The Grenada gazette., 1888-04-28
KING or covmreaes,resa


An Old seeundrsi Who would R.shs
Asks Bad Money fhas Find DEED,
Oh Pete Mccartney. the chief q
. American c0unterfeiters. who wa
released from an Indiana prison afte
serving term Of eleven years. ha
,, again succumbed to the ruling passion
and has been arrested at New OrIean
on the charge Of raising small bills I,
big denominations as
Pete. who may well be awarded. th,
title Of the king Of ounterfeiters :
was an all.around operator Of highes
proficiency. To begin with. he wa,
an expert engraver and could max.
any plate equal to the original. Ther
ne was ss thoroughly = practical
printer as there was in the country.
This made him his own engraver and
printer As manipulator Of the stud
that is. to put it in circulation-hs
had no superior and few equals in the
country. He was nervy and full Of
resources, which never failed him but
once. and that was when he was set.
tied at Michigan City in Novem Der,
1876.
Before that date he had been ar.
rested times innumerable, but slwaya
escaped conviction. It was a favorite
method with him TO buy his way out
OF jails. station houses and the custody
Of officials. and it Is altogether prob.
able that he has successfully cor.
rupted more officials than any other
man in the United States. He was A.
ways supplied with plenty Of money.
and never failed to make the most ef
fective use Of 1t upon the slightest
opening.
When he couldn't buy his way ou,
Of prison he turned his ingenuity In
the direction of making his escape.
and succeeded time after time.
When Mccartney was impris ened al
Michigan City. upon a hint accidently
dropped by him, the secret-service Of
fcers proceeded to his home and tore
up the floor Of his chicken house, and
there found between $4O0, 900 and
$780, 600 Of counterfeit bonds and
notes OF most ingenious description.
For the use Of Heaths Detector the
Government permitted the publishers
to print plates therein from the
genuine plates with mutilation marks
upon them. these marks being heavy
dark lines across the face. Mccartney
bought up these detectors and, cutting
out these plates, split them by some
process and pasted them on bond o,
bank-note paper. according to re-
quirement. and then subjected them k
great pressure. The result was
genuine bonds and bills SO far as plate
and printing were concerned. with
only the cancell alton marks on them
in the shape of black lines. Taking 4
genuine bill Or bond he cut out small
strips just large enough to cover the
lines, which he pasted over them and
hey were again subjected to pressure
Ind the bond or bill was all ready ex.
,ept the signatures. which be could
,ut in.
These counterfeits were Of as dan.
.erous character as were ever made.
md the whole bundle would have been
'ut aaoat but for his conviction fifteen
ears ago.
Mccartney was known as an expert
ounterfeiter third of a centnry ago
nd previous to the war put afloat vast
uantities of counterfeit State bank
otes and State bonds. When the wa,
anne the National banks and new
reenback notes opened new field
Or him. and he worked it vigorously
nd successfully. H. counterieited
lmost every bond and note put out
y the Government and his operations
cached far into tho millions.
He operated sometimes by himself
nd sometimes in connection with
hers. At one time he was in part
ership with Miles Oyle, who needs no
production. The termination OF that
artnership was peculiar abrupt and
ade Ogle the mortal foe Of Nc.
arlney, and he hunted the country
'er with a gun for the purpose Of
footing him
It seems that they had lot Of the
ry finest plates, and had printed a
'st quantity Of Doodle. which was hid
way awaiting a favorable opporsuni-
to put 1t afloat
Oie night Mccartney resurrscted
9 stuff and the plates and ran away
th then. leaving Ogle in tho lurcb
d pretty nearly broke This put
lies In fury and he hunted for Pete
cry where. and would undoubtedly
We shot him on sight But Mozart.
y was as successful In elnding Ogle
between the officers Of the law.
In addition to his acknowledged and
ivsrsally recognized proficiency a.
cOunterfeiter he was 40 sleek
scksman - the best Of them, and
,re Is no doubt but that he had
nd in many Of the big burglaries
d bank robberies Of tho last quarter
q century--if not As an actual par.
ipan'. rs the brains aud leader Of
J work. - Chicago Herald