The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-14
TOPICS OF THE DAY AT TAMPA.
ARREST OF MDONALD ON 4
CHARGE OF COUNTERFEITING.

CHARGE OK GU IEnH EIIANOs
Pay Roll of the Troops in Camp June
1. S47S.OOO - How the Soldiers Got
Rid of the MOney-StOry of "A
BIoody Riot at Ybor City Declared
Untrue-NO Fight Between the
Georgia and Michigan Regiments.
Tampa, Fla, June 1S.-Capt James
Wright of the United States secret service.
with headquarters al Atlanta, has arrest
ed here and locked up in Hillsboro county
iail W. A Mcdonald, prominent citizen
of Waycrose, who is charged with counter
feiting s. gold pieces. The accused, who is
well connected in Waycross. came here
several days ago and deposited with the
First National Bank of Tampa about $500
in IS gold pieces. They were so we'll made
that the cashier, without any suspicion
whatever that they were spurious, accept
ed the money and placed 1t to the deposit
of Mcdonald who gave it out here that
he had found the money buried in the
ground near Waycross, and that he was
going to use it in purchasing cattle. In
some way Capt. Wright secured a clue to
the effect that the money was counterfeit.
and on coming here called at the bank. lie
was shown some of the yellow coin, and
upon testing one of the pieces with an
acid. convinced the cashier of the bank
that the money was not genuine. While
the weight and size was practically the
same as a genuine s. gold piece, the tell
tale acid used by the government for de-
tecting counterfeit money showed that
McDonald's coin was counterfeit of an
excellent quality and well made. 1t is be-
Ieved here to be either a part of some
counterfeit gold money made by man
bv the name of Sweat of Waycross in 1863,
or else was made by the same moulds.
This man, Sweat Is now serving out
sentence in one of the United States pris-
ons. having been convicted of counterfeit
ing. Capt Wright returned to Atlanta last
night The trial of. the case has been set
for the 18th instant, and Mcdonald was
committed to jail in default of a
bond for $1,000. He would have been
their at once but for the sickness of Cash
Ter Taliaferro of the bank. 1 saw McDon-
cid at the jail yesterday. He seemed to
be much worried by his confinement, but
expressed a belief that he would be able
to establish his innocence when the case
was called for trial. Mcdonald was ar
rested nv Capt Wright near the camps
of the Second Georgia, where he was sell
ing lemonade, soda water. and other soft
drinks to the soldier boys.
1t took $47S0O0 10 pay off the troops here
on the LIST of the month. While the work
of paving off was commenced on that day,
the last regiment did not receive its money
until the 9th or 7th of the month, the time
consumed in paying off the troops being
about a week. AS very large proportion
of this money was spent here, some idea
can be formed of the extent of business
done here by the merchants while the
troops were seeing flush times. Some OF
the men sent a portion of their earnings
home to their relatives, but very large
part of this immense fortune found its
way into the pockets of the merchants
here. Every available device was en-
ployed to allure the coin from the pockets
of the soldier boys. The windows of the
merchants were decorated with every
character of merchandise calculated to
attract the attention of purchaser, While
thousands of soft drink stands and booths
were located along the routes and about
the encampments for the accommodation
of the troops, and the money that seemed
to hang heavily or burn out the pockets
of the boys in blue. All sorts of fakes
and fakirs were also in evidence, from the
female fortune teller, who had her booth
near the tIOflUd regiment, WHERE Sic lOtA
fortunes, or acted a medium between the
living and the dead al so cents each, TO the
female card writer, who would write you
a dozen visiting cards for a quarter of
dollar.
What soldiers will buy would make
large book, and what they would not buy
no one has as yet determined. One of them
at Port Tampa gave a half dollar for ga
ter, just to throw the reptile into the wa
ter to see it swim. This will give some idea
Of how anxious the average soldier is TO
part with his money. A few more prudent
ones who could foresee a rainy day gave
some of their earnings to their command
ing officers to keep for them, but these
We're Isolated cases.
Some very foolish fake stories have gone
out from Tampa. And the boys here are
enjoying many a hearty laugh at the alb
surdty of them. One is to the effect that
in a bloody riot which was pulled off in
Ybor City about a week ago, four negro
soldiers. and two white officers were killed
while scores were wounded and sent to the
hospital. The whole truth about this bloody
fight was that only few fist fights oc-
CURED, that one was killed or even
wounded. A few men who were afflicted
with various stages of intoxication were
locked up charged with disorderly conduct,
and that is the whole affair in a nutshell
Another story has gone out to the effect
that the Michigan and Georgia troops had
scrap brought about by some of the
Michigan boys singing Hang Jeff Davis
Davis to a Sour Apple Tree" After sew
eral hours of search and after having had
interviews with at least a dozen soldiers
belonging 10 the Second Georgia and
about as many of the Michigan troops who
are in camp only a short distance from
the Georgians, mo one can be found who
knows anything about the reported scrap
except what they have read in the papers.
The boys say that the story is without the
slightest foundation; that there is not only
no friction between the two regiments, but
that the men mix and mingle together
daily TO such an extent that it is hard
matter to tell who they are or to what
regiment they belong.