The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-04
CROWS LONG HARANGUE
AGED COUNTERFEITER CONVULsEs
FEDERAL COURT AUDIENCE.
Readily Understands the Judges Ig-
nOrance Of Money MaI<ing-Five
Years for the Old Criminal.


terfeiter, was yesterday sentenced by the
Federal Court to FIVE years in the peniten-
tiary at Columbus. In 1889 Crow was given
nine months for counterfeiting, but on his
release from prison resumed his labors.
For the last five years complaints from
that section have reached the secret serv-
ice officers. of counterfeit silver coins in
circulation. 1t was common talk in Livonia
that Crow was manufacturing the stuff,
but he could not be caught at it. Finally.
Sheriff Jones, at Paoli, persuaded store
keeper at Lavonia to get into Crows con-
;ldence and buy some of the money Of him.
He succeeded in doing so and bought six
counterfeit dollars. The old man offered
him more on later occasion, but he de-
clined it. Later he invited Owens out to
his house and showed him his tools. The
government detectives then raided the
place and captured lot of molds and ma
terials. Among the plumber captured were
some pieces of metal with the imprint of
the die upon them, showing that he had
melted over some of the counterfeit that
was not perfect. All this material was sub
mitted in evidence yesterday, together with
the testimony of Jones and Owens.
The great feature of the trial. however,
was speech by Crow himself. He had been
brought into court the day before and had
startled the judge with a proposition that
he would plead guilty if the court would
allow him to go free. Naturally the court
did not accept this proposition, but when
Crow was brought UP yesterday he pleaded
guilty and then explained himself to the
court. The courtroom was crowded and 1t
was utterly useless for the marshall to try
to keep the spectators from laughing, for
Judge Baker himself was compelled to
smile more than once. Crow was very ar
gumentafive and talked to the court and
the spectators very much as he was once
in the atai of exhorting his crowd when
he was in the preaching business.
Now your Honor" said Mr.. Grow, and
what he said is quoted verbatim, "those
things bought of little boy for 10 cents;
I thought 1 might make some use of them
in my business, repairing sewing machines
and watches. Why, those things are not fit
to make counterfeit money with, they are
too heavy. If l was to make them l would
make them much lighter"
do you mean" interrupted Judge Baker,
that too much physical exertion would be
expended in handling those molds?"
That's it, exactly"
81 shouldn't think that would be objec-
tlonaDle, said Judge Baker.
THE COURT NEVER COUNTERFEITED.
''Well, your Honor, you have never coun-
terfeited and don't know much about the
business. Now let me tell you about this
man David Owens. come time between five
and six years ago, met him on the Paoli
road in a buggy. He says, Good morning,
Mr.. Crow 1 says, Good morning, and
passed remarks as men do, and then he in
h. - Op
course he heard that I counterfeited once,
and he says, couldn't you make me some?'
OF course can make it, but l won't That
is the answer 1 gave him. Well / don't
know what he said. You might as we'll; it
won't do any harm. and L won't give you
away Well, three or four weeks after that
I met him in a buggy on the road from
Paoli to New Albany, and he stopped again
and introduced the same subject, and
gave him the same answer. never saw
him after that till last March, when I
moved to Lavonia and he was keeping a
saloon. / mended a watch for him and he
says, You come and stay all night with
me-, and after supper we went into the
Woodshed and he introduced the subject of
counterfeiting again. He says, You have
made 1T and made it good, and would like
70 nave II; l can put it off on these half
drunk fellows and they won't know the
difference. Well, / gave him the same
swer, and that wouldn't do Well, l saw
him often after that, and every once in a
While he would introduce the subject of
counterfeiting. Well, got mighty tired of
it,, but am tolerably patient with people
spoke to him little more decisive than
common. ! think that was the latter part
of June, 1897, and he says to me, Now,
Mr.. Crow, know you can make it, and
to make it, and if you don't you will suck
sorrow for it, Says 1, I don't know how
| am going to suck sorrow He says, L
know very well where 1 can get some of
this money. inside of twenty miles from
here, and If | get it and present it to the
court l will convict you of it if you don't
make some of it for me-. Now, in doing
this very thing it is very evident to me
that it is all for revenge. because / wouldn't
make 1T, that David Owens has ever did
| that thing.
Now, / have got something else to tell
| you if you will listen to me a little bit.
| Now have pleaded guilty. When 1 had
| those things in possession nine years ago
| and having suffered for them once and paid
| the penalty, / didn't consider that / had
| got to pay the thing over again. Now that
| is what ] think about it. If it isn't the
CORRECT principle deny it and give me the
| consent they say. Now, my dear sir, as
| have said in regard to that money, it was
| part of the money that l had nine years
| ago and threw it away, and 1 told Mr.
Owens that L knew where it was and
would get it, So went and got it where
| il was thrown among some briar bushes"
do you mean to say that this money
| has lain on the ground exposed to the
weather for nine years without tarnish-
ing?" interrupted Judge Baker
| Yes, your Honor; block tin won't tarnish
/ Silver will, but block tin will not" replied
| the ready-tongued counterfeiter.
| Judge Baker-I never heard that before.
THE COURT NOT A CHEMIST.
Mr.. CROMWELL, you are not chemist
Block tin will stay bright longer than sill
yer. Now, Mr.. Walsh wanted to give me
away bad as George Lee, but if / had
| counterfeit money I wouldn't have gone to
Mr.. Walsh; he is the worst man on earth
him and George Lee and David Owens.
The Court-Ddn't you think you could
! trust him?
Mr.. Crow-No: didn't think could trust
| him. nor 1 wouldn't trust him.
The Court-What did you have this stuff
for? (Referring to some ingots of block
/ TIM
Mr.. Crow--I used that for solder It's
| about the same sort of solder that there Us
| in this piece. And, laws me, If they haven't
| gone to my regular work bench and got my
| earth who can act the fool worse than a
| detective, j don't know who he is.
/ The Court-Mr Crow, how does it happen
/ that this solder of yours has got the i'm
| print of a dollar in 1t?
| Mr.. Crow-I said ] used that for solder.
/ 1t wasn't made for solder, but / used il for
| solder. When / want a solder that is a
| little stronger than this other stuff L use
| that.