San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-22
COUNTERFEITERS.
AN EASY WAY To GET WEALTH
Greenbacks just as Good as Genu-
inca Mystery Expiained-Huw
One of Our Citizens
Amasssed a Fortune,


Coroner Weimer held an autopsy
yesterday over the remains of Farmer
John Williams, who dropped dead in
front of Robinson's general merchsn-
disc store. The cause of death was
given as heart disease. By the sud-
den death of Williams the mystery
surrounding his sudden attainment
of wealth has been cleared up. Among
The effects found upon Williams per-
son at the time of his death were q
number of letters from the celebrated
Brockwsy & Frank gang of counter
feiters of New York City. These let
tiers went to show that Williams had
been acting as agent for the counter
feiters in this section for the last two
years. Three bank-books were also
found on the deceased, showing 8
balance of over Sl00, 900 to mis- credit
Williams who was poor man 2
years ago explained his rise in fortune
to his acquaintance by saying he had
an interest in gold mine in Colo
RADIO, which he had bought for few
hundred dollars, but which had
turned out one of the best paying
mines in the gold country. Williams
used 20 leave home about three times
year when he would announce that
he was going Old visit to his mine
1t Is now shown by his letters that
these trips were made to New York
for the purpose Of renewing his stock
of counterfeit money, and that the
mine existed only in his Imagination.
Mr.. Williams was always regarded as
an upright honest man, and stood
very well in the community, not a
breath of suspicion was ever enter
tained by his neigh bors of any wrong
doing on his part, nevertheless it is a
fact no matter how scrupulous in
other respects, as long as men think
they can make money more easily
than they can earn it, and the oppOr-
tunity offers, so long will they brave
the periis OF the law and continue to
make and deal in coun terteit money.
There never has been, and probably
never will be time when this coun-
try or any, within civilization is free
from the curse of unterfeiting-in
the counterfeiting of paper money
much skill and labor, costly tools
and machinery is needed, neverthe-
less the co0nterfeits in actual circula.
ton are so numerous and perfect that
it Is impossible for the Treasury De-
partment to keep track of them and
until the government changes the
entire face and form of the notes new
in use will continue to circulate as
freely as the genuine-of course en-
graved counterfeits are the most
dangerous of all, very fine s. and
$40 bill was issued short time ago
from series OF plates by this same
gang and are little less perfect than
the genuine and cannot be detected,
ordinarily, save by a powerful lens
when some slight imperfection of the
scroll work is discernable, but the
finest cOunterfeits from every point
of view are ones aud two's of the |
series of 1886. they are about equal to |
the genuine in skill and workman
ship. So dangerous are these |
that the treasury de-
partment thought seriously of re.
firing all notes of these de |
only for the fact that it |
would seriously disrupt the business
of the country. Frank has amassed /
wealth In this business
and is still doing so, the government
b ling unable to connect him directly
with any of these transactions, he is
3 shrewd and cautious man and it
seems is able TO conduct his nefarious
business in a safe and profitable man
ner. 1t Is very rare that any of his
agents betray him, and il is said will
never travel about with any of the
goods in his possession but insists up
Or his customers coming to him at
some designated point, which place is
changed from time to time, and in
this way he escapes detection and Sc
cures absolute safety for himself and
agents in the transaction of their bust
ness.
About three months ago a promi-
nent merchant of California received