Evening journal., 1897-02-26
A FEMALE MEMBER.
EVERY GANG OF COMMENTARIES
HAS CONTAINED A WOMAN.


1t Is s Weakness Of the Sex, and They Are /
Frequently Worry Glover some OF the
Women who Have Boen Convicted OF
Making and Tassing 'Queer" Money.
Women have a weakness for counter
feiting. The first person ever executed |
for that crime was a woman. She was
an English woman named Barbara Spen-
Ger and was put to death in 1921 for
making false shillings sho was stan-
gled and burned at the stake. Curiously
enough, her accomplices were acquitted
Nancy Kidd was one Of the most re- /
markable female counterfeitors ever
known in this country. She belonged Go
family Of noted forgers. She carried
ON her nefarious trade for more than 80
years in Chicago and was arrested there
many times. On one Of these occasions
q lot OF fiber paper was discovered ON
her person. The government officials
were completely at q loss to know how
she had obtained this. Finally she con-
fessed that a chemical solution had been
used TO wash the faces Of the notes and
make them perfectly clean. Thus she
was in the habit of taking 81 bills and
changing them into larger denomina
tions. The government authorities re-
leased her in return for this valuable
information and for telling them what
the solution was, However, they had
her shadowed by detectives and finally
caught her with $17, 600 worth Of coun-
terfeit moneysn box. She was found
/ guilty upon seven different indictments
/ for counterfeiting and was sentenced to
/ eight years in the state prison, where
she finally died.
One of the cleverest tricks ever played
on Uncle Sam was invented by woman
who lived in Philadelphia. Her plan
was to take $40 and $50 poldpieces and
with small drill worked by steam
power to bore out the insides and then
refill them with some base metal, being
very careful that they should weigh cx-
actly the right amount when She had
finished. This she accomplished by drill
ing through the milled edge of the coin,
and then, after filling the hole, cover it
with g little of the extracted gold. IN
this way she made $3.50 ON every eagle
and about SIG on every double eagle
Tho officials of tho secret service say
that this is tho safest device ever in
vented for cheating the treasury.
Counterfeiting is very apt to run in
families This, of course, is natural, as
a father brings up his SON OF daughter
20 follow his profession Women who
would otherwise be good are often led
into this sort of crime by marrying mon
who carr IL on as a business. But some
times it works the other way-womcn
teach their husbands how 20 make false
money. This is what happened when
Ben Boyd married Mary Ackcrman Of
Indiana Her father was one of the
most successful counterfciters of his day,
and his daughter had u thorough ac-
quaintancc with the art Mrs. Boyt
carefully tanght her husband an tho Sc
{ creas OF the trade, and ne became ono OF
3 the mcst famous foIgcrs Of tho age
They carried on the basincss wild
srch high dccTCo cf skill that thcy
wcrC not cqpnrcd for years ard vhou
at last the secret service HewkshaU did
run thtl doNgn not sinyia counterfeit
plate note OF coin was found in their
possession. When their house was
Q searched, $s, 600 in good money was
found. This small amount was all tho
I money they had accumulated during al
/ their years of crime. OF course the Off
GERS could not touch it, Afterward sniff
ciont evidence was secured to convict
them, and they wero sent TO prison
They both claimed TO be converted whil'
i in state r,ison, and after their releas'
{ settled in Chicago, whore they appar
emily lived an honest life.
Z A case that annoyed the secret service
l very much was that OF woman VIII
I employed q clever dodge She went TO
large shop and selected a valuable shawl
no pay for this she handed the clerk I
il United States treasury note for 1000
3 He took the money and disappeared no
/ returning for several minutes. When h'
came back, She asked him why ne ha'
kept her waiting, and he confessed tha
he had taken the bill to a bank near b.
=, 70 be sure that it was good. She pre-
: tended TO be very angry and said tina
s. she would not buy the shawl on any aC
count and walked out of tLo shop
I little later i'm the day she returned AM
& said That ass she could not find amy othe
Z shawl that suited her as well in Tia
/. other son she had decided to take ]
= in spite "a Die insult offered her. Sh
i gave Liza the 81. 600 bill. and, gettin
+, the sh.wl and the change leltthe shor
Tho cy,ncr Of the shop aftorward discoy
cred that the note he finally accepte
a was a counterfeit The FIRST bin ha
D been good but cn her return She gay
g him the false one which was won
! derfully clever imitation. The seer,
=, service was much agitated about thi
i, and several others of the 81, 600 bin
which turned up, but they have sine
lt captured the plates,
q Practically every gang of counterfeit
'T ers ever arrested has had women ass'
: ciates. In tho office Of the secret servi,
i i'm Washington there is large frame,
feet square. filled with the phctogrspi
h, of women who have either made
u passed false money. Men almost alwa,
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