The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-07-20
THE INSIDE MAN.
The Story Told by a Secret Service
Detective.

When. in April. 1864. new and al
most perfect counterfeit 50 bill on the
First National Bank of Whitewater.
Wis. was set afloat in large quantities,
there was CONSERVATION at headquarters
in Washington. The bills appeared on
the same day in New York. Boston.
Philadelphia. Portland, Augusta. Buff
falo and Chicago. proving that large
and well-organized gang had begun
work. Many good courterfeits have
been issued. bit this was perhaps the
best of all They were unhesitatingly
taken by cashiers in stores and banks,
and the amount put in circulation in
week was over 100000.
They We're still being accepted AS all
right when a market woman in Boston
became suspicious of one she had taken
and had it forwarded to the Treasury
Department. where its baseness was at
once detected.
At that date every counterfeiter In
the country was known by name. and
we could make pretty correct guess
at each mans line of work. After COM
pairing notes for several days we came
to the conclusion that this issue was the
work of a man named George Ashman.
alias Ashes" He had left the coun-
try year and half before. and had
doubtless had the bill engraved in Lon
don or Paris. No one knew where to
locate or look for him. and only one
man in the Bureau could describe him
When the case was assigned to me he
called me in and said:
The last time l saw Ashes he had
q round. full face, beardless. and two
front teeth in the upper jaw had beer
Knocked out by accident He Is five
feet six. very chunky. short neck. very
small feet. and sports lots of jewelry
when in luck He is down on the rec
ords as dangerous He will shoot YOU
If he has the chance. He is somewher,
between Maine and California. and III
give you month in which to find him.
1t was the old saving: "A needle in |
hav stack" illustrated. He was one
10000. 900 people in this country. ID
had hundred thousand towns an
cities for shelter No one could advis
me which way to 60. Indeed. it mat
tered not which way turned my face
Nothing but luck could assist me il
discovering the arch counterfeiter
When left Washington | had tickle
for Logarsport, Ind. Why l selecte
that point. instead of one in Maine
Vermont. Michigan or Nebraska, ca
not say. 1t seemed TO me that / Ough
to 90 to Logansport to get my star
and so l went Not bill had been pr
aioat there. After day or two wer
on to Lafayette. 1t was the same their
but accident gave me clue. Their
were half a dozen strangers at tn
hotel. and as | sat in the Office in Ii
evening i heard one of them maxim
INQUIRIES OF the clerk in regard to
stage line operating between the elf
and a village twelve Or fifteen mile
away. He was told tina. the stage lie
next day ri three O'CLOCK. and he pa
his bill until after dinner and secured
seat. That man could by no pOssibili1
be Ashman. He had a full beard. b
teeth were all in place. and nothing
his personal appearance answered Il
description. had turned to my pap
when the landlord said:
Whitewater Why. used TO Ii
there, Have they got a national ba,
theres just issued. eh'"
p,icked up my ears like a fox. a
as / turned my face TO the desk l s.
the landlord closely sclutinizing q NJ
greenback.
..lt's all right said the stranger.
.-Oh, of course it's all right. Wis.,
had million of EN-.
Half an hour later | wanted that b
TO send of in letter, and j wanted
so badly that l exchanged five-doll
gold piece for it. As soon as l co,
compare il knew that it was one of
counterfeits- There was private ia
in the town which made practice
exchanging money. and two regu
banking institutions Before ten o'cio
that night l found that every one
them had been stuck The strani
had exchanged about one thousand
lars in all. and mis- cOunterfeits
passed without a word. l could b
arrested him that night, but after thu
ing the matter over made up my m
that he was going to rendezvous.
that by giving him rope ] might N;
a bigger haul. He did not come dc
to breakfast next morning. and he
no sooner eaten his dinner than he
appeared to remain in hiding until
as the stage was ready TO start w
it rolled away he was the inside ar
the outside man. He looked me o
pretty closely. saw nothing suspicit
and gave me no further attention.
We had gone about two miles IS
the driver. who had been sizing me
TO his satisfaction and maintainin
severe silence, leaned over and W
pered:
What do you think OF hins''
..Whoa-
Man inside
Hes a stranger, but ali rigl
guess"