Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-22
LIKE BAD MEN IN STORIES.
The Record Of Noted Criminal Pre-
pared by . Secret Service Operator.

AahE BAD MkN IN STOklES.
The Record Of a Noted Criminal Pre-
pared by . Secret Service Operator.
Among the curiosties encased in the Offices
OF the secret service division Of the Treasury
are two villainous-looking weapons, one As
caliber revolver, IL inches long, silver plated
but ugly. The other is plain-looking article
that resembles a metal meat skewer fitted to a
round handle, very sharp. but with the point
protected by bit Of cork. These tools once
belonged to one of the most desperate charac-
tiers with whom the secret service has ever had
to deal, and that is saying about a. much as can
possibly be confined within the limits Of
polite English. His name is Gaetano Russo, an
Italian who is now confined in the Buffalo
laii' serving out tweive-year sentence
lor couhterfeiting. The photographs now in
the possession of the service show him to be
INFAMOUS looking creature. with a mouStache
sometimes curled out bravely, sometimes
dropping dejectedly. His left eve is gone
gouged out In fght-and replaced by glass
ORD that adds to the generally diabolical effect
OF the countenance. AT the time these pic
lures were taken Russo was forty-seve en- years
old, and he 10 now about fifty.
MR. BROOKS ACCOUNT OF RUSSO.
kussos case having recently been brought
up again Mr.. John p. Brooks, special operator
of the service for the New York district, wrote
letter to Chief Bell few days ago. in which
he gave some interesting facts concerning the
history of this noted criminal
on KNOW he wrote, ''our records show
tins man to be one of the most desperate of
men, and guilty of all classes of crimes" The
records IN this office show that on July Is, 1873,
he was sentenced to the peniten:iary in New
Orleans, La, for life, for the crime Of larson.
and was subsequently pardoned. In March.
1873, he was convicted of murder in Chicago
Iii. After his arrest for this crime he escaped.
was re-arrested by the New Orleans police and
taken to Chicago for trial. About 1884 or early
IN 1885 he, with two companions entered the
store of Giovanni Guarino in New York city,
seized Guarino by the neck, placed daggers to
his throat. and demanded his life or $500;
Guarino gave them $500 and they left. Russo
was arrested IL New York about September.
1885. charged with attempted assassination of
a conntryman' named Colondrino. The latter
refusing to appear against him, Russo
was discharged On this occasion Russo
handed Colondrino glass of beer to drink.
and while he was drinking cut him from edge
OF hair down through center of forehead. nose,
upper and lower hip. the knife coming out at
chm. Russo was again arrested January 81,
1887. at Chelsea Mass, for manufacturing
counterfeit 81 silver coins," convicted and SEN
fenced April Is, 1887, to six months in Cam
bridge, Mass. jail. At the time of CheIsea's
arrest there was found a most complete outfit
OF tools for manufacturing counterfeit coin,
a large quantity of mixed metal and antimony,
the finest set of iron mould frames and other
arrangementsfor making moulds that / have
ever seen. On the discharge of husband his
WHEAT the expiration OF their term of i'm
prisonment, in the fab Of 1897 they left Boston
and gave 1t out that they were bound for Cali
fornia, but in fact went to London. England.
and joined crooked Italian engraver Russo's
wife being conversant with the French language
To no tn Do o,I
not to undertake any crooked work in London.
AT WORK IN PARIS.
"The two Russos and the engraver went to
Paris, hired house in the suburbs of that city,
using the woman as an interpreter as we'll as
an agent to purchase necessary articles. On
the 10th day of December, 1887, work on the
plates was commenced. They were first
photographed on lockwood and then engraved,
which took four months time. Thirty thou
sand dollars were printed. They purchased
printing press for $50 francs. and after using it
about month, returned il to the parties who
sold it to them. saying it did not work well.
They were charged 80 francs for the use of it.
In June. 1888. they left Paris. Mrs. Russo was
threatened with her life if she refused to carry
the money to London. She purchased a num-
Der of yards of gingham, made a skirt fitted
with pockets, and in that manner carried their
money to London. There she refused to go
further with it. Russo and the engraver left
New York, leaving the woman to starve and
die, for aught they cared, when a kind-hearted
family named Blight took pity on her, gave her
temporary home, and through their interces-
sion the American consul at London sent her
back, July T. 1885, to America, and soon after
she met her husband and the engraver."
CoUNrERFEITs ApPEAR.
Son or about July 4, 1888, the first counter
felt IS silver certificate (also known as the
D,,.a \ l.
New York city. This was followed soon after
by the counterfeit 81 silver certificates, also
known as the Russo or Italian note. We had
Russo and his associates under surveillance,
but these counterfeit notes were soon in the
hands Of willing showers, and the city was
flooded before We had obtained ample evidence
against all the comhination-for there were
many. On august % Gaetano and Rosa Russo
left their home followed by our agent and
soon after they began to pass counterfeit 81
silver certificates, Russo acting as doodle car
rier," also receiving the products from the
counterfeit bills. and continued the work until
seventeen stores had been visited, at thirteen
of which they succeeded at passing counterfeit
bills. They We're allowed to return home
when the officers of the secret service, led
by ne. made raid upon their rooms. and ar
rested Russo and his wife. Upon searching
Russo quantity of these counterfeit ones aAd
hves were found, also about Sl35 in genuine
money. in tno rooms Were found paper Of the
same kind and size that of which the coun-
terfeit bills We're made, quantity five sets)
OF bra j. figures similar to those on the coun-
teriet bills above mentioned and many show
ing blue ink upon them OF SAME shade as num-
bers Oh bills. There Was also found nong his
effects documentary proof i'll confirmation of
the statement herein before made and other
things will not now mention. At the exami-
nation OF defendants the evidence was so over
whelmlug that they put i'll no defense: were
held Tor United States grand jury, who flied
a true bill against both October 8, 1888. De-
PENDANTS pleaded guilty and on October 26,
1858, they were sentenced to terms of imprison-
ment, which they are now serving"
TRIALS OF A SHOP KEEPER.