Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-06-08
jim THE PENMAN.
The Famous Pen and Ink
Forger at Last Detected.
He Could Make Notes that Fooled the
Smartest Experts.
Confessed His Crime and Was Given But Six
Years in Jail.

New York. June w. Hazen. chief of
the Secret Service. came on from WASH
more than l. years to the detectives as
Jim the Penman," because of his clever
pen and ink counterfeits of treasury
notes. was only a few days before
sentenced to six years Imprisonment
The maximum sentence is Is years
or 5000 fine. or both. 1t was suspected
that IN consequence of the dangerous
character of Ringers work he would get
10 or l. years at least. especially as he
had been for SO many years practising
his art. / asked Chief Hazen why Ringer
was let off SO lightly.
Il suppose it was because he pleaded
guilty" said Mr.. Hazen. and that the
court considered that as there was nc
plate work he was not SO desperate a
criminal"
Further inquiry showed that the chief
considered the man to be more dangerous
than the ordinary counterfeiter Ninger
had no confederates. passed all his W
counterfeits. n hence enjoyed immunity
from detection for 10 or 20 years. The
plate men," said the chief. never run
longer than two or three years. The
banks. with more or less ease, detect the
counterfeits. and then the detectives are
notified. and in a comparatively shor
time the party is run down"
A good deal has been said about
Ringers cleverness with the pen, and
some doubt was thrown on the ability of
the treasury department detectives to
convict him as the maker of the spurious
notes. This was the very point that oc-
Cured to Chief Hazen after the forger
had got into the hands of George r. Bogg.
his deputy. in this city. Ninger was
taken up to the rooms of the Secret Ser
and questioned. His professional pride"
was awakened by a challenge. and then
taking up a pen. he literally dashed
of" a portrait of Hamilton exactly as it
was on one of the 500 notes.
With equal celebrity and faithfulness he
copied a bit of drapery in the female fig
ure. Then with surprising accuracy he
Register of the Treasury" Next he was
asked to make the figure 90 in the bor-
der of another note. 1t was lone almOst
in the %twinkling of an eye. Finally he
signed his own name clumsily, strange
to say. under the work, and then wrote
the chiefs name i'll a style that could not
be surpassed in the most delicate en-
When this work was compared with the
original and the counterfeits, it was seen
to be as perfect as duplicate printing.
All this was done in the presence of wit
nesses, and the chief felt he had a per-
feet case. But Ninger confessed and
saved further trouble. He also told the
chief he would help him in any way he
could. but no help is needed.
Ninger made three 800 bills of the Far
ragut portrait and of these Chief Hazen
has two.
'1'he chief of the bureau of engraving"
said Mr.. Hazen. told me that the por-
trait was perfect. There is only one de-
feet in this notes. and that is that the
words Bureau of Engraving are omitted.
sion. and his reply was unique. He said
he did not want people to believe that the
notes were made there, and it would have
been a lie. He confessed to making four
of the 800 notes with the Lincoln por-
trait. We have one of those. He passed
all his notes here in the East.
''One of the 800 bills came from the
Portsmouth National Bank of Ohio. and
was detected in 1894 by the Chase Ma
tional Bank of this city. In getting
Ringer to identify a number of his notes
! ran in a counterfeit plate note. He
held it closely to his eyes and threw it
down with disgust. saying it was not his
work. but a plate counterfeit. Apparent
~ this is "a mania with him. apart from
any spirit of avarice that may actuate
him.. He certainly is a most remarkable
man."