Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1891-06-04
CAUGHT TWO OF a KIND
Al BAD PAIR PASSING BOGUS
"A MONEY.

Double Life Led by Two Heads or Re
ligious Denominations For God and
Native Land That Is Rev. MR.. vancir.
Excuse, Hut It Doesn't Go with Captain
| Porter.
It was remarkable story that Capt
Porter, of the Secret Service, told Chi
cage reporter. The Captain had just
returned from Springfield, Ill, where ht
had taken to be locked up the Rev
George Vancil, Baptist preacher, who
was arrested near Duquoin, Ill, fol
| passing spurious money.
The fact that makes the case more
than ordinarily interesting is that Van
ell Is the second minister arrested In
that locality for similar crimes within
seven days. The first instance was the
arrest OF the Rev aJerry" Holmes for
making the bogus money, and now come
the details of the second offenders cap
ture.
@Vancil is greatly inferior to Holmes,
said Capt. Porter. ale has not the
shrewdness nor the bodily health that
Holmes has, and it was therefore an easy
matter for H pines to impose upon Van
Gil and make o dupe of him. Vancil's
reputation as a liar is much more wide
spread than his fame as a good man
The arrest was made upon information
given US by the Rev Fishback, pastor of
the Christian Church at DuQuoin. This
divine heard Vancil's voluntary confess
sion, which was very complete, and was
marked by expressions of repentance
and humility. Vancil told me his story
as we were returning upon the train.
"'Jerry Holmes was one of the worst
characters in Duquoin, he said. Every
one Stunned him, as they thought he was
too far gone to redeem. | tried to con-
vert him. One night we rode over a
long, dark road together. We talked
about religion, and after long argu-
ment he declared himself converted, and
fell upon his knees i'm the muddy road
and prayed. A short time thereafter he
was appointed q minister and licensed to
preach the gospel. A short time later
walked to church one morning with
Holmes, and he said he had some coun-
terfeit money which he wanted me to
dispose of. l was very indignant and
threatened to give him up to the author
tiles. He talked me out of that idea,
and finally took the money upon his
promising to cease his evil ways. When
he handed me two bad dollars, thought
I would have stronger hold upon him
with tho money in my possession.
al have wife and eight children,
and they must be fed. My salary Is not
large enough to support them well, and
when my little girl wanted some little
thing passed the bad money and got
the trinket for her.
"Holmes went away from Duauoin,
and it is alleged that Vancil wrote to
him, telling him he had passed 1t. When
Holmes returned to Duquoin he brought
back sackful of the bad dollars, and
helped Vancil hide them. Holmes gave
Vancil nine more of the dollars, and the
latter passed three of them at little
circus that came into the town. Several
days thereafter Vancil entered the ex-
press office to receive package upon
which Is cents was due. The express
agent, R. G. Wheatley, happened to be
reading of Holmes arrest He spoke of
1t to Vancil, and the latter confessed
that he had been equally guilty in the
sight of the world, but he knew that the
Lord would forgive him, for he had done
it so as to find out about the entire gang
and tell upon them"
WheatIey Immediately called over the
Rev. Mr.. Fishback, who was told the
story OF VancfFs disgrace. The Chris
tian divine Immediately telegraphed to
Capt. Porter, and the latter, accom-
panied by Deputy United States Marshal
Eacon, visited Vancil's residence, sew
eral miles from Duquoin. The erring
diyfnn far,nd IN hn
of Morpheus. Upon their explaining
Their mission Vancil fell upon his knees
in prayer before the hard-hearted ones
who would take him from his home
Vancil's protestations and pleadings
were SO loud that the eight children ap-
peared upon the scene badly frightened
After Vancil saw that his words were
having no apparent effect he ceased his
importunings and kissed his weeping
wife and frightened little ones and
started off with his captors, saying:
"Wel', they may starve, but the law will
be avenged, and of course the law
doesn't care what happens to those we
leave behind us"
"Vancil still insists that he is inno-
cent" said Captain Porter, after his re-
turn from the field of his operations, abut
the facts are dead against him. The
money he passed was we'll made and
could not be detected by any one but an
expert. Vancil is very pious man,
and every move he made he said was In
the interest of the Lord"
According to Captain Porter Vancil is
very ignorant man, and hardly knows
enough to pick strawberries. He is
forty-eight years of age and has
eight children. He lived on O. farm
close to Farmer Adkins, whose wife.
is Vancil's sister. The prisoner was
taken before United States Commissioner
William Reed, at Springfield, and In de-
fault of $500 bail went to jail.
Rev. Jerry Holmes, who made the
coin and who was captured week ago,
held religious services In jail last Sum
day and had all his fellow-prisoners
shouting for glory.
Vancil was at one time Methodist
minister, it is said, but left that demon
ination under some sort of a cloud, and
afterward joined the Baptists.