Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-19
FOR LOVE OR LUCRE.
Romantic Diversion in the Hearing
of the Butler COniackers.
A LOVELY POPULAR NOVELS RUIN.
The Blushing Heroine Goes Clean Back on
the Hero and Swears
HEPASSED ABLASE DOLLAR OFF 0NHER

late novellSts would insist upon connecting
love with moonshine, and therefore moon
shine whisky and love with highwaymen
and freebocters and pirates and thugs, and
lastly, love with counterfeiting.
The usual story of course is that the brave
gurrl appears upon the stand and wades
through columns of perjury OH behalf of her
lover and all this stuff, but the novelistic
ideal received rather severe check at the
cou nterfeiters hearing in this city yester-
day.
At the morning hearing before United
States Commissioner McCandless every.
thing went.very smoothly, and Samuel W.
Woods, one of the alleged famous Butler
county gang, was convicted Of carrying the
illicit stuff around in his pockets in large
quantities. This must have been equally as
bad as carrying the stuff around in other
peoples pockets, for the frightened granger
was held for court, and by the lett arm by
Detective McSweeny, in default of $1,000
bail.
STILL IN THE WOODS.
At the afternoon matinee John Woods, a
guileless-looking youth of perhaps q hard
winters, fumbled rusty derby Of the vint-
age of rs between fingers that were all
thumbs, and acknowledged that he came
from Butler county. This acknowledgment
seemed to be especially discriminating, and
the reporters of the afternoon papers put
down in black and white that the dangerous
desperado hailed from Butler county.
A diversion occurred right here that
created sensation. The diversion was in
the shape of the first witness, Miss Maria
Jane Bailey, tall, sedate, severe, yet nice
looking, and everybody scented a love story
as she and the prisoner exchanged glances
of recognition.
: The prisoner was quite composed, while
Miss Maria was evidently very nervous, land
glanced from court to prisoner and prisoner
to court in way that made the reporters
pencils fairly squeak in the haste to en-
body mental impressions in physical, alpha
betical letters.
"Maria," said McCandless solemnly, "do
you swear?"
''She swears," wrote the afternoon re-
porters, as the girl held up trembling
gloved hand with something concealed be-
tween the ball of the thumb and the pad at
the base of the little finger.
"Do you know this prisoner?" came the
awful inquiry thatwas to establish once and
forever the fact that she did or did not know
him.
81 do" came the answer, in tones of in
tense conviction and determination.
"Aha! she do" scribbled the reporters so
hastily that the points OF all their pencils
broke, and as they had no other pencil and
not knife among them, this probably ex-
plains why not a word of the subsequent
proceedings appeared in the papers yester-
day.
WHICH SHALL IT BE?
John looked at Maria, and Maria looked
at John. There was mute appeal in the
glance of the first and cold coldness in the
face of the second. Again the girls lips
slowly parted, and there came forth the
eliminating charge:
'.Yes, know him. He worked counter
felt dollar off on me for loaf of bread,
and the gloved hand was opened, displaying
the telltale coin. Ss-.-.
Smash went all ideas of love and senti-
ment. Rieves, Harris or Harte would have
wept in anguish and torn their several hairs
over the sudden collapse of the romance,
and the sight of a parafyzed Cupid on his
knees in Butler county mud before the base
image of Columbia. A beautiful novel
spoiled; maiden revenged; Coniacker
done up; everything in a popular novel but
the heroine. a "ShyIock" without Portia,
cleopatra" without Pat.
Maria's story was, that while in the
1. d.
this man, j. Woods called at the house and
wanted to buy loaf of bread. She did not
have any to sell, but, with true country
hospitality, offered to give him loaf This
did not seem to suit the gentleman, who
talked of paying for what he got. She
finally changed what she thought was sill
yer dollar, and he went on his way.
WENT A vISITIN'.
A little while after the old mare was
hitched up, and she and her mother started
across the hills to visit friend. Upon ar
irving there they were somewhat amazed at
seeing the same young man trying to buy
another loaf of bread and receiving change
for dollar.
"Can you identify the coin?" asked Nc
Candless.
Eyes, can. See here" and she pointed
to the marks of handsome, honest set of
white teeth upon the face Of the soft metal,
where she had tested its impurity after the
bird had flown. The dollar was handed
around for inspection, and it certainly is
remarkably clever counterfeit. 1t is some
what light, but would easily deceive the
unwary, as it had been perfectly plated with
silver by means of an electric battery. If
they had made the plating somewhat heavier
- bou nl-
though the tiny NJ at the base OF the fair
goddess neck was very badly stamped in.
The next witness called was Lewis Seaton,
who acknowledged that he owned the house
which the counterfeiters had made their
den. That the house was not mansion,
may be gathered from his talk.
HE SORT O. sUsPIc1oNED.
After long apology or explanation as to
how the house came to be rented to them, he
said: 81 sort O. suspicioned something, and
on the night of April 27. 1887, 1 sneaked
out there and peeked through crack in the
side of the house and saw several men hurry
ing about.
other room out of my sight, and others came
back carrying money in their hands, which
they laid down right beside me.
.sThe monies think were dollars, halves
and quarters, and even nickels, L believe,
though could not see very we'll on account
of my position and natural uneasiness under
the circumstances.
Close questioning elected the fact that
this witness could not positively identity
Woods, nor could other witnesses called.
The testimony of Miss Bailey seemed suffi-
cient, however, and after refusing to testify
in his own behalf, young Woods was re-
manded for court in default of s., 900 bail