The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-09-03
STARTLING DISCLOSURES.
A GIGANTIC COUNTERFEITING
SCHEME BELIEVED TO HAVE
BEEN NIPPED AT WACO.
CLEN FURNISHED BY A PENITENT.
While Laboring Under Religious Emo.
tons One of the Gang Made Indi-
rect Remarks Which Led 20
Official Investigation.

Waco, Tex, Aug. 27.-(Specialy The
arrest of the alleged counterfeitcrs =
thought to be the opening chapter of the
most startling disclosures in that line
ever made.
The papers on file today in the office of
Hon. j. III. Finks, United States com
missioner, show that gigantic scheme
was being formed for the wholesale man,
ufacture of spurious dollars. The par
ties charged with being engaged in this
illegal manufacture appear to have beers
men of some standing and possessing
shrewdness and ingenuity. The case
was worked up by Deputy United States
Marshal w. l.. Burke, Sheriff Tom Bell.
of Hillsboro, Constable Cliff Lorrcns and2
Capt. Frank Tucker, assistant chief of
police of Waco.
The first clew was obtained by Il COM
versation which occurred under the min
istry of an evangelist vino conducted IA
revival meeting in the northern portions
of McLcnnan county. The penitent (
made admissions which led to his arrest
and subsequently to the arrest of others.
Following up the pointers gained the Of
iicers discovered camp on n creek in,
Mcl.ennan county near the Hill county
line. and in this camp was counterfeit
ing equipment containing the entire para
phernalia of the trade, including the
amalgam used in the manufacture There.
were steel dies, plaster of Paris molds,
smelling furnaces, crucibles and rollers
for milling the coin.
Edward Daniel Ennis ,vnc hrouobt "a.
last. night: A complaint was made.
against Ennis before Commissioner
Kinks, III which he was charged with
passing counterfeit money. Ennis il by
birth q Georgian. He came TO Waco
more than six months ago. About two
years ago he left here. He is man Of.
unusual intelligence, and is theological.
student. Commissioner Finks placed
Ennis bail ut $1,000. John Mitchell
and III. ). Shanncr were arrested this
morning on complaints before Commits
sioner tinks charging them with max
ing molds and attempting to make molds
Tor the purpose of manufacturing coun-
terleit money and with having in their
possession counterfeit money and with,
passing counterfeit money. The COM
missioner placed the bail of Mitchell and
Shanncr at $3.50 each. They will have a
preliminary hearing before Commissioner
links next Saturday.
NhcH the penltcnt AT the revival, after
profession religion, arose and with tears
streaming down his checks. declared 10.
the pastor in the presence of the large
congregation that he was counterfeiter-
ana an agent of cOunterfeiters and that
ne intended to incriminate no one but
himself, his remarks produced tremen-
dous excitement among the assemblodf
worshipcrs.
He said: "Without this voluntar, 4
confession OT nina I nnulI L..
been detected" and the officers think he
was about right for the opera
tons were planned in a manner en-
tirely likely to have bahed the
skill of detectives if the clew had not been
furnished through reliable emotion.
The papers in the office of Commits
sioner Fink show that large capital was.
invested in building such machinery,
tools and material. A house was built
Tor the counterfeiters at Waco and has
been examined by the officers. IT, tallies
in all respects with the description given
of the houses built by order Of the cpun.
terfeitlng syndicate elsewhere in whfc.r
the spurious dollars were made and cir
culated. Similar houses are stated ia.
nave been built in seven other cities of
me United States and some of them are
declared to be in full operation. The,
t0het articles are manufactured ms ;s
blind, while well guarded behind thick
walls and concealed doors the coin
makers ply their trade and turn out
bright dollars. The steel dies used in
the manufacture of the crooked money
are wonders of mechanical execution,
They are said to have been made in De-
troit Mich. The imprint of these dies
is clear. There is some little difference
of the word Liberty" when compared
with the genuine dollars and in order to.
make up for the lightness of the metal
the counterfeit dollars are somewhat
larger than the genuine. This is not
discernable except when comparison is
made by placing n good dollar and q bad
dollar face to face together When the
test is made the bad dollars are diseov-
cred TO be a little lighter than the good
dollars.
All the statements made on file IN
Commissioner Fink's office were found To-
be entirely corred8 when the officers in
vestigated today. The Waco house was
located exactly as described. 1t had
been abandoned by the coin makers and
through default in payments is now in
the possession of honest people. 1t is
known that $1,000 of Mexican silver coin
have been received by the agent of this
company in Waco and Commissioner
Fink is informed that $4,000 of the
counterfeit coin has been sent away from
Waco after being brought here. None
Of it was made in Waco The state
ment makes the declaration that although
the house was built here, for some reason
operations were never begun in it.