Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-01-11
CAUGHT IN A TRAP.
A Good Story Told b." a Secret
Service Dete ctive.

peen cOuntcrlelted ana cllculaJeu, ana
every issue of greenbacks, from the
dollar bill TO tho twenty, had been re-
produced by the "queer" men, says n
writer in the Detroit Free Press
Counterfeiting Aourished as never be-
fore nor since. ANY thing that looked
like money would go, cspe tally in the
country towns.
The gang which was working the ST
and 81 plates was located at Sandusky,
but we did not get this pointer until
they had floated out good many thou
sand dollars. The case was assigned TO
me, and proceeded TO Sanduslxy in the
guise OF an army contractor. i had no
details whatever, but, by keeping my
eyes open and picking up note here
and there, satisfied myself that our
information was correct. Then | Sc
lected the most popular drug store In
the place, told the proprietor my bust
ness, and arranged TO make capture.
Men "shOving the queer" will call at a
drug store sooner than any other place
of business, because they can purchase
from such variety, and can carry the
purchase away in the pocket. This
druggist had been bitten several times,
and was anxious TO help nab some one.
/ felt that it was only question of
time when some of the spurious would
be offered again, and | was right On
the fifth day after took up my station
in the store. a espectable-looking mid
dle-aged man rushed in, holding his
hand TO his cheek and exclaimed:
For Heavens sake give me some
thing for the toothache! i am almost
crazym
The clerk hurried to put up some
thing, the stranger danced around and
groaned and moaned, and when he re-
ceived the bottle he handed out "a ten
dollar bill and said:
''Quick-Ive got TO catch the train"
The clerk glanced at the bill and be-
gan to make change, but stopped to
take second look at it, | started for
ward, but before had taken five steps
the man was off like flash. pursued.
but he lodged me in the crowd. | went
back and looked at the bill, and 10, it
was counterfeit, but one SO nearly like
the genuine as 10 deceive almost any
one except a cashier. For the next
three days did some tall hustling, and
the result was to drive the gang out of
Sandusby without havingthe luck TO ar
est anybody. There were four of them,
and they had 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 different
denominations, and the worst Of it was
they got off with the plates.
Almost purely by accident I learned
that one of the gang had brother liv-
ing near Rocky river, few miles out
of Cleveland, and it was possible he
might go into hiding there for time.
AS this was the only trail | had deter
mined to look the ground over. Going
up to Cleveland, got a horse and bug
gy for a country drive and started for
Rocky river. / was only we'll clear of
the city when l saw heavy thunder
storm coming up and had TO look for
shelter. | had to drive q couple Of
miles 10 find it. 1t was an old barn on
the lower end OF farm. 1t was in n
tumble-down condition, but there was a
shed under which / could put the horse.
i was only two minutes ahead OF storm
which ragged for an hour and half. |
found corner OF the barn which did
not leak, and for the first half hour i
scarcely glanced around me. When
did come to size up the interior, about
the first thing / saw was a paper pack
age resting on beam running across
the barn. 1t could not have been seen
from any other position in the barn,
and l may say it was the queer sound
given out by the drops of water as they
fell on the paper which caused me 70
look up.
had the package down after dirty
climb, and as / opened ii out fell the
plates of the counterfeits used at San
dusky-every one OF them. There were
plates for 81. 81, IS and $40 bill, and
for ten, twenty-five and fifty-cent shin
plasters, and the ink from the last i'm
pressions had not been entirely cleaned
off While / was swelling with the i'm
portance of my discovery the storm
passed over, and while engaged in do
ing up the package buggy stopped at
the gap in the highway fence and one
of the two men in it jumped down and
came running into the barn. He did
not see me at first, but started to
climb up after the package on the beam.
i knew then that he was one OF the
gang, and | grabbed him. He was q
stout fellow. and we had n savage tussle
for it, but finally got the irons on his
wrists and made him prisoner. As so IN
as / seized him he shouted TO warn his
! companion, and before our struggle end
ed the man was n mile away. The one
caught was Sam Dixon, q "queer
man" OF note and known TO us better
under the alias OF ''Sly Sam" He was
the chap who counterfeited the Brazial-
ian currency and got rid of $4,000
worth before any row was raised. He
kept close mouth and would not peach
on any of the gang. Even when he got
his sentence for twelve years, he calm
ly remarked:
"Well, business will go on at the old
stand just the same"
Nuckpljay's IOptsie