The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-19
TWO WOMEN HIS VICTIMS.
The Trio Punished for Passing Raised
Bills.

The case of William E. Tyler and his
accomplices, charged with counterfeiting.
was brought before Judge Baker, of the
Federal Court, yesterday afternoon. The
district attorney had been informed that all
would plead guilty and the jury had been
discharged at noon. Tyler is a fake theat-
rical man of this city He has the appear
ance and manners of q cheap actor and
was travelling about the State with two
women, Mabel Mitchell a tall and very
handsome woman and Ida Swinston an
awkward little woman of about twenty
years. The three gave a sort of vaudeville
performance in various small towns, the
two women posing as living pictures. All
the time Tyler was engaged in a partner
ship engagement with young man well
known in police circles here, who was en-
gagged in the occupation of raising the de-
nomination of paper money, which Tyler
passed in the various towns AS nearly as
can be learned, Tyler had these two
women, both of whom were of respectable
antecedents terrorized with threats that
he would inform their people of the sort of
lives they were leading if they did not do
his bidding. Whether they acted under
duress or not, by their own admission, the
Mitchell girl passed a raised silver GER
tificate, and the Swinston girl had in her
which she had got from the express office
The Mitchell girl passed as Tyler's wife,
though he has a wife residing in this city
Tyler and his wife were together in the
courtroom Yesterday while the two women
We're detained in the witness room. When
Tyler was called before the court he
pleaded guilty to passing raised BILL but
declared that he had never raised any and
mumbled something about his stepmother,
who would be brokenhearted. His wife sat
off at some little distance looking intently
hut ha WI
court sentenced him to two years in prison
He resumed his seat in the rear OF the
courtroom, while his wife sat at one of the
attorneys tables.
Then the two women were brought in
and the look that Mrs. Tyler bent upon the
Mitchell woman was one of intense hatred
and disgust. The women, when asked to
give their plea, spoke very briefly me
Mitchell woman said that she had passed
one bill at Tyler's command. The court
asked her if she had not lived with Tyler
and she admitted that she had. but said she
did not know he was married. The court
sentenced her to year at COLUMBUS, y.
The Swinston girl admitted that she had
the tools but declared that she had been
forced to go to the express office and get
them Then, by close questioning OF the
court the whole story of Tyler's method
of terrorizing these women came out. The
court declined to accept the SWlnston
girls plea of guilty and remanded her to
the Reformatory for trial. Both women
were led from the room in tears:
Then Mrs Tyler came up before the
bench. This is my husbands nrst OF
tense" she pleaded land l beg that you
will be as merciful as you" and she burst
into tears.
f.Your husband has already been SEN
fenced" said the court kindly, and it is
extremely fortunate for him that did not
know the extent of his guilt before he was
sentenced"
Mrs Tyler went to the side of her hus-
band where she wept bitterly upon ms
shoulder for the next ten or fifteen min
utes and kissed him bood-bye tenderly as
the marshal led him away.