The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-11
LOOK OUT FOR BAD DOLLARS.
THEY ARE LIGHT IN WEIGHT AND
HAVE A POOR RING.

ton and 1t Is Believed They Are
Being Manufactured by Gang.
Chas. FrizzeII md His Wife Up on
Charges OF Trying to Pass COun-
terfeit CoIn-COIIectOr PrIcIxett
Had Three of Them Showed on on
Him-HaIf n Dozen COunterfeiters
Now In Jail Awaiting the Next ses-
sion of the United States Court.
There is no little counterfeit money
afioat in Savannah, and the authorities
are puzzled to know where it comes from.
The general impression is that there is a
gang operating around here somewhere,
and from all indications there is a good
job in the neighborhood for government
sleuth.
Deputy United States Marshal Wilson
has in his possession a splendid imitation
Of a silver dollar. 1t would easily pass if
not carefully examined, and especially If
it were with several genuine coins of the
same denomination. Its color is all right
and the only difference between the spu-
rious coin and a good dollar is in the
weight and in the ring of the coin when
dropped on hard surface.
This dollar was taken from Rosa Friz-
zell, colored woman, who tried to pass
1t on Greek, one Hangicos, at Thunder
bolt, and she was to have had prelimi-
nary examination yesterday afternoon be-
fore United States Commissioner M. A.
Connolly. So far as can be learned the
evidence is strong enough to justify her
detention for an investigation of the case
Her husband, Charles Frizzell, is now in
the Thunderbolt jail on thirty days SEN
tence for resisting an officer and creating
disturbance generally, and according to
all accounts he knows more about the bad
money than has yet been told.
But this is by no means the only bad dol
lar, Collector r. S. Prickett, who makes
collections for Broughton street house
has three Of them In his possession, and
they are Just like that found in the pos
session of the Frizzell woman. He was
summoned as a witness in the case to tes-
tify generally as to the spurious coin and
how he came by it. 1t is the desire OF the
! authorities to sift the matter to the bot
tom and get at the root of the evil.
Perhaps some evidence can be brought
out in the preliminary investigation, which
will aid in leading up to the discovery of
the parties who are engaged in making
the coin, because everything points to the
fact that there is gang Of some kind that
is doing the work. Other money of the
same kind has been encountered in Savan-
nah recently and the dollars, for they
are all dollars, are too cleverly executed
to be the work of any but sharp counter
| feiter
This section and the Eleventh congress
sional district, the staunchest sound
1 % - IL.
enough seem to furnish most Of the free
| silver of this kind. But the ratio is more
| than sixteen to one, as some of the coun-
terfeiters have been found with $40 or $40
Of the bad money in their possession.
There are five or six prisoners now in the
| Jail awaiting the next session of the
| United States court, before which they
will go on the charge of counterfeiting
! One of the most extraordinary of these
| cases Is perhaps that of the two Reddlck
| brothers of Camden county, who are said
to have made SO spurious silver dollars
ana then started out TO spend It, They
| got as far as Triton, where they blew in
| $12, and were then arrested as suspicious
| characters. The counterfeit dollars were
afterward found on them and they were
| turned over to the United States authorl-
ties and brought to Chatham county Jail.
| Another case is that of George w. Mad
dox of Thomas county, who is also oharg-
|
| or attempting to pass them. Then there
| is a negro there on the same charge, and
| Frizzell and his wife will make an even
| half dozen. F'rizzell is still in the Thun-
| derbolt Jail, but Deputy Marshal Wilson
| has a warrant for him and will take him
| in hand just as soon as his term expires.
Strange to say, all the dollars are SINH
lar In appearance, and might, so far as
any one knows, have been turned out of
| the same shop. There Is no way of tell
| ing just how much of this coin there is
in circulation. Sometimes 1t passes from
| hand to hand two or three times before
! 1t is discovered, but where 1t is found IN
| two or three places at random, as has
been the case of late, II is safe to say
there is a good deal more of it af1oat
Some of the South Georgia counties have
! long been the home OF the showers of the
| queer, just as the North Georgia coun.
ties have been more frequented by the
moonshiners. Several gangs of them were
| broken up short time ago, through the
efforts of Special Agent Forsyth, but from
! all appearances they seem to be getting
In their work again and with some CT
! feet.