Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-06-06

NNE AAlANSt VI ANNNAN AfeNN NAeeNh JCC
notoriety. was back of the scheme.
However. the $4,000 that has been real
lied has not been clear profit, as the
cOunterfeits contain almost the same
amount of pure silver as do the regular
minted half dollars, being SS4 fine as
AGAINST 900 fine for the government
coin but the extremely low price Of
silver bullion gave the counterfeiters
good profit.
As nearly as can be made out, Little
Pete who seems always to have his
weather eye wide open looking for 4
chance TO pick up a stray dollar by fair
means or foul, realizing the possibility
Of profic by making counterfeit silver
coins that would have enough Of the
genuine metal TO give them the regula-
ton ring and weight, and knowing OF
this proposed visit OF Leong Nam aud
troupe TO this country, entered into cor
respOndence with Nam, with whom he
is on confidential footing. The first
letter was written early last year, and
Pete" revealed the plan whereby coins
| possessing all the essentials but the
| important one requiring that they
should be minted by the government
could be manufactured to advantage.
Nam was attracted by the scheme, and
when his actors stepped aboard steam
err for San Francisco each of them
! there were forty in sll-was laden with
silver half dollars which had been made
in China, but which TO the ordinary
eye we're as good as Uncle Sans own.
The coins were packed in money belts
and in the pockets of their coiners.
Though the Chinese Thespians were
searched on landing at the Pacific Mail
dock, no great surprise was excited IN
the minds of the customs inspectors.
Sveral of the latter remarked that the
young fellows-mOst of them were mere
lads-were we'll fixed. while others
thought that acting must be good bust
ness in China, but no suspicion was
aroused. as il was the most natural
thing in the world that the Chinese
should change their Chinese money for
American money on the other side and
receive new silver half dollars.
The counterfeit money was carried down
into Chinatown. and Their the young actors
were made to give up the exact amount
that was intrusted to them when they be-
gan their voyage.
At first the crooked silver was foisted
gradually on the community. but the fact
| that nearly every bank cashier in the city
accepted the coins without queston-in
/ fact they still do so almost daily-made the
| distributors more bold. and the false money
came out so fast that now much of it has
4 found its way as far as Tacoma. 1t lit
| orally flowed into the Golfers of the banks
and the first discovery that it was not
/ regularly minted was made at the sub
| treasury. All the banks were notified that
/ the stuff was being widely circulated, but
/ even when the clerks keep a close watch
/ they take in the money without knowing
\ il. so perfect is the counterfeit.
The first suspicion against the Chinese
was raised a good while ago by the fact
that most Of the counte-reits came from
/ Chinatown. At least half OF 1t that is now
| being offered comes from the hands of the
! Chinese Many Of the specimens in the
! possession Of Secret Service Agent Harris
/ have particles Of opium sticking TO them.
After the discovery Of and first talk
about the queer halves Leong Nam. who
was at the head of the Chinese troupe. lost
no time in taking his departure for China.
The last ard most powerful cause for the
suspicion. which-has almost developed into
accusation, was the attitude of the young
| Chinese actors at the investigation last
week by the officers OF the Society for the
Prevention Of Cruelty 70 Children. Many
| of the little fellows were suffering from
wal,s and sores caused by the brutal treat
| ment accorded them by Yang Cheong. their
| instructor. yet in nearly every case the
/ lads stolidly refused to speak a word
| against their hard hearted trainer In
| quiry regarding their conduct has estab-
lished the fact that the boys were ac-
| quainted with the seriousness of the Of
Tense they committed in carrying counter
felt money into this country, and were
! threatened with exposure and consequent
| Imprisonment if they informed on Cheong
by even so much as a sign.
This is the most plausible theory we
have run across Yet in trying to ferret out
the origin of these troublesome counter
feits." said Secret Service Agent Harris
| last evening. Il have not yet got the case
into shape to make arrests, but they are
likely TO take place any day. Nearly
everything points TO the correctness of the
new theory. and We all know that race in
the world is better adapted for clever coun-
terfeiting than the Chinese"
About thirty-seven members of the sus-
pected Chinese theatrical troupe are now
| I'm this civ