The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-11
THE PRISONERS FROM WYKOFF
BROUGHT TO ST. PAUL BY UNITED
STATES MARSHALL O'CONNOR
AND DEPUTY.
FULL DETAILS OF THE CAPTURE.
One of the Men COnfesses to His
Part of the Work, but the
Other Is Mum.


Walsh, of the secret service, returned
from Wykoff, Mimi, at o'clock last
evening with two prisoners, who are
now lodged in the county Jail, charged
with passing counterfeit $40 bills The
two men gave their names as Frank
Betlach and John Rodd. They were
arrested in Wykoff day before yester-
day by Town Marshal Pat Conley. The
story of their capture is interesting.
During the past week or more half
dozen storekeepers, mostly druggists
in small towns in the southern part Of
the state, have been taken in on coun-
terfeit $40 certificates of the series of
1881. The bogus bills were of such
cheap texture and slovenly workman
ship that the fraud was soon discov-
cred by the victims, who at once kept
the long distance telephone wires busy
communicating the intelligence, to-
gether with description of the men
to neighboring towns and villages.
The first of the bills traced was passed
in Pratt, another on a druggist in
Grand Meadow, still another at Spring
Valley and the last one on a druggist
in Wykoff.
Town Marshal Conley was in the
drug store Thursday receiving a tele-
phone message from Grand Meadow
which described the personal appear
ance Of the showers of the queer" He
had scarcely left the telephone when
little man, whom he had never seen
before, walked into the store, pur-
chased a cigar and threw $40 bill
on the show case in payment. Mar
shall Conley picked up the bill One
look at it was enough. He placed the
man under arrest
The latter said his name was John
Rodd, and realizing that he was
caught, made clean breast of every
thing, informing Marshal Conley that
his companion was on the way to
WykoH on foot, via the railroad track,
and that he was due in the course of
an hour. Marshal Conley at once hit
upon plan of capture. Knowing that
section hands were at work upon the
tracks some distance out Of town. he
disguised himself in the garb of a
section boss, and started out to meet
the main guy" He had travelled about
mile and had just passed a force
of laborers engaged in repairing the
tracks, when he saw solitary figure
approaching towards town. AS the
figure drew nearer Marshal Conley was
satisfied that he had his man, as he
answered to the description-that of
a tall. heavy set, man with a dark
mustache.
+, Good morning." was the marshaIs
CHEEKY SALVATION. -
who are you?" exclaimed the
stranger with a suspicious start. Con-
ley saw at once that he couldn't
waste time trying to fool the fellow, SO.
turning back his coat he exhibited his
badge and said:
+
AT the same instant he seized hold
of his prisoner The latter clinched
with the marshal Both fell and roll
ed down the embankment at the side
of the. tracks. AS they did so the
marshal noticed that the fellow man
aged to- slip something from his pocket
and drop it in the grass He also OBJ
served that his opponent had nearly
succeeded in drawing an ugly looking
CUR from another pocket. But the mar
shall was too quick for him, and soon
disarmed him. Then instead of at
tempting to recover what the fellow
had dropped in the grass, and thereby
running the risk of losing his prisoner
the marshal promptly marched him
into the Jail. There in the presence of
the prisoner, who said his name was
Frank Betlach. Marshal Conley told
a number of citizens what had occur
red when he made the arrest, and how
Betlach had Cleaned himself" as the
officers say, while rolling down the en-
bankment. '..,
Thereupon Marshal Conley accom-
panied by a well-known resident, re-
turned to the scene of the struggle and
there in the grass the citizen found a
roll of counterfeit ten dollar silver GER
tifcates, seventy-five in number
Marshal O'Connor, Deputy Marshal
Henry and Capt. Walsh reached Wy
koff Friday night, and left there with
the two prisoners yesterday noon. Rod l,
the younger of the two, owned up to
everything he knew, but Betlach re-
fused to admit anything. Betlach is
a big, husky Bohemian thirty-eight
years of age. Rodd is a mild, inoffen-
sive looking young man of twenty
seven. Betlach even delies that he had
the counterfeit money in his possess
Sion, which We afterwards found at
the scene of The arrest. But there is a
witnelc, it IS understood, who will
testify that Betlach passed one of the
counterfeit bills himself. Betlach had
nearly $33 in good money in his Wal
let, while Rodd, who says he was en-
ployed to do the showing" had scarce
ly dollar in change about him.
Rodd is evidently not a confirmed
criminal. He says he fell in with
Retlach only two weeks or so ago His
parents live in Illinois and his father
is a we'll known county official He
appeared to be greatly worried for
fear his father and mother would learn
of his arrest.
The prisoners will be examined be-
fore United States Commissioner J.
McCafferty on Tuesday. and when
bound over. as seems likely, will be
held to await the action of the grand
jury for the district of Winona. in
which the offense was committed
1t seems almost incredible that any,
body who has ever handled or seen
genuine paper money Of any descrip-
ton could be induced to accept one of
these make-believe ten dollar certifi-
Gates, except as a gift. The paper is
of cheap, light material about as
substantial in appearance and feeling
as dried autumn leaf. The imprint
is even more crude The ten dollar
silver certificates of the series of 1881
bear vignette of Thomas A. Hend-
ricks in the center of the bill. The
vignette on the counterfeits is so
blurred that none of the late vice
presidents features are distinguished
save the chin and forehead and NUT
ton chop sidewhiskers. The rest of
the work is equally poor and slovenly.
1t is evidently a wood cut
The government officials have no idea
that Betlach printed the stuff It is
supposed that he purchased it from
some manufacturer of green goods, of
whom there are several throughout
the country.
Have You Had Y0ur VncotiouS