St. Paul daily globe., 1892-12-26
Prices Counterfeit Dollars
Floating Around the Flour
City in Frofusion.
They Are Believed to Be Uf
the Coinage OF West
Superior.
How Christmas Was Cele-
bpated by the Good Peo-
pie Of Minneapolis.
200" Gang Fight in Labor
Temp!e--General News
Of the Day.


Of the Day.
The Price dollar appears to be having
a large run in the city at the present
time. hose who have not heard of the
Price dollar may imagine it to be a
souvenir coin issued by the United
States government, but such is not the
case. The Price dollar is the cleYerest
counterfeit of Silver dollar ever per-
petrated upon guileleSs community.
In some cases it bears the date OF
1884, and in other cases the date or
1882. There is ut the present time
a standing reward of $4,000 offered
by the government for the capture of
Price, but so far none of his pals have
ventured to give him up. His dollars
are in Minneapolis at the present time
III great numbers. Business men have
taken them for goods sold, and it is
stated that several banks are mourning
the stupidity of their cashiers in not de-
tecting the counterfeits when offered
.
dollars in the city, but yesterday it was
learned from the best authority IA gov
ernment Officially that Price was also
here. At any rate, this informant said
that to the best of his knowledge Price
had been seen in the city within the
past seven days.
Last Friday the Theatre ComiQue was
Z, I'm nr
dollars. They we're passed in at the
bar-0r perhaps it is better te call it the
lunch counter-and at the box Office.
Capt Brown has turned them over TO
the government officials and given a
description of the men who passed
them. Sergeant Kirkham, of the local
police force. has half Il dozen of the
counterfeitS in his possession, which lie
secured from various of the saloons
and restaurants on Washington avenue
south. He has it in his mind to fiud
the "shovers" of this queer himself. 1t
he succeeds it will be alack-a-day for
the showers"
Price and Mrs. Forest.
Yesterday three of the spurious dol
lars were secured by reporter for the
GLOBE at a Nicollet avenue restaurant.
The reporter took them to United States
Commissioner Odell, who pronounced
them bogus, and added:
"They are the Price dollar, and Pll
bet my life on it. Pd know Prices
counterfeit wherever | saw it,
Inspector Lawrence. of the treasury
department, could not be found yester-
dav, but it is understood he is looking
up the matter. Price was seen in this
city, as stated above. in company with
a woman named Mrs. Forest. He has
been identified with her for a number
of years. Six years ago her husband,
W. ii. Forest. was held by Commissioner
Odell on the charge of Showing the
queer" to use the counterfelter'S par
lance He was sentenced to serve four
years in the penitentiary at Saltwater,
working in this city and vicinity,
and it was his bogus money
that Forest passed. When the latter
Was sent to prison, Price, it was said,
took up with the lonely wife and con-
soied her for the temporary loss of her
husband. Price was afterwards caught
by E. n. Stpadmln, United States in
spector, OF DeS Moines, and "did time"
as consequence. AT the time Price
first h0uriShed, the entire country Was
flooded with his spurious dollars. Dur
ing his incarceration in prison the dol
lars were omparatively scarce, but from
present indications the crop will be a
large. one tins winter. 1t is the
opinion of Commissioner Odell that the
bogus coin is shipped here from Iowa,
for il is somewhere in the bemghted
state that Price makes his home. About
the time the exposure OF the counter
feiting of dollars in Superior was made,
Mrs. Forest was seen on the streets OF
this city for the first time in several
years. Price, or man resembling him
very much, was seen in her company,
though the inspectors have been unable
to locate the pair. 1t is supposed they
took fright and left for parts unknown.
Price IS described as being man of
about forty years. of slight build. with
dark hair and eyes. When last seen he
wore dark beard cleanly trimmed. 1t
is thought that the dies found in the
blacksmith shop al Superior were fur
nshed by Price. and he was the head
of the entire gang. His cleverness in
making the dies and composition from
which the dollars are made renders 1t
unnecessary for him To be actively con-
nected with the manufacture Of the
coins. He merely superntends the dis
posal of the bulk of it, and, OF course,
takes to himself the bulk OF the proht.
Not Alone Minneapolis.
Commissioner Odel has received a
number of letters from commissioners
in other cities and, to judge from the in
ouiries. the Price dollar has been, and is
being, quite generally circulated. The
commissioner called at police head
quarters yesterday afternoon on all
errand connected with the matter. but
he declined to state the exact nature of
the business he desired the local detec-
tive department to aid him in consum-
mating. He admitted. however, that
considerable of the coin was being
passed in the city. and in speaking of
the manner in which the stuff was
pamed off on people and not detected.
said:
"rhis Price dollar is the finest count
erfeit ever sprung. do not know the
exact material used in its composition,
though it is chiefly made up OF glass
and antimony. The men work in twos
and threes. Sometimes there is All o1t-
fit for every well patroniZed business
block. One of the men travels under
the title of banker and the others sail
under the names of dealers'or Showers
The banker gives to each or the deal
ers' one of the bogus dollars, and he
takes it into some store and passes 1t.
He gives the change to the banker and
receives another dollar. In no case does
he carry more than one of the bogus
dollars around with him at time.
Neither does he keep any good money
in his pockets, so that in case of arrest
or detection he can claim clean con-
science and an empty pocket"
Look Out for Bogus Souvenirs.
The reporter for the GLOBE heard last
night that man and woman answering
to the description of Price and Mrs.
Forest had been stopping at the Bruins
wick. This was a mistake, however.
Neither could any trace of them be
found at any of the other hotels. The
government inspectors will keep their
ewes peeled now for bogus worlds fair
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