The sun., 1897-06-04
A MILLION IN BAD MONEY.
COSTA RIGA FLOODED WITH CoUN-
TERFEITS MADE HERE.

A Man aud Woman, Owners OF the spaniah
American Printing Company, Arrested-said
TO ne Revolutionists and to Have Made the
HoGus Currency TO Help AIonG y Plot.
Ricardo do Requesens, proprietor Of the
epanish.American Printing Company, at 128
Maiden lane, and an exporter Of musical instru-
ments to South and Central America, was ar
rested at his Office on Wednesday morning by
United States secret service agents, charged
with counterfeiting and forging notes on the
Bank Of Costa Rica. Immediately after the ar
rest of De Requesens, Mrs. Eugcnia Reineman.
widow, about 35 years old. was arrested in her
room in the boarding house at 15S West Four
tecnth street, at the direction of Chief Hazen of
the secret service. A similar charge to that pre-
ferred against De Requesens was made against
the woman. The arrests wero made on informa-
tion from Costa Rica and under a United Statos
law which makes 1t felony to counterfeit or
forge tho bank notes or securities Of q foreign
country.
Behind the arrests Is story OF struggling
revolutionary party in Costa Rica. which, un-
able to raise money in legitimate way to carry
on the work of overthrowing tho Government,
resorted to oounterfeiting to gain its end. How
much truth there is in the story will be better
known in q week or 30, upon the return OF Secret
Service Agents o. Owen and p. Luby, who went
to Costa Rica n month ago under instructions
from the Treasury Department. They have
been there collecting evidence against the man
and woman who were arrested in this city on
Wednesday, and yesterday morning Chief
HaEen received cipher cablegram from
them, stating that they would leave Port
Limon to-day for New Orleans, accom-.
panied by six witnesses, who will testify
na Nd pn;,
maybe others at present under surveillance in
this city. Neither in the warrants on which
they were arrested nor in the afiidavits on
which these warrants were issued is there the
slightest intimation that the prisoners are revo-
lutonists or conspirators against the peace Of tho
republic OF Costa Rca. They are simply charged
with counterfeiting and forgery the story OF their
connection with q contemplated revolution be-
ing incidental evidence put into the possession
OF the Treasury Department by the Costa Rican
Minister at Washington. and coming to the
secret service department from its agents now
In Costa Rica.
The prisoner De Requesens admits that he has
been under suspicion by the Costa Rican Gov
ernment for long time. and that only two
months ago he was seized when he landed ut
Port Iimon and deported two days later. Both
he and the woman deny emphatically, however,
that they guilty Of counterfeiting or forgery,
and they say that they are the victims of a con-
spiracy to put them out of the way because Of
their supposed connection with q plot to
overthrow the present Government Of Costa
Rica. About month ago Minister Cal
vo. the representative of Costa Rica at
Washington. went to Secretary Of the
Treasury Gage and informed him that
his Government had positive evidence that GER
tain bogus notes on the Bank Of Costa Rica were
being made in this country and that great guam
titles of them had been sent into Costa Rica con-
signed to men suspected Of being at the bottom
Of a revolutionary movement. The counter
feiters, Minister Calvo said, were revolutionary
agents, and wanted TO raise tnunoy to carry on a
revolution by flooding the country with the coun.
terfeits. The bogus notes. he said further were SO
we'll made that ten Of them passed the experts Of
the bank before they were detected. All of the
notes were for 100 pesos tabout $40 in American
money. and the seizures already made showed
that over 100000 worth had been sent to
Costa .Rica, while almost as much moro was
ready in this country, to be forwarded at favor:
able time. Minister Calyo gave the names Of
suspected Of being at the head OF. the counter.
Secretary Gage turned the matter over to
Chief Hazen, who made an investigation and re-
Fequesens and Mrs. Reinenan unless st some er' VI
dence OF their guilt was furnished. Both had
been carefully watched without the slightest re-
suits by secret Service agents. The Costa Rican
Minister informed Chief Hazen that the evidence
he wanted could be secured only in his country,
ary Gage think We Of Shs
tion to send two agents TO Costa Rica; The two
month ago, and since their arrival in the sI. re.
pubic have been In constant communication
vi with nc Chief Haze1; Some Of the informetion sent
seems sSst last March Se Rsquesens @ pVSS vent
known on the steamer as Emil Reineman, the
woman reta ming the name she has always been
known by since the authorities became inter-
ested in her. The pair sailed from New Orleans,
a Gna the tact that ly they were on their way, was
Requosens m having bee been Under Under the the snrveilsnoe % ICE
the steamer % reached PORT Lmon s De Requeseas
Igialsex. He was accused o} being a ia revoIu.
tionist and of having come to the coun-
1r fSnD' Sn chn1se ras If Ssns
an enemy Of the Government. or of being i'm.
advised him 70 return. as he would undoubt, doubt.
ediy be shot II he stood trial and was found
guilty So he decided to come back and accord:
ticket and advised him not TO come again. Ger
tain documents OF u revolutionary nature were
ReQuesens at that time, but he denied respon.
sibility for them, claiming that he had simply
forwarded the cascs containing them In the
course of his business, and without knowing
what they contained.
NO rebtrlctlOnh were placed on Mr. Heineman.
Although De Requesens left Co.'S. Rica two
days after landing there and on the same steamer
upon which he came, she remained at Port
l.imOn for several days and then went on to San
jose She remained there for two weeks. During
that time the officials OF the Bank OF Costa Rica
discovered that they had ten counterfeit 100
pesos notes in their possession. They imme.
diqtely began an inyestiRation; and 1t was still
going on when Mrs iteineman left San Jose and
went back to Port Lmon, from which place she
CALLED for this country q few days LATER. Mrs
Reincman was In midocean when the inves
Ra EAh hA At nj
Alfred Wolcott, an English waiter at the Hotel
Imperial In San Jose. Wolcott was accused OF
having "A lot OF the counterfeit notes In his pos
session. When his trunk was searched s47 o!
them were found In 1t. They were all crisp and
new. The authorities regarded Wocott as a cats
paw for somebody, and Immediately started out
10 lind who tho somebody was. What they
found Is one Of the things Chief Hazen doesn't
know, or fhe does know won't tell. During her
STAY at San Jos6 Mrs Reineman put up at the
Hotel Imperial. shortly after Wolcott's arrest
negro and IA mulatto. both notorious revolu-
tionists, were arrested. charged with having
counterfeit notes In their possession. Seven
thousand OF the notes were found on these two
lT soners, who arc now in jail In Costa Rica.