The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-03-15
NEW JERSEY C0USTERFEITERs
A Romance of Crime in this state Many
Years Are

A Romance of Crime IN this state Many
Years Age
Joseph West, writing In the Monmouth
Democrat, says that in 1863 Queen Anne
permitted New Jersey to issue paper
money, BUTT was several years before il
was issued. Soon after il was issued
counterfeits Of it we're made in Ireland
and in l12S the same number Of bills were
issued IN different form 10 take the
place OF the first. The bills had on them
the words 10 counterfeit is DEATH" but
lots Il spurious bills We're soon sent out
They were printed in Dublin. and the
bands who circulated them here were not
detected and broken up until only q short
time before the Revolution. = success
fnl leader OF gang who put these bills
"a circulation was an Eaghshman named
Samuel Ford. In the interior of the STATE,
remote from the settlements, Ford lived
and owned some land. but as he culti-
waited little Of it. people used to wonder
how ne lived SO well. He looked like an
honest farmer, and occasionally showed
himself IN Morfistown. Elizabethtown,
Am00y and other places as Ear south as
burlington. A man named King was 81
accompiice, appearing as Ford's hired
man, and later Joseph Richardson was
With the gang
Ford had been only an agent for the
Dublin counterfeiters, but after q time
he concluded 10 make the bills himself.
He went TO England and King told the
people be went to get some property left
nam BY his deceased father. III London
Ford procured the types, cuts, ETC.. and
also tools and moulds for coming On
his lands in Morris county were extern
siye swanps. aad ia one OF these he aud
King built den in which TO carry On
tGeir nefari0us business Ford was very
successful, and he had the art to seduce
many Of the people Of the State Into buy
ing his money and circulating it. and
while doing So kept his workshop a Sc
cret. Many men having landed property
and respectable connections, DESTROYS Of
gaining wealth without labor, were won
over by these wretches- They continued
the business for several years and success
made them bold
In 1713 another gang from New England
came TO Jersey aud they spread themselves
in the towns ana villages from Wood
bridge TO Middletown- Two of them,
claiming 60 be siIversmiths, set up busi-
ness, and SO much counterfeit com and
bills became circulated that the Govern
ment became thoroughly aroused, and II
was thought that the new gang led 10 the
detection of the old. Ford ard his agents
had to quit active operations, and while
business was dun it was claimed thar be
conceived the design of robbing the state
act could never be fastened clearly on him.
The treasury was robbed, however. and
three soldiers Of the regiment stationed
there assisted the gang
Ia 17s4 man named Cooper. under SER
tence of death for counterfeiting. con
fessed that Ford, King. himself aud the
three soldiers robbed the treasury. Be-
fore this time some Of the eonnterfeiters
had been arrested, and one Of them re-
veaIed the secret Of tbs hidden path to the
den in the swamp, and brave men made
their way to the den By crawling one at q
time through g narrow aud dangerous
passage, and Ford and King were cap-
tured, surrounded By the evidence of
their guilt. The agents of the gang, who
had been led into this dangerous bust
ness, now had to suffer
The people were astoundei whsn five
or six highly respectable citizens, one Of
them a physician and q Justice of the
Peace, were arrested and convicted OF
passing counterfeit money as agents for
these wretches. Great was the excite
ment. The prison and the court were
thronged with the relatives and friends
of the unhappy men. Some of them had
quit the business long before they
were apprehended- One was deacon,
and his congregation refused to believe
were all sentenced to be executed,
but after awhile were respited,
and finally pardoned- Ford
and King broke jail and went TO Pennsyi-
vania, and again began their old bust
ness. A reward was offered Tor them,
and the Pennsylvania authorities offered
a reward for Ford and Joseph Richard-
son, but they were not taken. Richard
son was arrested twice in Philadelphia.
after the war had commenced, but more
for political than for other offenses, and
was finally allowed TO depart
Ford finally went to Virginia, TOOK the
name of Baldwin. and lived there for