Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-31
Young Atkinson Caught Passing Spurious
 Money at Local Saloons.

Mo ney at Local Saloons.
 Last night round shouldered young man with red nose walked into Wittes Hotel in the Brooklyn District and ten dered silver half dollar in payment for drink MT Witte took the coin and when the man walked out he followed him mp Bank street. He met Officer Reed near No 3's hose house and notified him that a young man had passed counterfeit half dollar at his place. Reed immediately set out to catch him.
 After leaving Witte's place the young man went to Madden's saloon in the Brook lyn District, where he successfully passed silver half dollar, and also another t Cooks restaurant near the Naugatuck sta tion. At Dan Cassidy's Bank street saloon he called for drink and offered another silver half dollar, but the bartender had no change, so he offered a five cent nickel in payment for his drink. As the bartend- ar was handing the silver half dollar back Officer Reed entered the saloon and upon examining the coin found it was a counter feit He immediately arrested the man, who gave the name of William Atkinson He boards at No 56 Kingsbury street, and upon investigation it proved that he had given his right name. He is a we'll known character about tow1. At the police station the prisoner was search ed and a number of counterfeit silver dol lars and the key to his room focnd upon his person. Armed with the key officer Dodd p1oct eded to Atkinson's boarding oouse and found large trunk in the room In vest lying on a chair the officer found key to the trunk and on opening it found complete counterfeiting outfit. The out- fit consisted of more than dozen quad ruple moulds for halves and quarters, cru cibless, a milling machine, showing evi- dence of long wear soEle spirit lamps, a set of delicate scales, with feather weights quantity of bis1l uth. copper, tin and antimony, with powdered glass, bottles of acid, number Of carbon bars, an excel lent galvanic battery, half a dozen battery cells, Jar containing quantity of silver plating solution, number of treatises on electro plating and electricity, a quantity of tools of different descriptions. and quite an amount of Plaster of paris, and chemicals, and over 40 spurious hale and quarter dollars were found. The officer also found model of a sub marine tor pedo pointed at both ends, with a cylinder IA inches long and having glass on one side. Connected with it was an electric motor. From the front end of this in genious piece of machinery projected a rod intended, when coming in contact with anything hard, 10 explode the charge The goods were packed in @ trunk and taken to the police station. The coins found on the prisoner were very poor ones. This morniog in the Police Court the testimony ot the officer and the parties duped by the prisoner was so strong that the Court bound him over to the next term of the Superior Court in the sum Of $75O At kinson was employed for number of years in the thimble department of the Scovi1 Manufacturing Compauys works and recently obtained @ patent on an in genious com mbilation lock. It was always a mystery at bis boar6;rg house that he never allowed any one to arrange his room insisting on doing that work himself.
 To DEMOCRAT reporter this morning he said that the silver dollars found upon him were very poor samples of his work and were not quite finished as he had to p11t the milling on yet. When asked what they were composed of he said he made them or copper, tn; antimony and bismuth, and weighed them in the scales against good silver piece. Beino unable to obtain a bondslnan he was taken to jail on the 2:H5 train this afternoon.
 The penalty for passing counterfeit money is not more than five and not less than two years in State Prison.
 It was learned this afternoon that Atkin- son had an accomplice, who, it is believed, has skipped. Some time ago Atkinson and another fellow applied at Mrs James J. Fruin's boarding house at No 55 East Main street for board. They said they wanted a room where they could manufacture locks Mrs Fruin thought they acted suspiciously and refused to accommodate them.