The Russellville Democrat., 1891-08-20
RUN DOWN.
The Source of a Dealers Supply of Count
 erfeit Mexican Dollars.
An Old Coin Dealer Who Extended His Trade From New Orleans In-
 to Arkansas.

It will be remembered that several weeks ago Deputy Marshal FauIkin- bury and Detective Wild arrested an old man named John Palten at Hot Springs, for passing several hundred dollars worth of counterfeit Mexican dollars on the Hot Springs bank. When arrested, Patten had in his possession fully peck of the coin. He plead innocence of intentional wrong and asserted that he had pro- cured the money from an old coin dealer in New Orleans, who sold it as the genuine coin, though at re- dueed rates. His story was SO straight that he was permitted to give light bond under promise that he would return to New Orleans and buy some more money from the old coin dealer, and thus assist the government in making out clear case.
 Patten left here several weeks ago for New Orleans. The sequel is told by The Picayune of August z. The story says:
 Yesterday at 2;30 o'clock Mir. Jules Brette, dealer in old coins aud curiosities, IA St. Charles street, was arrested by United States Marshal John Boehler and Mir. w. J. Brodie, and arrai zned before Commissioner Wright on an affidavit made out by Mir. John Patten, charging Brette with having in his possession and passing counterfeit money; that he had passed counterfeit coin of various denominations and different countries, knowing it to be spurious.
 Mir. Brette, when arraigned, pleaded not guilty and was released on bond of s2500, signed by bim. self and Mir. A. Steeg, Is St. Charles street.
 Mr. Brodie said that he was pres ent when the counterfeit money was pass sd; that Mir. Brette had sold S7 worth of counterfeit half dollsrs to Mir. Patten, which is clear viola ton of the law, it being violation thereof under the law of 1890 to have counterfeit money in one's posses sion or to pass 1t.
 The penalty in such cases is from one years Imprisonment and 5000 fine to ten years and $5000 as the case justifies.
 Mir. Jules Brette was seen at his place of business, IA St. Charles street. He is Frenchman of short stature, about 55 years of age, ac- companies nearly every sentence with the inevitable shrug of the shoulders, and speaks English rather imperfect ly. He said that Pstten, the man with tie grand chapeau" (the big hat), had been to see him several times about purchasing old coins, and that several days ago he had sold him S5 worth of Mexican dol lars good money, but worth only 80 cents on tho dollar-with some change to make it even.
 Yesterday, he said, Patten came in again and told him he wanted some old coins.
 "Anything," he said, any kind of trash. I just want it to play with just to rattle in my pocket.''
 Brette said he then rumaged around aud found some old coins in bag he had slowed away, some counterfeit and some not, and sold him lot of them for $l.bo
 ssDid you tell him that some of the money was counterfeit, Mir. Brette?"
 ''Yes; I told hi .. I didn't have any idea he wanted it for any other purpose than as curios. thought he was from Mexico or some foreign country, and wanted them as relics.n
 Mir. Brette Is very mush annoyed over the unexpected denohement. He says it is job'' put up on him by Patten; that he has been here in the city thirty-five years and never had such complaint made against him before. He is indignant that be should be charged with or thought to be passing counterfeit money.
 He wouldn't do that, he says, no matter how much money there was in it for him, because it was viola ton of the law.
 He doesn't know Patten and is at loss to know why, as he styles it, job" has been put up on him.
 MT. Patten, the man to whom the counterfeit money was sold, is scout of the United States frontier. He was formerly in the employ of Buffalo Bill in his Wild West show, and has been since a vendor of patent medicines. He has the regulation long hair and wears a sombrero.
 His version of the affair is as fol- lows: He came to New Orleans during Mardi Gras and purchased sof coins from MT. J. Brette, IA St Charles street, among them Me ican, Peruvian and Spanish coi s. From New Orleans he went to Hot Springs, and becoming in need of money he sold them as he had received them to bank Of that place. The officials of the bank dis covered them to be spurious and sent for the secret service agents, who ex. amined the coins, pronounced them to be counterfeit and arrested Patten. He told the officers where he had