Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-05
BROKE UP THE GANG.
Cambria County Counterfeiters Very
Cleverly Caught Up.
THREE MEMBERS BROUGHT HERE.
They Took Detective Mulhall and Robin
son Into Their Plot.
A WILD CHASE OVER THE MOUNTAINS

The gang of fcounterfeiters that have been
flooding the mountain towns along the
Pennsylvania Central from Johnstown tt
Harrisburg with spurious coins and notes,
have been caught Detective Bob Robin
son, of the Pittsburg city force, and NJ. NJ
Mulhall, Chief of the Secret Service Detec
tives in Pittsburg, have the credit of max.
| ing the capture and securing the para
phernalia of the counterfeiters Last
night they arrived in Pittsburg with three
of. the gang, and now have them safely
locked up in the county Jail. Their names
are j. H. Pringle, Conrad Myer and John
Bucknet. They are all from Cambria
county, and the last named is a famous
counterfeiter. He is the man who made the
molds, and is we'll known to the secret serv-
ice officials, though Of recent years
they have not succeeded in catching
him at any particular crime. The gang
owns up that recently it has made and
passed over 1900 silver dollars made out
of antimony, block tin and glass. Each
coin cost the counterfeitars 8 cents to
produce and was foated at 100 cents
May Result in a Bigger Catch.
There are several other men in the gang.
Two are now in Jail at Ebensburg under
another charge and one is still at large. They
have also circulated a large number of
counterfeit IS notes. The bills appear per-
feet at first glance, but they do not have the
feel of the genuine. A number of the bills
were found by Detective Mulhall together
with letter from man in New York, who,
it is supposed, furnished the spurious pa
per. The authorities there are now look
ing him up. The letter was one of the
strictly guarded kind sent out by the green
goods men to people they do not know. 1t
was written in a style that showed the
writer was we'll informed as to the person
whom he was addressing.
The story as told by Detective Mulhall
last night is as follows. About two weeks
ago Inspector McKelvv detailed Detective
Robinson to work up case at SummerhilI,
Cambria county. John Brown has large
lumber interests there and is a furniture
manufacturer. There had been some
thieving and considerable property had
been destroyed about the mill. Summer
hill is about II miles above Johnstown.
Intended to Crack a Safe.
made the acquaintance of a gang of men he
and soon after, In his report to Inspector
McKelvey, said he had fallen in
with gang of counterfeiters. Nc
Kelvey showed the report to me and
1 at once communicated with Robinson.
SIN the meantime Pringle had picked out
a little house there where he said q clear
S.. 900 could be made by blowing safe.
This was Robinson's opportunity and he
joined in with the scheme. He said he had
a pal in Pittsburg who was a professional
cracksman. None of the gang were pro-
fcient in that art, SO Robinson sent for his
pal We led them up on the SUBJ
ject of counterfeiting, and they gave
us some of the money. Of course
they made their spending money with it
and said they had really passed 81, 800 worth
of the coin. They said they had passed a
good bit in Altoona and that two of the
had been 'pinched' there. By |
various devices I had to put off the safe
blowing job from night to night until
Pringle finally gave me the mold to re-
pair 1t had gotten little scratched in
several places
Chased Through tho Mountains
"We had all gone to Johnstown, and Fri |
lay night decided to make the arrests |
They were all at Pringle's place, but when |
ne caught him the others skipped. We |
wired to Pittsburg and had fast line train
ordered to stop tor us at Summerhill, for
We knew they would fly that way.
Pringle had made a little show of resistance,
,ut when we presented our revolvers he
rave up.
"When we reached Summerhi!l we found
Myer had gone two miles back into the
Mountains. All Friday night we chased
y; 10 h. -, |
md finally captured him just about day.
light at the home of relative named
Iobble. A little further on we got
3urknet in coal mine. We covered both
nen with guns, and they had to give up
Without struggle. Burknet is very
lever counterfeiter. but the other two are
lot we'll known in criminal circles.''