The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-01-20
GREENIEs AND GREEN GOODS.
The Preston county Couuterfeiters
make more Excitement at
Terra Alta.


is as follows: The excitement
which began here about the first of
November and afterwards quieted
down was resumed one day last
week by the appearance of a repre-
sentative of the Secret Service de-
partment of the Government station.
ed at Chicago. Some time in Octo-
Der two of the prominent citizens of
this town were arrested in Chicago
charged with counterfeiting, and
since that time agents of the Secret
Service have been In this locality al
most constantly, and it is believed
by the people here that some arrests
will follow. This belief on the part
of Presidents Of the town and neigh
borhood keeps up the excitement,
and every day some new report is
started as to proposed arrests. 1t
goes without saying that there has
been some skillful crooked work done
here and it is quite certain that two
of the parties are in custody, and
that others were connected with
them there is no doubt.
The couple, who were arrested in
Chicago, and who are now in Jail in
that city, are Jordan Freeland and
r. Belle Freeland, his wife. They
were considered respectable people,
and both belonged to good families
of considerable means.
Mr. Freeland was carpenter and
had constant work at good wages.
His wife had millinery store which
she had conducted for about five
years. They were making money,
and had accumulated considerable
real estate, from which they receiv.
ed a good sum monthly as rent.
Early in October they disposed OF
their property, and on the 18th of
October started on trip to the
Worlds Fair, saying their stay West
would be indefinite. They had a
large amount of money, and in addi-
tion to what they secured from the
sale of their property, they purchas-
ed several large bills of goods on
credit in Baltimore, for the store,
which they turned into money. On
their way West the Freelands spent
one day in Wheeling, where they be-
gan their crooked work.
They had been in Chicago only a
few days when they were arrested
for passing fifty dollar bills which
had been raised from ten dollar bills.
After a preliminary hearing they
were committed to Jail in default OF
two thousand dollars bail, each, to
await trial at the March Court.
Twenty three OF the raised fifty dol
lar bills were passed; twenty two in
Chicago and one in Wheeling. The
Freelands have been identified posi-
lively as the people who passed the
crooked bills. They did not deny
passing the bills, but stated that
they got them from man who, they
said, lived in the northern part of
this county. The detectives find
that no such man ever lived here.
They also claim they got the
money in the settlement of a law
suit at point in this State. But
no such law suit appears on the rec
ords. The secret service officers
have discovered that the bills were
raised In Freeland's house, here in
Terra Alta. A girl by the name of
Lula Whetsell was found who was
in the employ of the Freelands for
some time before they left here. She
says Mr. and Mrs. Freeland would go
into a room at night and remain
there engaged in some kind of work,
and would require her to
provide cold coffee and hot iron,
which they used every night while
they were engaged in the business.
She further says that every morning,
after the work was done at night,
she would find numerous pieces OF
cigar stumps, which had been cut
into fragments for some purpose. The
work was so skillfully executed that
it took an expert of the Government
Secret Service to detect it.
The Freelands are funny people,
and the parents of either are able to
furnish bail, but Mr.. Freeland' s
friends say if he was released on bail
at Chicago, he would be arrested for
the Wheeling offense. Mrs. Free
lands family are making arrange
ments to secure bail for her, and it
is said she will set up the defense
that her husband coerced her, and
leave him to suffer the punishment
alone. Mr.. Frecland is prominent
Odd Fellow, and has appealed to the
lodge here for bail, but after in 7esti-
CATION the order declined to inter
fere in the matter He has always
born good name, and it is the gen
eral sentiment that he has been
drawn into the matter through the
influence of others
1t is believed here that others are
at the bottom of the business, and
that there will be some further de-
velopments and additional arrests in
a few days.
The Freeland family is large one
and the disagreeable affair which
has stirred mp so much talk is not
considered reflection upon them.