St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-22

years dSO, leaving vile anu CHllO
| there to look out for themselves as
| best they could. AT that time the
Lees were keeping boarding house
| in South Minneapolis. Crowley
boarded at her house, and soon after
his arrival her husband stopped
work, but always seemed to have
| plenty of money. Finally one day
Mrs. Lee got into Crowleys room,
and there found her worst sus-
| picions verified. Mrs. Lee threat
ened to tell the officers, and Crow
ley left her house, still remaining
in the city, however.
About year and half ago she
said her husband again stopped
work, and has since been a great
deal in Crowley's company, and has
always had money. Crowley, she
said, lived alone at 257 Tenth ave-
nue. south, and was making coun-
terfeit money
Morrissey and Courtney then drove
to Walen's saloon, at 259 Tenth ave-
nue. south, and there gained consid-
eroable information, concerning Crow
ley and Lee, who were both well
known. They also learned that the
rig which Lee and Crowley had been
driving, and which they had confis-
Gated, had been borrowed from the
saloonkeeper.
The building at 257 is rented of the
Corser Investment company, and is
low, two-story wooden affair, and
has been standing for years. The first
floor is occupied by flour and feed
store. The second story was formerly
occupied by Swede boarding house
until Crowley move in about year
and a half ago.
The detectives broke into the upper
rooms. Not soul was in the eight
rooms, but in the room where, upon a
small table, the light burned cheerily
and a gasoline stove siZZled, was
found a fully equipped "mint"-ev-
erything needed in the manufacture
of coins lay about the room. In the
right-hand corner was a small cook
stove. On the cook stove sat a melt
ing pot half filled with metal, and
large basin was filled with scraping.
Just at the left of the stove stood
two small benches, two gasoline
cans, several bottles of various acids
Including beer and whisky bottles),
kindling wood and other stuff. Upon
the larger bench of the two were sew
eral cups, large sack of plaster of
paris and three or four plaster of
paris mouldS. Two silver dollars lay
on the bench with the other stuff,
as though the counterfeiter had left
his work with some mouldS half
made.
Immediately in front of the entrance
door was a sort of trimming ma
chine, to be used in fixing the edge of
the coin. 1t was a homemade affair,
constructed from an old sewing ma
chine, but showed in its construction
the master mechanic and expert coun-
terfeiter.- Next to this machine stood
the table with the lamp. A half open
drawer exposed to view some thirty
packages of smoking tobacco, note
books and other stuff, while on the
table was a dozen very fine three-cor-
nered files, playing cards, handker-
chiefs, towels, more acids, one or two
mould and a lot of other stuff, the
uses of which are known only to the
user. Standing next to the table was
a small gasoline stove with its oven.
The fire was burning cheerily in the
stove. Upon the top of the oven were
six plaster of paris moulds, each good
for casting at least fifteen silver dol
lars, and some of the very finest
rraoulds ever seen by the police of this
city. In the oven were four more plas-
ter of paris moulds, undergoing the
baking process.
All of the other eight rooms were
empty with the exception that in one
room was found about fifteen empty
whisky bottles, and in the room adj
Joining this room in which the plant
was found, there was a large closet
made in the solid wall. In this closet
the inspectors found more acids and
a number of bars of tin, refined solder
and babbit metal, with which Crowley
made his money There was also
found a milling machine made from
the very finest files, and with which
the edges of the silver dollars are
grooved A careful search failed to re-
veal any money other than the 81 found
on the bench.
After carefully searching the place,
Officer M. Siverling, of the South Side
police, was called and placed on guard
over the plant" and Inspector Walsh,
of the United States secret service, was
summoned from st. Paul. At about
II o'clock the Central police patrol
wagon was taken down to the place
and the entire plant loaded on. Crow
ley and Lee saw the plant; saw that
the game was up and then frankly told
about all they knew, desiring to make
the best of a bad job. They were
'mugged' yesterday afternoon, and
the United States secret service officers
will take both in charge today.
Michael G. Crowley, the prime mover
in the mint is mechanic. He is a
short, stocky-built fellow, some thirty
five years of age, with a heavy black
mustache and dissipated appearance.
He says he has drank on an average
of quart of whisky a day for years,
and that it has been his ruin. He
said he did not know where his wife
and child were living in Chicago. Dur
ing his three years residence in Min
neapolis he has resided in South Min.
neapolis, and, although he has never
done any work, he has been we'll
known character to the South side
police, some of whom have often, IN
suspectingly, walked as far as the
lower door OIL loi with MIN. care
full investigation shows Minneapolis
and st. Paul to have been almost food
ed with the coin, which is a clever
counterfeit, both in design and ring,
its only flaw being that it is slightly
too thick in some cases. Crowley is an
Misunderstanding fellow, and takes
his arrest very much to heart, espe-
cially as there is now from ten to
fifteen years in prison staring him in