The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-02-17
AMONG TAE coUNTERFElTERs.
From lhe Diar, q . DeleelIye.

AM0NS ltE SOuNlEhfel lEhS,
From the Diar, oi a Detective
During the year lslS, the wes
was flooded with counterfeit coin
II was 50 well manufactured thai
il passed readily. The evil at las
became SO great that the UniteC
States authorities requested thai
q skillfal detective might be sent
toferret out the nestof coiners. :
| was fixed upon to perform the
duty.
had nothing To guide me. The
fact, however, that Chicago was The
city where the counterfeit coin wa,
most abundant, led me to suspect
that the malufactory was some
wherewithin lis Limits. 1t war
tsasretqte toithe capitaFo IF the west
I tifst proceeded, 1 spent fiye
weeksingthat citywithout gainine
the slightest clue to the counter,
feiters.
! began to grow discouraged and
really thought l should be obliged
to return home without having
achieved my result. One day / re-
ceiyed a letter from my wife, re.
questing me to send home some
money, as she was out Of funds.
went into a bank and asked for q
draft, at the same time handing Q
sum of money to pay for it in
which there were several half dol
lars. The clerk pushed three Of
the half dollars back TO me, saying
Counterfeit"
"Wbat," said l, do you mean tc
tell me those half dollars are coun,
lerfeit2"
II do"
"Are you certain~
Perfectly certain. They are re.
markably well executed, but are
deficient in weight. See for your.
self"
And he placed one of them in the
balance agninst a genuine half dol.
lar, and the latter brought up the
former.
"That is the best counterfeit coin
| ever saw in my life," l exclaim.
ed, examining them very closely,
"Is all the counterfeit money in
circulation here Of the same char.
acter as this2"
"oh, dear, no." replied the clerk,
"it is not nearly as well DONE
These are the work of the famous
New York counterfeiter, Ned vii.
lett. | know them we'll, for l have
handled a. great deal of il in my
time. Here is some of the money
that is in circulation here, /" he add.
ed, taking several half dollars from
the drawer. "You see the milling
is not near SO well done as Ned
WilleIt's, although it is pretty
good, too"
| compared the two and found
that he was right l supplied The
place Of the three counterfeits with
good coin, and returned the former
to my pocket.
A few days after this / received
information which caused me tc
take a journey to a small town
about thirty miles from Chicago
| arrived there at night, and took
up my quarters at the only tavern
in the place 1t was q wretched
dwelling, and kept by and old man
and woman, the surliest couple
think it has ever been my lot tc
meet. In answer to my inquiry as
to whether l could have lodgings
there for Che night, | noticed that
the host gave u peculiar look at his
wife, and after some whisperings
| was informed in the most ungra
cions manner possible, that l could
have a bed.
l have frequently, in the course
of my life, been obliged 10 put W
with wretched accommodations, &C
| did not alloy my equanimiIy tc
be moved by the miserable sleep
ing apartment into which | wa,
ushered after / had concluded my
repast.
The chamber was Of a small size
and was certainly we'll ventilated
for | could see the stars peepinp
through the roof. The bed wal
simply a bag of straw thrown into
one corner Of the room, without
sheet or covering Of any kind
This last fact, however, was not o
much consequence, as it was sum
mer time and oppressively hot,
l stood more than an hour gazing
out Of the opening which served fol
a window. Before me was spreac
an immense prairie, The limits o
,,L;oL 7 ooulj ~, a.. TL ~