The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-08-06
!..''ESHES or THE Law.
Said to Have Been Drawn Around the
Greatest Gang of Counterfeiters
in the Country.
A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH
Of Treasury Notes Said to Have Been
Issued BY Them---Can't Find
the Plant.

NEW YoRK, Ang. GA million dollars
worth Of spurious treasury notes have
been put into circulation by q great gang
Of counterfeiters, around whom the gov
ernment detectives have nc last succeed
ed in drawing the meshes OF the law.
Chief Forsyth Of the United States de-
tectiyo bureau i'm this city, win not give
any information as to the nature Of the
evidence in the possession Of the govern
ment, fearing il might interfere In the
work Of capturing the other members of
the gang, Of which Russell B. Hoyt and
Samuel Massey, now in Ludlow Street
jail, are said to be members. It seems
to be certain that the presses and plate
of the gang have been found and confis-
Gated. Some of the plates are said to
have been stolen from the government.
The counterfeiter's plant had not only
the facilities for turning ont Ave, ten,
twenty, fifty and one hundred dollar
treasury notes, but also government
bonds and securities, for which market
was found in foreign countries
Haven't Located the Plant.
Where this plant was located is as yet
mystery. bat one man, formerly q
secret service detective. says that the
connterfeiters had their money factory
in some out of the way. place In Con-
necticut, where they have made the
spurious notes and coins for the last 10
years, growing bolder end increasing
the volume Of their output year by year.
The work was carried ON with such
wonderful ingenuity that even the
hanks accepted the counterfeits and
rarely was the spuriousness of any OF
the notes discovered until they reached
the United States treasury.
The wholesale dealer III false notes.
Italia. who was the first Of the gang to
be arrested, was In undoubted possession
OF the secret of the location cf the plant.
When promised his freedom IL he would
turn states evidence, he first swore that
he knew nothing, and finally said that
he preferred death TO saying anything,
because his life would not be secure IL
he squealed while any member OF the
gang remained ag nperty.
Have Al Their Names.
The secret service men now have the
names Of all the members Of the band
and they are hot ON their trail. Except
that some of them may escape TO foreign
countries, which emergency has already
been. provided for by the cabling OF q
full description Of them TO the police
authorities ct foreign ports, they will
be corralled in short time. II. .
lis believed that this gang or coun-
terfeiters was the main branch of the
Daddy" briggs gang, captured in the
summer of 1889, In Dayton, o. They
had flooded the Western country
with counterfeit SO treasury notes for
years. One member OF the gang, how
ever, escaped and he was the one whom
the detectives were most anxious to get
hold of, for he had In his possession q
$40 Webster head plate, series OF
1876, which had been engraved by Ben
Boyd. q former employe OF the United
States bureau Of engraving, who at the
time Of the capture of the Western gang
was serving 10 year sentence In Joliet
prison. Ben Boyd has reformed since
his release from Joliet, and il now said
TO be q highly valued employe of ) Chi
cauo hanknofA coYnnany