The morning call., 1894-05-13
MRS. FOGG, SLEUTH
A Female Detected the
Coin-SWeaters.
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION.
Burke and His Wife Committed
for Trial.
THEY RESERVE THEIR DEFENSE.
He Saved General Burnsjde's Life at
Bull Run aud Is United
States PenSioner.
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION.
THEY RESERVE THEIR DEFENSE.

Davis Burke. the coin-sweater. and his
wife. who assisted him in reducing the
value of double eagles. were arraigned be-
fore United States Commissioner Heacock
for preliminary examination yesterday
morning. There were many spectators in
the little courtroom and their search for
curiosity was rewarded by hearing some
very in neresting testimony.
The chief witness was the female de-
tective, Mrs. M. A. Fogg. who tracked the
Burkes to their lair and informed Secret
Service Agent Harris of their doings.
Mrs. Fogg took no pains to conceal the
fact that she had done a clever piece of
work. She gloried in her achievement
and wearied the attorneys with the details
of her plgrimages after the sweaters.
Burke, grayheaded and stern, glared at
her, but his wife, buxom and ruddy,
looked piyingly at the detective.
Mrs. Fogg testified thai she was in the
employ of the Government, and that she
lived with her husband at 9S8 Howard
street. He. it appears. was em Dloyed by
hack company, who dispensed with his
services when they learned that he had
taken an interest in his wife's work.
Taking an interest in anything but his
horses and the success of his employers is
a hackman's unpardonable sin, aud Fogg
Is now looking for job.
About one year ago Mrs. Fogg's atten-
tion was riveted upon two mysterious pe0-
pie. From her window she saw them. a
man and woman. ass by once fort
night. They always bad satchel with
them and always stopped for few mo-
Eents in a doorway at 1913 Sixth street,
where the man invariably gave the woman
coin, and where she invariably returned
to him the change after making trivial
purchase. Mrs. Fogg observed that
the coin given to the woman was
always a double eagle. She named
the man David to herself, for
she has habit. so she informed the Com
missioners, OF giving names TO strangers.
and she spoke to her husband about him.
She became convinced that David" and
the woman wore altogether too mysterious
to be good, and told Detective Harris,
who employed her to watch the couple.
She tracked lhem to their dwelling, and
learned all that she could about their
movements. She saw Burke-who was no
one else but her mysterious DAVID
going into 563 Mission street. She saw
bim on one occasion with Dickey, the cele-
brated counterfeiter. and saw Dickey
leave Burke's heuse on Mission street on
April IS with trunk on his shoulder. On
May l she again saw Dckey and Burke
together, but before she could notify Har-
ris Dickey had disappeared. She learned
tn at the coin which David's wife used in
making her purchases had been sweated.
]. d. Harris testified that ON four occa-
slons he saw Burke and his wife passing
sweated coins. When she was arrested
she had six double eagles that had been
reduced by the action of acid. About 50
cents worth of gold had been taken from
each one.
W. r. Harris testified that he searched
rooms occupied by Burke at 563 and 567
Mission street. In the former he found
bottles. batteries and all the apparatus
used in reducing coin; at the latter a
Furnishing machine.
j. Anderson. a druggist, testified that
Mrs. Burke gave him a sweated coin for
policeman who arrested Mrs. Burke, swore
That he saw her purchase ten cans of fruit
at q grocery, and that she gave the grocer
q reduced $40 piece and received the
change.
Thomas Price. the chemist, testified that
he had made an ANALYSIS of the contents
of cup found in Burke's possession when
he was arrested. and that it contained
gold and the 10 etaS that are used in alloy
ing gold coin. Price had examined tie
sweated coins, and estimated the amount
that had beer taken from each. He said
that in twenty years coin loses three or
four grains, but much more than that had
been taken from those found upon Mrs.
Burke.
Attorney Burnette G. Haskell, who has
been employed to defend the sweaters,
urged the court to reduce Mrs. Burke's
bail on the ground that she could be de-
pended upon 10 remain IN the city during
her husband, s i'm prisonment, but the Com
missioner refused, and fixed Burke's bail
at $4,000 and hers at $4,000. They were
taken to the Alameda prison. They made
NO defense before the Commissioner.
Burke is a veteran of the Civil War and
draws pension from the Government,
be cut off. In ihe battle of Bull Run he
saved the lie of General Burnside and re-
ceiyed vote OF thanks from Congress and
from the Legislature of Rhode Island. He
was at one time Postmaster at Sar Lean
dro.