Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-05-20
HAVING THEIR TRIAL.
Alleged Counterfeiters i'm Court.-All -Four
Being Tried observation-disclosures
Dark Against Some of Them.

Dark Against some of Them.
The trial of DePree, Hauck, Craig
and Elton is on this week in the United
States Court in Grand Rapids before
! Judge Sage of Cincinnati.
The United Safes district attorney
John Power and X. l.. Newman are
present in behalf of the government
and the defense are represented by l.,
f.. Knappen, N. Il. Allen, Simon La
grow, G.. j. Diekama, "A. A. Ellis and
/. l.. Hubbell.
The case began Tuesday and the
time up to the present has been used
by the prosecution. Attorney Newn-
ham says the government has a heap
of damaging evidence, and he seems
TO be confident that the trial will re-
suit in the conviction of some of the
respondents, at least.
The government introduced Capt
John Murphy, who testified to finding
the bogus money, plates, press and the
outfit at Kingston's house in Ionia
The only material witness sworn was
Peter Witzel, who was examined and
cross-eXamined, taking up the entire
day. Mr.. Witzel's testimony was to
the effect that some time in the month
of May, 1895, arrangements were made
with him by one Packer to board De-
Pree while DePree should be at work
engraving the plates, which were to
PRINT twenty-dollar treasury notes.
Afterward, in pursuance of that ar
rangement, DePree came to board at
his house in June and staid there until
the latter part of July. While at his
house he worked upon the plates and
while there Witzel saw the plates and
identified the ones found in Kingston's
possession as being the plates worked
upon by DePree. Toward the last OF
July, at meeting at Witzel's house.
at which Kingston, DePree, Elton and
Packer were present. DePree claimed
that he had to go to Chicago To get
some OF the work done. which he was
unable to do himself. 1t would take
800 for the trip and the expenses of
the work. Elton furnished 500 of the
money and said that that was enough
to do the business with. DePree left
WitZe's house in Creenville about
that time, and Witzel did not see him
again until he saw him in Grand Rap
;.i- 80 aftcrwstrd came f.t-,s-.t ,-l-
rouse at 4S Williams street and staid
there until about the first part of
December, 1895. DePree claimed some
time in September that he had to have
more money in order to finish up the
plates, and to get the press and other
paraphernalia for making the money,
and on September 20 Witzel and King
ston went to Belding and interviewed
Craig aud Hauck.
On September 23, he and Del'ree
went to Belding and showed Craig and
Hauck the plates and told ,hem what
was necessary to be done, and they
thereupon agreed TO advance $3.50 il
they could make good impressions with
the plates. About the middle of
November DePree had the press
brought to the house at Williams street
ana it was set up in the basement and
some impressions run off. The work
was not very good but they took about
dozen Of the best ones and burned
the rest. On November % Wltzel and
DePree went to Belding and saw Craig
and Hauck at Hauck's saloon, and
they thought the bills could be passed.
The press was shipped on November
y or 2S to Ionia. After Kingston had
left Ionia taking the stuff with him,
Craig and Hauck came to Iona and
met Witzel there and wanted to know
where Kingston was, and what he had
done with the stuff. Craig accused
Witzel OF having helped cheat them
out of their money.
Mrs Witzel corroborated the testi-
mony of her husband on Wednesday.
Chas. Mccarthy, a saloon keeper,
Fred Hemphill, clothing salesman,
Charles Service, George Hopkins, IA
cigar maker, and George f. G. Wilson,
all Of Greenville, were sworn TO show
that while in Greenville DePree was
introduced and went by the name of
Jack Morris. Mrs. Iona Johnson, a
neighbor of Witzel when the latter
lived on Spring street, was sworn to
testify along the same lines.
1t developed during the course OF
the afternoon that there had been fre-
quent quarrcls between members OF
the gang because DePree would spend
the money loaned him for his copy
/ work for drink and his own necessities
! In this way $40 bill furnished by the
members for "a model vanished and
another secured from Mrs. Witzel o
the $40 denomination went the same
way.
Sick man to wife-''lf | should die