Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-01-03

twenty, had been produced BY IN.
queer" men. Counterfeiting housisbas
IS never before nor since. AnpbinS
that looked like money would go 50
pecially in the country towns.
The gang which vas working the ,,
and 81 plates were located at Sandusks
bat We did not get this pointer until thu
had Heated out good many thousans
dollars. The case was assigned to rna
and proceeded tor Sandusky in the euiss
of an army contractor. had no detail,
whatever, but by keeping my eyes opsn
and picking up note here and there !
satisfied myself that our informs alton wa.
correct. Then l selected tbs most pom
lar drug store in the place, told the Or
prletor my business, and arranged IA
make capture Men SHOWING tbs
queer" will call at drug store sooner
than any other place of business, becaus.
they purchase from such variety and carry
the purchase away in the pocket. This
druggist had been bitten several times
and was anxious to help nab some one
felt that 1T vas only question of time
when some of the spurious would be of
fered again, and l was right. On m;
fifth day after took up my station in
the store a respectable looking, middle,
aged man rushed ID, holding his hand to
his cheek and exclaimed.
For Heavens sake give me sometime
for the toothache! / am almost crazv4
The clerk hurried to put up something
the stranger danced around ana qroape5
and moaned, and when he received thu
bottle he handed out $40 bill and said.
"Quick-I'ye got 20 catch tramp
The clerk glanced at the bill and began
to make change, but stopped TO take =
second look at it. / started forward bpt
before had taken i've steps the man was
off like fash. Ipnrsued but ne dodged
rae in the crowd. | went back and looked
at the bill, and lo! it was a counterfeit
buv one 80 nearly like the genuine as to
deceive almost any one except a cashier.
For the next three days did some tai,
hustling, and the result was 10 drive ths
gang out of Sandusky without having
the luck to arrest anybody. There were
four of them, and they had a job Office
which turned out work for the public
The fellows had put out at least $4,000
in the West, having several plates of dii-
ferent denominations, aud the worst of 4 /
was they got off with the plates.
Almost purely by accident | learned
that one of the gang had brother living
near Rocky River, a few miles out OIL
Cleveland, and it was possible he might
20 into hiding there for time. As this 4
was the only trail had / determih ed to /
look the ground over Going up to2
Cleveland. got a horse and buggy for
country drive and started for Rocky
River. / was only well clear of the city
when l saw heavy thunderstorm coming I
up and had to look for shelter. had to {
drive a couple of miles to find it. 1t was
an old barn on the lower end of farm
Ii was in q tumble down condition, bat5
there was shed under which / could putN
the horse. was only two minutes ahead 4
of a storm which ragged for and hour and b
half. | found a corner of toe bsrnK
which did not leak, and for the first half
hour l scarcely glanced around me
When J did come TO size up the interior
about the first thing | saw was papeiH
package resting on a beam runniugK
across the barn. l. could not have beetS
seen from any other position in the barn
and | may say il was the queer sound
given out by the drops of water as the!#
fell on the paper which caused me TO looE#
40.
/ had the package down after dirt!@
climb and as / opened it out reil thu
plates of the counterfeits used at San
dusky-e every one of them. There were
plates for 81, 81, So and a $40 bill, al
for 10, % aud &c cent shinp lasters, and Z
the ink from the last impressions had
not been entirely cleaned of. While
was swelling with the importance OF my
discovery the storm passed over, and
while engaged in doing up the package
a buggy stopped at the gap in the Highway q
fence, and one of the two men in il
jumped down ard came running into the
barn. He did not see me at first, but
started to climb up after the package on II
the beam. | knew then that he was one
of the gang, and grabbed him. He was
a stout fellow, and we had savage tussle
for il, but finally got the irons on hls
wrists aud made him prisoner. As soon
AS | seized him he shouted to warn bis
companion, and before our struggle ended
the man was mile away. The one
caught was Sam Dixon, queer man
of note, and known to Us better amer
the alias of "SIy Sam" He was the eh'P
who counterfeited the Brazilian currency
and got rid of $4,000 worth before any
row was raised. He kept CLOSE NOUN
aud would not peach on any OF the gang
Even when ne got his sentence, Whicn was
for u years, he calmly remarked
"WeH, business will go on at the ola
stand just the same"