The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-01
WOMEN CoUNTERFEITERs.
Every Gang Ever Arrested Had at
Least One Female Member.
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
Women have a weakness for counterfeit
ing The first person ever executed for that
crime was woman. She was an English
woman, named Barbara Spencer. and was
put to death in 172l for making false shil-
lings She was strangled and burned at
the stake. Curiously enough, her accom-
plices We're acquitted.
Nancy Kidd was one of the most remark
able female cOunterfeiters ever known in
this country. She belonged to a family of
noted forgerS. She carried on her nefariOuS
trade for more than thirty years in Chica-
go, and was arrested there many times.
On one OF these occasions lot OF fibre
paper was discovered on her person. The
government officials were completely at a
loss to know how she had obtained this.
Finally she confessed that a chemical So
luton mad been used to wash the faces
of the notes and make them perfectly
clean Thus she was in the habit of taxi
ing 81 bills and changing them into large
denominations. The government authorf-
ties released her in return for this valua-
bic information and for telling them what
the solution was. However, they had her
Swallowed by detectives. and finally caught
her with $1,000 worth of counterfeit money
in box. She was found guilty upon seven
different indictments for counterfeiting,
and was sentenced to eight years in 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 SIC gold pieces, 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 exactly the right amount
when she had finished. This she accom-
plished by drilling through the milled edge
OF the coin, and then, after filling the hole,
covered II with little of the extracted
gold. In this way she made $3.50 on every
eagle and about SIG on every double eagle.
The officials of the secret service say that
this is the safest device ever invented for
cheating the treasury.
Counterfeiting is very apt to run In FAM
mes. This, of course, is natural, as
father brings up his son or daughter to
follow his profession Women who would
otherwise be good are often led into this
sort Of crime by marrying men who carry
1t on as a business. But sometimes It
works the other way. Women teach
their husbands how to make false money.
That Is what happened when Ben Boyd
married Mary Alderman of Indiana. Her
father was one of the most successful
counterfeiters of his day. and his daugh-
ter had a thorough acquaintance with then
art Mrs Boyd carefully taught her hus-
band all the secrets of the trade, and he
became one of the most famous forgerS
They carried on the business with such
a high degree of skill that they were not
captured for years, and, when at last the
secret service Hawkshaws did run them
down not a single counterfeit plate, note
or coin was found in their possession
When their house was searched 5000 in
good money was found. This small
amount was all the money they had ac-
cumulated during all their years OF crime.
OF course, the officers could not touch IL.
sufficient evidence was secured
to convict them and they were sent to
prison. They both claimed to be converted
while in state prison, and after their re-
lease settled in Chicago. where they APP
Darently lived an honest life.
A case that annoyed the secret service
very much was that of a woman who em-
oloyed clever dodge. She went TO large
shop and selected a valuable shawl. To
pay for this she handed the clerk Unit
I'd States treasury note for $1,000. He took
he money and disappeared, not returning
,or several minutes. When he came back
she asked him why he had kept her walt
n.y. and he confessed that he had taken
he bill to bank near by to be sure that
[ was good She pretended TO be very an
FRY and said that she would not buy the
shawl on any account and walked out OF
he shop. A little later in the day she re-
urned and said that as she could not
ind any other shawl that suited her as
we'll in the other shops, she had decided to
She gave him the $1,000 bill and getting
he shawl and the change. left the shop.
rhe owner of the shop afterward discov-
red that the note be finally accepted was
counterfeit. The first bill had been good,
tut on her return she gave him the false
alton. The secret service was much agi-
ated about this and several others of the
bills, which turned up. but
hey have since captured the plates.
Practically every gang OF counterfeiters
'ver arrested has had women associates.
n the Office of the secret service in Wash
ngton there Is a large frame. four feet
quare, filed with the photographs Of wo-
men who have either made or passed false
money. Men almost always employ their
wives or daughters for the purpose of
Showing" their counterfeits.