The morning call., 1895-02-06
CAUGHT In OAKLAND.
Several Merchants Who Fell
Easy Victims
TO A BRACE OF SHARPERS.
A Man and Woman from Canada
Are Now Behind Bars.
THE WOMAN PLEADS INNOCENCE.
She Admits, However, Getting Rid Of
$500 Worth Of the Green
Goods.
THE WOMAN PLEADS INNOCENCE

female worker of bogus greenbacks, as
told yesterday in THE CALL, turns out to
be more important than was at first sup
posed and reflects credit upon the Oakland
police for the clever way in which the
scheme of the operators was nipped in the
bud.
Not only is the woman in Jail, but her
husband also The two have been oper-
ating for several weeks about Oakland,
Berkeley and Alameda, and the woman
had got rid of about ten of the spurious
greenbacks.
On Monday night woman in stylish
dress stepped into drugstore on Wash
ington street and made small purchase.
When she handed the druggist $40 bill he
scanned it closely. He saw that it was
counterfeit, and, to gain time, he told her he
would have to step out and get change.
He went out to get an officer, but could
see none, and, coming back, told his GUS
toner that he thought the bill was not
good The lady was surprised, left her
little purchase, took up the bill and walked
out.
Then the drug man, whose name is
Graham. watched the woman go into
winehouse, get a bottle of port wine and
change for her bill, and then head for an
Eighth-street electrician, which she
boarded just as Officer Hynes came in
sight of the druggist. The officer was told
what had happened, and he fastened off
and got help and started out to oyertake
the car. The car was intercepted at Alice
street, and the lady was arrested and
taken to the City Prison. But she had on
her person neither the wine nor change ex-
cepting cents.
She was questioned closely and said her
name was Lydia Murray. She said she
was not married.
When Oaklanders read THE CALL they
saw an account of the capture, and
shortly after there began a run on the City
Prison. A half dozen men in various
kinds of business were on hand and each
exhibited $40 greenback which the suave
lady had left with them in exchange for a
small purchase and considerable silver
change.
Among the merchants were Watson &
Co., liquors; Earnest Kuch, 915 Washing
ton; Newman & Co., grocers; J. Calegaris,
druggist; Frank Soaring, produce; w. A.
Rouse, produce; P. A. Lamping, Theo.
Gier and others.
In the morning woman who gave her
name as Mrs. Jensen of 1101 Twenty third
street. East Oakland, visited the prison
and said that one of her dodgers, Mrs !
Dean, had been missing since the night be-
fore, and that her husband was very uneasy
about her. She said she heard she had
fallen off the Eighth-street car and was
hurt, and wanted to know if the Chief
knew anything about her.
Chief Schaffer saw his chance as quick
as lightning and he said he would look the
woman UP, but Mrs. Jensen had better tell
her husband to call on him.
At o'clock P. NJ. a dapper looking man
Of medium height stepped into the office
and announced himself as Mr.. Dean-Mr.
w. J.Dean, and that he was on the hunt
for his wife, who had not come home the
night before.
He was at once arrested and searched.
Considerable money in greenbacks was
found on Deans person. He had two SOS,
two SOS, and various smaller bills. They
all looked like the ones the merchants had
taken in, but Secret Service Inspector Har-
Dean would neither admit nor deny that
he had knowingly passed counterfeit
money, nor that his wife had. He said the
woman was his wife and that they came
here from Canada several weeks ago.
The woman said she had when she
came to this country $500 of the money she
had been passing, and had passed that
much, but never knew that it was counter |
felt.
Mrs. Dean is supposed to be the woman
who has passed several counterfeit $40
United States Treasury notes in this city |
during the last three or four weeks. She |
had a man as confederate in her work in
this city. She successfully passed two of |
the $40 notes on William Cline, the Mar
ket-street grocer, about two weeks ago. |
About week ago she walked along Polk !
street and passed four or five of the coun- |
terfeit notes in as many different stores.
All of the counterfeit notes were treas
ury notes, series of 1880, check letter 3, |
signed by w. S. Rosecranz, Register, and |
E. II. Nebecker, Treasurer. The work on |
the notes was poorly done. The paper |
on which they were printed was common |
pulp paper. The counterfeit is new one. |
Filling of the TrestIe.
Dredgers are at work gathering slickens
from the estuary, which will be mixed |