The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-11-06

Sueu, are amazing
ly careless. His
scheme was to take advantage of their
carelessness.
NOW, II You We're to read in. a novel
now ne did this, you would throw the
oook aside with impatience and declare
nat 1t was utterly preposterous,
lhat 1t was an impossible scheme and
mat the public could never be duped
to such a great extent.
Yet listen: This man is today in
Ludlow street Jail. Government Off
Gals who have been looking for him
ior nearly a quarter of a century have
nardly recovered from their first shock
OF Joy at capturing him. And men who
nave sneered at the stories told by
these officials of this mans c]leverness
nave been convinced that the stories
are true and they are overwhelmed
with amaZement.
Ihls is the story Of Emanuel Ninger,
the cleverst counterfeiter that ever
nVed. In admiration for his wonder
1ul shreWdness II is almost apt to
overlook his rascality. He did not
counterfeit small bills; he confined
himself to denominations of $50, $50,
and $10Q.
He did not attempt to initiate the
original; he initiated the popular idea
OF what the original looked like. The
details of engraving that nobody ever
scrutinizes he overlooked. The prom
inent featuresof a bank or government
note that Immediately strike the eye
he wrought very carefully.
He was not al imitator; he was an
impressionist.
Emanuel Ninger and his wife came
to this country from Germany twenty
three years ago. In Germany he had
been a grocer's clerk, but having de-
veloped considerable ability in draw
ing letters he gave up that occupation
to become a sign painter. They set
tied first in Cincinnati, but after living
there ten years they moved to New
Jersey, where they lived for eight years
tn Westfeld and during the past four
years in Flagtown.
Although during all this time N;nger
supported his family, which had been
increased by four children, by issuing
counterfeit money, it is only of his
work during his residence in Flag
town that the government officials have
been able to learn anything.
When he came to this village he
bought a two-story cottage, for which
he paid 5 1900. His wife told people
that he was a sign painter by trade.
1t is believed that through all these
years she was ignorant OF the real ma
ture of the means by which he made a
livelihood. His neighbor on the right
believed that Ninger had been in the
Franco-Prussian war and went to New
York regularly to draw a pension.
His neighbor on the left always had an
idea hat Ninger made periodical trips
to New York to collect rents from
property that he owned. And through
out the village the impression prevail
ed that Mr.. Ninger owned no end of
government bonds, upon the income
OF which the family lived il comfort
able idleness.
Now, whether Mrs. Ninger had any
idea Of the real nature CT her husbands
daily occupation the government off,
cials have not been able to learn. They
know, however, that she never saw
her husband at work, lever knew his
methods, and, if she knew that he was
a counterfeiter, knew it only in a vague
way, for the room in which Ninger
worked was the one room of the house
into which lone but he could go. Not
even Bluebeard himself laid s~tricter
Injunction upon his wife not to enter
that one mysterious room of his castle.
In this ROOM, every two or three weeks,
a counterfeit bill was completed. AS
soon as he had a half dozen or so ON
his hands he would so to New York
to dispose of them.
The Ringers now have four children,
three girls, aged respectively IL, 10 and
s years, and a boy of 6. The boy was
his fathers pet and every toy that the
child asked for was bought for him
Ninger was fond Of his home. He
cared nothing for drink and the al
lurements of the city had no tempta-
ton for him. AS soon as ne had finish
ed his DAYS work in New York he
would come straight home, bringing
everv cent of his fraudulent gains with
him.
He did most of his work in the morn
ing when the light was best. He net-
er hurried; he never grew impatient.
His work was as methodical as that
nf q machine In fact he was a mOdel