The Osceola times. [volume] (Osceola, Ark.) 1870-current, 1888-07-21
THE INSIDE MAN.
Tho Story Told by a Secret Service
Detective.

TlISl Idiipbtii Dulth VI w ,
Wis, was set ahoat in large quantities,
there was CONSERVATION at headquarters
in Washington. The bills appeared on
the same day In New York. Boston,
Philadelphia, Portland. Augusta, Buf-
falo and Chicago proving that a large
and well-organized gang had begun
work. Many good counterfeits have
been issued, but this was perhaps the
best of all. They were unhcsitatingly
taken by cashiers in stores and banks,
and the amount put in circulation in a
week was over 100000.
They were still being accepted MS all
right when market woman in Boston
became suspicious of one she had taken
and had ii 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 10 me he
called me in and said:
"The last time | saw Ashes he had
a round, full face, beardless, and two
front teeth in the upper jaw had been
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
II he has the chance. He is somewhere
between Maine and California, and I'll
give you month in which to find him"
1t was the old saying: "A needle in
hay stack" illustrated. He was one OF
10000, 600 people in this country. He
haG hundred thousand towns and
cities for shelter. No one could advise
me which way to go. Indeed, II mat
tered not which way turned my face.
Nothing but luck could assist me in
discovering the arch counterfeiter.
When left Washington | had ticket
for Logansport, Ind. Why | selected
that point, instead OF one in Maine,
Vermont, Michigan or Nebraska, can
not say. II seemed TO me that | ought
TO 90 TO Logansport to get my start,
and so went Not a bill had been put
h1oat there After a day or two l went
on to Lafayette. II was the same there,
but accident gave me clue. There
were half "A dozen strangers at the
hotel, and as | sat in the Office in the
evening heard one of them making
inquiries Of the clerk in regard to a
stage line operating between the city
and a village twelve or fifteen miles
away. He was told that the stage left
his bill until after dinner and secured n
seat. That man could by no possibility
be Ashman. He had full beard, his
teeth were all in place, and nothing in
his personal appearance answered the
description. had turned to my paper
when the landlord said:
Whitewater? Why, l used to live
there! Have they got national bank
therep just issued. ehP"
pricked up my ears like fox. and
ms turned my face to the desk saw
the landlord closely scrutinizing new
greenback.
ats all right said the stranger.
"Oh, of course it's all right. Wish /
had million OF EN-"
Half an hour later wanted that bill
70 send off in letter, and l wanted 1t
so badly that | exchanged n five-dollar
gold piece for it. As soon as ! could
compare it knew that il was one Of the
counterfeits. There was private bank
in the town which made a practice OF
exchanging money, and two regular
banking institutions. Before ten o'clock
that night / found that every one OF
them had been stuck. The stranger
had exchanged about one thousand dol
lars in all, and his counterfeits had
passed without word. could have
arrested him that night, but after think
ing the matter over made up my mind
that he was going to a rendezvous, and
that by giving him rope might make
bigger haul. He did not come down
to breakfast next morning, and he had
no sooner eaten his dinner than he dis
appeared to remain in hiding until just
as the stage was ready to start. When
1t rolled away he was the inside and l
the outside man. He looked me over
pretty closely. saw nothing suspicious,
and gave me no further attention.
We had gone about two miles when
the driver, who had been sizing me up
TO his satisfaction and maintaining n
severe silence, leaned over and whis-
3ered:
What do you think Of himp"
"Who?n
MAN inside"
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