The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-31
Effort to Rob the Tomb of Lin
coin to Help Ben Boyd.
STORY OF JACOB OFT
Philadelphia Counterfeiters Found a Re-
fuge. whers They Knew Detectives
Never Detect. and Flourished
for an Historic Period.


bafied the vigilance Of the United
recall to remembrance some of the
many daring pieces of work OF these
too clever gentry when Philadelphia
was a favorite haunt OF counterfeiters.
There are plenty of Philadelphians who
have not yet forgotten +. A. Lester.
the treasury expert, and John S. Dye.
the government counterfeit detective,
to whose constant and determined cir
cumspection is largely due the Quaker
City's latter day immunity from this
particular class Of crime. Nearly all
the most famous queer" manufacture
ers and 'Koniackers' nave at one time
or another lived in or near this city
n worked their infamous trade right
under the eyes of the authorities. In
the old days of state banks n Shin
plasters' the business of the "Coney
men" was capable OF being made i'm
mensely profitable. But the reduction
OF variety and increased vigilance has
made bank note or bin counterfeiting
a dangerous experiment even in so
large a territory as the United States.
One of the biggest plants OF counterfeit
paper money was discovered n
nipped in the bud some 10 or IL years
ago, when a number of French and
lNb Ia y ctAa ~ ~
rendering base paper in New Orleans,
New York and Philadelphia simulta-
neously. These limitations, which were
by no means OF the best quality. were
traced directly to certain French sea-
ports, notably Havre n Marseilles,
where the intending emigrants had
been persuaded to convert their French
and Italian one into American cur
Tency as being SO much more conven-
ient on landing. OF course the "shov-
ers" of his queer had made clear of
with their earnings while the immi-
grants were on the high seas and were
never caught. But the United States
| experts, who found that all the bills
were alike and mostly of small denomi-
nations, ones, twos and five dollars,
easily recognized the work as that of
one Jacob OFT, who at one time lived
in the outskirts of this city and piled
his %nefarious trade for some three years
with impunity. And this brings US di-
rectly to a matter of topical interest.
On the turnpike road to Holmesburg
until about IA years ago there stood, its
worn, white-painted picket fence abut-
ting on to the narrow foot path. a ut
tie frame cottage with a matched roof.
1t consisted of four rooms and an out
house. The room in the roof, a mere
| garnet with a gable window, was un-
used, the inhabitants, a middle-aged
German and his wife, living entirely in
the three rooms OF the ground floor.
Attached TO the cottage was a small
piece of land, less than an acrs In ex-
tent. in which the couple cultivated gar
| den truck with great assiduity. That is
to say, the woman did. for the husband,
who was supposed TO be an invalid. wa
but rarely seen at work in the truck
garden. An old wagon stood under the
little shed beside the Clubhouse, which
served as stable for a rather strong,
well-cared-foF pony In this wsgon the
woman, once every week, carried her
vegetables to Philadelphia and disposed
of them at the market. They made very
few friends or acquaintances In their
own neighborhood. rarely received Wis
itors and lived very quietly almost en-
tirely TO themselves, but they made no
enemies and were regarded as alto
gether satisfactory, IL somewhat unre-
%sponsiVe and unuommunicative Gig
bors.
For some two or three years a re-
markably clever series Of counterfeit
| one. two and hve-dollar bills had been
puzzling the ingenuity of the govern
ment detectives TO trace the origin. That
they emanate from Philadelphia was
certain, because they were principally
spread by armer and their wives who
| came to this city on market day, and
either carried away with them the
worthless green goods" into this state,
New Jersey or Delaware, or endeavored
TO deposit them in the banks of this
city. But from whom they obtained
them Il was difficult to ascertain. The
detectives tried the market, but so sure
as a detective or q number of them APP
peared within the precincts so certainly
the showers" of the queer received
notice of their advent and nothing but
laEf
il was determined that here was a
means of at least stopping one of the
principal channels through which the
base currency was put in circulation,
and the market was regularly and rig
orously watched. The desired effect was
achieved and at the same time some
thing else which was rather unlocked
for occurred.
The German woman from Holmesburg
was missed from her accustomed stand
Suspicious. which had already been
reused, caused a domiciliary visit &c
be paid TO the cottage on the turnpike
road, but the birds had flown. Enough
evidence was found, however, In the
shape Of ~engravers' tools. used and un-
used plates, tentative efforts, drawings
colored inks, paper which was q fam
imitation of bill paper, and the remains
OF a small hand printing press which
had been destroyed by its quondan
owners, 10 fix Enthusiastically the charac-
ter Of the recent occupants OF the cot
tage. Then the neighbOrs remembered
that Mr.. OFT had rarely been seen out
side. and that frequently a light had
been noticed burning in the house until
far into the night. though this they hac
accounted for by the man having posec
as an invalid. There was now no doub
about his having done much OF his
work during the small hours any more
thar that il was equally certain tina
the supposed truck woman disposed oi
much less innocent stuff besides hel
lettuces, radishes and celery at the mar
ket. She must also have mad Confeder
ates in the city, and II was u"ndoubted
Is a widespread conspiracy to defraud
For a long time the circulation Of bad
money in the city was stopped. and
when, some eight months later
Jacob OLt. one Of the most eX'
pert counterfei.er Of the period. Wal