The Irish standard., 1889-03-16
WORKING THE "QUEER.'
how This Business Was Carried
on During the War.

An Inexparienced Detectives Remarkable
Success in Unearthine Gang of
Counterfeiters-ArlnyO Officers
and Soldiers Implicated.
The amount of counterfeit money in cir
culation at the close OF the war was some
thing appalling. Communicating began
with the first grecnback and shinplaster is
sued, and though the Government officials
broke up many gangs during the war, five
new ones started in where an old one was
dispersed. 1t was safer business than
ever before and more profitable than it
will ever be again. unless we have another
war Much of the stuff was worked of
through soldiers and it was only tue very
prudent citizen at home who stopped to
scan and criticize his money.
In the spring Of 1864 thirty thousand dol
lars' worth of counterfeits we're sent to one
Indiana regiment in the field, and scarcely
any attempt was made by the recipients
thirty or forty in number-to conceal the
fact At TIE same time a citizen who WAS
at the front to sell postage stamps and sta
ton cry to the boys was quietly selling coun-
terfeit one-dollar bills for hfty-five cents
each. One brigaG e, as had positive EnoWl.
edge, purchased eighteen thousand dollars
worth of the S'gootls " inside OF three days
The soldiers pnr chased this money on
the same principle that respectable, law
abiding citizen snluggles d suit OF clothes
across the border. 1t was not considered a
crime in ANY sense, anu many instances
came to my knowledge where commissioned
officers were :,s deep in the nlire as private
soldiers. Indeed, q paymaster was said TO
have paid out several thousand dollars
worth Of commercials to the troops in the reg
ular way. z secret service detective finally
appeared i'll camp. and was detailed to as
s1st him i'll securing cleWs and pointers.
Such was our luck that I was discharged
from the service in the field aud taken into
the bureau at Washington.
AS q soldier and one of the boys" had
but little trouble in ascertaining where the
counterfeit money came from. 1t was
made in several Northern States, but the
most perfect bills came from Mitchell
County, Ind. got hold of a. circular which
read that perfect counterfeit one and two
dollar bills, warranted to pass any where
as genuine, could be had at sixty cents on
the do}lar by addressing "J. E. M, Shoals,
Mitchell County, IND" Iwroto to this adj
dress from our camp in the Shenandoah,
and inside Of a week received twenty one
dollar bills. They were fully up to the
guarantee could have passed every one
Of them On the sutler. When therefore
reported 10 Washington for DUTY was
All ready to move on the enemy. / was
green in the detective business, of course, but
as there happened to be q rush Of business
Just then was ordered off to Indiana on
nay own hook, and that almost without in
s1ructions first visited Madison and New
Albany, but not a counterfeit was afloat and
not person could be found who knew Of
any thing wrong at Shoals. then pro-
ceedcd to the town direct, giving out that
WAS looking for a location to start . big
sooperage business.
] had made up my mind that the post
master had something to do with the bust
ness, but changed it as soon as [ saw him.
He was au Old man, simple minded and
honest from top to bottom. AS he was the
owner Of the piece Of land which had
thoughts of buying, was in his company,
more or lees. inside and outside the Office
He had never, so far as he knew, been
stuck with counterfeit, and none of the
business men in the place had any trouble
This satisfied me that my pointers were
only skin deep. While the gang used the
Shoals pcst~oftice their headquarters might
DO q long distance away.
Ny lay was TO keep my eyes open for 70
T.. NJ" and /. whole week went by before
made discovery. L was at the Office every
time the mail came in, but no one inquired
for those Initials. Correspondents were
not told to address in care of any box. but
was satisfied the letters were placed in
one BY persistent observation got to see
most Of the mail taken out, and one day /
saw the postmaster throw seven letters
aside as he sorted the mail These were
afterward placed with as many more, tied
no in package and left under the shelf Of
the general delivery window. Ihad now to
see who called for this package. One
evening, a quarter of an hour before the Of
Gee closed, gaunt-looking woman, poorly
dressed and walking with limp, entered
end approached the window. The postmas-
ter handed her the package and asked:
SWELL, is Tom any better?''
ga trihe, sir, but not much," she replied.
"He is getting lots of mail?"
eyes, sir. He does lots Of good. The
soldiers say it is q sure cure every time.'
That evening, as the postmaster and
sat together in my room at the hotel,
carelessly referred to the woman and her
letters.
SAY, Cn6 DAY Will come Wnen OnclG Sau1
will give that family a pension" he replied.
s'F'or what reason?'
''For caring for the health Of so many of
his boys down at the front. That woman's
husband is laid up with feversore. They
live out here about seven miles. They make
sort of porous plaster out Of roots and
tallow which will prevent any one from TAX
Ing cold if worn on the chest. This plaster
will drive out rheumatism or neuralgia in
two hours, and is great thing to heal
hurts and wounds"
'Do they have any sale here?' asked.
Ono, guess not. The folks laugh at
them, but they go off like hot cakes in the
army"
"Then he sells good many2'
Hesometimes gets fifty letters week,
and each one with fifty cents inside.'
s1He and the wife live alone, eha''
"No. They have nephew with them, ]
balieve. He is said to be young man from
Ohio who was drafted into the army, and
ran, away to escape service. I guess he is
Il lpOcking about the woods most Of the
81 time, ID s s u.
No one but . thoroughly honest old man
y could have beensso simple, 4 was satisfied,
80; r hAA 10 hon Init