The times., 1898-08-15
Passing Of a Famous Family Of
Clever CounterfeiterS.
FIVE BRO Mrs OF THEM
The Last Three Are Under Arrest,
One In Canada and Two In Detroit
"A Remarkable story of Crime
brought to "a Close by the Secret
Service

W1lkie, or the secret service, that 'Old
Charley" Johnson, than whom no more
skillful or notorious counterfeiter has
lived In this generation, heard probably
for the last time in Detroit last Friday
those words for which the ears of a con-
firmed crook listen ever with dread
You are under arrest''-and having al
ready spent twenty-five years of his six
ty-five in confinement, he will now finish
his career In that unsought goal Of crim-
inals-the penftentiary
Likewise his two brothers. Edward and
David, have been taken into custody, and
with the apprehension of these three the
queer operations of an entire family
| are brought TO a close, and incidentally
| the secret service has the satisfaction of
knowing that at least five issuers of the
cleverest spurious paper money ever
stamped bad" have been effectually
| squelched.
| Family of COunterfeiters
The passing of the Johnson family
| makes one of the most interesting chap
| ters in the criminal annals of two coun-
tries-Canada and the United States. 1t
Is nearly concluded now, but the Secret
| Service has been years in writing it, and
the final paragraphs are yet to be added.
There were five brothers In all-Thomas
| ira Johnson, now dead and once the
| partner of the notorious Pete McCart-
| ney; Edward and David Johnson, both
now in custody; William Johnson, who,
after a meteoric career OF crime less sue
| e,I tba, tt,a, ri, lrt%.
ed from sight whence no one ynows, and
Charles johnson, famous to the police
as "Old Charley" who was the prince
of them ALL There were also a father,
mother and sister. all more or less con-
cerned in the doings Of the brothers. the
first two of whom are now dead while
| the sister has married and repudiated
the relation with her kinsmen.
The Johnsons claim Toronto for their
| birth place and home. From here they
took their several ways upon careers of
| crime, seldom, if ever equaled on this
side of the world. both for success and
! cunning, and their paths have many times
crossed, diverged and come together
again. until the end found three of the
five brothers working together. taking
| alternate turns at showing printing and
| engraving.
| .OId CharIey's" History
Thomas Ira, now dead, was the first
of them all 10 attract the attention of
the police AS before remarked, he was
a partner of Pete Mccartney, who the
police have good reason to remember as
the most dangerous counterfeiter of his
day But since the story here told hinges
more properly around the career OF "Old
| Charley" a chronicle OF his life must
prelude the rest
/ He is first remembered in Montreal as
the pupil of Joe Racine the most expert
| crook engraver In Canada at that time,
| and together they"got up the most sue
cessful 81 counterfeit ever passed in the
| Dominion. That was along in the sixties.
| They operated with the most remarkable
success for two years, or until as last
| resort the police arrested Racine on sus-
picion, having no evidence against him.
but knowing that he had been implicated
in queer nibney" deals before. "Old
Charley" became frightened and fled to
the States, where his brothers were oper-
ating on a large scale.
In 1864 the entire Johnson family was
arrested in indianapolis. subsequent TO
the appearance Of an exceedingly clever
$50 legal tender co1hterfeit. For the sake
of getting his mother and sister out of
confinement, Thomas Ira Johnson made
a full confession, admitted his partner
ship with Pete Mccartney, turned over
the plates, pleaded guilty, and was given
a heavy sentence. The mother and sister
and also the other four brothers were
released.
Father Tries Reform
From now on ''old Charley" seems to
have worked alone. He took possession
of the plates for 500 counterfeit on the
First National Bank of indianapolis and
sold them to a man named Kinsey, who
altered them to suit the First National
Bank of Portland. Conn, and the Fourth
National Bank of Philadelphia. With the
| proceeds of this sale Charley took the
family back to Toronto and went into
business on a large scale. He engraved a
s. Jackson head legal tender American
| note, series '79. and was making money
| fast when the father euddenly became
| possessed of wild desire to reform his
| very wayward family on very short no.
| tice. To this end he surrepttiously gain
ed possession of the plates for the s.
Jackson head counterfeit and also the
plates for 81, 81, 81, s.. and $40 Canadians
| which had not yet been used, and prompt
" turned them all over to the police
This unexpected spasm of Righteousness
| on the fathers part caused a scattering
in the Johnson household, and the guilty
ones, having been warned in time, hur.
| riedly dispersed themselves to severa
| American cities.
His Prison Life.
"Old Charley" took up temporary res.
idence in Cincinnati, where he was ar
rested in 1867 for passing a So -counterfeit
He got off with six months sentence
serving which he went to Detroit, where
| he was arrested in 1870 for having in kis
possession the distinctive paper for mon
ey This time he got two years and sil
months His next appearance was ir
, | Dundee, Mich, where he was charged
/ with counterfeiting currency, but the cv
idence against him was insufficient fol
conviction, and he was discharged rpor
payment of the costs. Thence he made
} tour of New York State, passing his ole
So counterfeit. and in 1873 was apprehcnd
. | ed in Dunkirk. The police made out
good case against him then, and the mex
| / eight years Of "Old CharIey'sr life wer,
spent in the Albany penitentiary,
, Having worked out his sentence in AL
bany, he located in Detroit, and 1t wa:
} here that he executed the finest piece O.
/ counterfeit engraving ever seen in thi
! | country. It was known as the S. Gran
head, the plates of which have not to thi
. day been found. This issue, his master
piece began to appear in Detroit early il
the year 1883. F'or0a time "OId Charley
fairly rolled in wealth
While perpetratihg his Grant head coun
s terfeit In this country his brothers, unde
:. I his direction were making Canadian mon
| ey somewhere across the lakes, the plate