, mole on
her chin, and plain, white teeth. There
was nothing affected about her. The
third ieweler could swear that she had
black hair, gold in her lower teeth, a
slight squint to one eye, and stammcred
bit as she talked.
HUNTED Pittsburgh for three DAYS, but
met with no success. Believing she
would next turn up at indianapolis,
started for that city without orders, tax
ing sleeping car on night train. 1t
was woman who had the lower berth
next to mine, and as | looked her over
made up my mind that she was a school
teacher and an old maid She had red
hair dressed plainly, and paid not the
slightest attention to any one. When
the porter came to make her berth he
| placed rather bulky satchcI belonging
to her ON the seat at my feet, and She
found temporary seat at the other end
of the car. The jar of the cars jostled
the satchel to the floor after a bit, and,
as | stopped over to pick it up, found
the floor covered with wigs, cosmetics,
small brushes, pieces of crayon and false
teeth. There were three wigs of differ
ent colors, and two upper and two under
sets of teeth. In one the gold was in the
upper; in the other it was in the lower
Well, you may believe that with my
mind full of the mysterious woman and
her disguise, l was not long in concluding
that had stumbled upon the person
wanted. | replaced the articles
in the satchel and walked over to
her and made know my crrand. She
gave me terrible gue-lashing and
called ON the passengers for protection,
but when revealed my identity and
emptied the contents of the satche on a
seat, she gave in. We got off at Steu-
benville, and, when had her searched,
over 81, 900 in the counterfeits was
brought to light, but her purchases were
not to be found, she having shipped them
to confederates. She was the wife OF the
notorious "Black Dan, >" and the pair were
the most dangerous couple in America
at that time. We got her husband IN
week or two, and, while he got a sen
tence of twenty-five years, she got oil
with seven. n.-Detr0H Free Press
A Hard Question in Arithmetic
A teacher in the public schools had