The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-26
GAVE HIM A NEW START IN LIFE
How Ben ButterwOrth Once Settled a
Case of COunterfeiting.

Case of COunterfeiting.
From the Washington Post.
= One day when Maj. Butterworth was In
a reminiscent mood he told the following
story, which is a fine illustration of the
trend of his whole life:
when I was district attorney in Gin
cinnati - he said, "a man was brought be-
fore me, who had been arrested for pass
ing counterfeit money. The man was a
plain working man, evidently country bred
and when looked into his face I thought:
If this man Is a rogue, the Lord is a
very bad writer He stood before me with
misery painted on every line of his coun-
tenance, and depicted in every bend of his
room and said to him:
"'You can tell me your story, if you
WISH my man; and 1 will try to do what
ever is best
We'll, it is no use for me to deny it,
he began; for L done it. But never
meant to be dishonest
And then he went on and told me how
he had worked and saved up his money
till he had enough TO pay the first INSTALL
ment on a farm out West, to be a home
for his wife and seven children. He lived
in a small town in Ohio, and had left them
there while he went to secure the home;
and on the boat he had met stranger,
smooth, speciOus individual, well dressed,
well hammered and plausible. This man
showed him some new bills, and told him
that while he had made them himself
they We're not counterfeit, because they
had been printed from the genuine dies
which had been distracted from the treas
ury department, and told it in such way
as to make it seem to this supplemented
s,N cbsa hz1gt
ness trick, in fact, rather commendable
than otherwise for it's enterprise; and he
offered to sell them to him for half price.
Here was enough in his very grasp to
pay for his farm, and he could all the
sooner have his wife and children with
him. thought he.
HE was a supplemented man, as said,
not an acute reasoner, and the glamor of
the situation, together with the ceaseess
arguments of the stranger, hindered him
from thinking over it as he should, and he
gave the man all the money he had laid up
to buy has home for twice the amount in
worthless paper. The man left the boat
at the next landing, and then his victim
began to think in earnest about what he
had done He wanted to see somebody
to ask about it; somebody who would
know whether this pretty new money was
really good before he got any farther from
home, so he took the next boat going back,
for his passage, landing in Cincinnati
again, without a cent? his pocket, nor an
idea what to do in his head.
"At last hunger assaied him, and he
thought he would try his new money, as
that would be the best test of its value
after all, and in his simplicity he thought
that a dollar or two could not make much
difference when he had paid several hun
dred, for if the money turned out to be
bad he could make that small sum good
when he got home and at work again. SO
he offered a fifty currency note in
payment for his dinner and another for
his bed He was detected at once, for the
counterfeit, far from being made on real
plates, was very poor imitation. He
was Immediately arrested. Alas! he had
no chance to make anything good and he
wound up his story with
~ suppose 1 will have to so to the
'penitentiary, sir?'
1T looks very much like it, my man.
I said, not wishing to encourage him too
much, though l meant to inquire into the
case, and sent him back to his cell But
l wrote at once to the postmaster of the
town which the man had given as his
residence and asked as to the truth of
his statement about his family, his years
Of savings, etc, and as to his reputation
there. l received an immediate reply cor
roborating all the man said, and also stat
ing that he was a Woodworking, honest
man, universally respected by his neigh
bors.
Il then had him again brought before
me, and the poor fellow came evidently
expecting to receive his final sentence,
and said in trembling voice:
q" Are you going to send me to the PEN
itentiary now?
No, my man. said /, and 1 am afraid
my own voice was rather husky. Il am
going to send you home to try it again
Here is the money to pay your fare, and
l hope you Will never let scoundres take
you in again
THE poor man wept for very joy. and
as soon as he could command his voice.
poured out his gratitude. He took the
next train home. and, beginning at the
bottom, went to work once more"