Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-08-15
GANG OF COUNTERFEIrERs caucur
AT DETROIT.
EXPERTS AT THE BUSINESS
SOME OF THEIR PARAPHERNALIA
WAS CAPTURED.
The Gang Believed to BE the Authors
of Some of the Most Dangerous
Counterfeits Ever Put Into
Circulation-Crime
Record.

WASHINGTON. Aug. Authorization
has been received by Chief Wflkie, of the
treasury secret service, Of the arrest yes
terday at Detroit, Mich, Of a gang Of
counterfeiters whose operations have given
the government considerable trouble. They
are Charles, Edward and David Johnson,
with headquarters on Twenty-fifth street.
from which, through the efforts Of Secret
Service Operative Webb. the department
has secured some Of the important para
phernalia used by them. Charles and Ed
ward were arrested on Friday on the
charge of passing counterfeit quarters.
and this was followed up yesterday by the
arrest of David and a search Of the prem
ises where the counterfeiters' outfit was Sc
cured.
Chief Wilkie regards the arrest as most
important one as he identifies the men
with the issues Of the Hancock and Win
dom 81 counterfeits which have been cir
culated freely in the West and East during
the last eight years. AT the headquarters
of the gang, the officials recovered the
face and back plates from which the Ham
cock counterfeit was made. and also the
plates for making the large and small
seals on these bills. There were also taken
fifty S2 Hancock and 500 2 Window bills
the latter being regarded as the best all
around counterfeit which had made us
appearance, up to the discovery OF the
500 silver certificate in the spring OF last
year. The men treated these notes with
zlycerine before they were put out. which
gave them the appearance Of having been
in use for some time, and made their de-
lection almost an impossibility.
The Hancock s. counterfeit appeared
first In the West in 1880 and later in the
East The discovery Of 1t caused the gov
ernment to recall the issue and to replace
them with the Window note OF similar
denomination In December, 1880. A coun-
terfeit of this issue was oiscoVerea IN
1894. and its appearance Is chargeaols 70
| the gang which has just been apprenenoeo.
The bureau officials at Detroit nope 10
secure the plates from which the note Is
printed.
Charles johnson. who is said to be .a at
the head of the gang. IS about SS years
| of age and according to the statements
| of the secret service officials here, has
spent considerable time in prison for coun-
| terfeiting The officials connect the John
4 son family one of the brothers Of which,
| Thomas r., Is Dead with the issue OF
number of counterfeits that have appeared
from time to time. including the . JACK. <.
| SON legal tender the so legal tender OF
1859, and the S Grant silver certificate In
| 1855, besides the counterfeit OF some issues
Of Canadian notes. The ofncials oeneve
they have a clear case against the elder
! brother, and strong suspicious regarding
the guilt of tie younger ones.
DETROIT. MICH, Aug. IA fourth
member of the johnson family, John, the
Youngest. Is now serving long sentence
in the Kingston penitentiary in Canada.
The police regard young John as being
| fully as clever as the trio arrested IN De
| After the arrest. the officers made sew
eral fruitless searches for the plates. Final
ly a crack was noticed in the moor near tne
| baseboard and, on inserting knife blade
| a snrin1 was touched which caused the
haseboaTd to move, revealing small cab
met in which the plates for the Hanc0Sl
| ofscers claim to have secured between
n DO and 10000 Of the counterfeit bills.