Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-27
COUNTERFEITERS ARRAIGNED.

They VIII be Given Hearings Next Week
How Mcsweeney Bngged the Game
Their Molds Said to be as Good ns Any
Made,
The counterfeiters arrested on Friday at
StoystoRn by Marshal Harrah, Special
Agent McSweeney and Deputy CARRIER were
yesterday arraigned before Commissioned
McCandless There were six of them In all.
John H. Bisbing, the alleged leader OF the
gang, is a man 65 years, about 6 feet and
inches and straight as an arrow. His two
sons, Henry and Edward, are middle-aged
men and ordinary looking, and would not be
looked at a second time for fine appearances,
as would their iather Jerry Wilt and
james Wilt are brothers, the latter
being a resident of McKeesport until
few months ago. John Sipe is
a resident of Sipesville, hamlet about ten
miles from Stoystown, and a descendant OF
the man for whom the old place is called.
The men will all be given hearings on dif-
ferent days next week. james Wilt at 10
o'clock Monday, Sipe at 10 on Tuesday,
Jerry Wilt at IL on Wednesday, Ed. Bis
bing at IL on Thursday, John H. Bisblng,
the leader, at II on Friday and Henry Bis
bing at IL on Saturday. When the hours
were arranged and commitments made out
for all of them they were returned to Jail to
await their several hearings.
Detective McSweeney, who has been
working the case up, has any amount of
evidence against the men. About six years
culation in the neighborhood of Johnstown,
Somerset, Bedford, and the smaller towns
about there. When an effort was made to
run the gang down they all got onto it and
effectually blocked the operations of the Off
GERS. Their scare was enough to quiet them
down, however, and after considerable of
the spurious coin had been gathered in the
complaints of bad money stopped. Some
two months ago, however, complaints again
began to come in from the same old terri
tory. Two weeks ago Chief of Po-
lice Harris, of Johnstown, came
to the city and reported to
Detective McSweeney that Johnstown was
flooded with spurious coin, dollars and
quarters particularly, and that something
would have to be done. Then Detective
McSweeney went to the grounds. In an at
tempt to get in with the people and to trade
with them he was told by the men whom he
suspected of counterfeiting that if he wanted
to "buy the stuff he could get all he
wanted from 'old man Bisbing." Nc
Sweeney would then be told by these men
that they knew nothing about counterfeit
ing, they were not in the gang. but had
heard" Bisbing was one of them. Then
MIR. McSweeney would be asked if he were
not detective. Thus they had their sus-
picions aroused, and the work in locating
the gang was a particularly hard one.
The task was finally accomplished, how
ever, and resulted in the arrest of the six
arraigned yesterday. The gang were max
ing nickels, dimes, quarters, halfdoIlars
and dollars. The molds of all of them
were found, with some 40 pounds OF lead
and antimony. The mold Of the quarter is
a fine one, and the best ever captured in
this district. It is made of sheet copper and
is finely engraved. The dollar mold is also
a good one and is also of copper. Detective
McSweeney thinks there are about 80 in the
the gang, but the arrest of, those named
above will have the effect of keeping them
quiet for at least time.