The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-24

the time and attention of Judge Buff
fington and the United States court
yesterday.
Last summer there was a lot OF spur
ious coin afloat in the country there
abouts and an agent of the secret SER
vice bureau of the treasury department,
NJ. j. McManus, went UP to investigate.
He found the tills of the country stores
in Nicholson, Lake Carey, Springville
and neighboring villages rich in bad
money and after season of quiet in
qriry, secured evidence sufficient to
convict one Simon Button and a James
I2aker of making and passing counter
felt coins.
The extent to which the business had
been carried on led the secret service
bureau to believe that there were 9TH
ers concerned in the transaction and
with an idea of running the thing to
the bottom, Detective McManus went
back to the neighborhood and resumed
his Investigations
The local constabulary was rot
little chagrined at having lost such
a grand opportunity of winning fame
and a free trip to Pittsburg, Erie or
Scranton and was very much on the
alert to prevent it recurring. While
thus aroused the alarm was given that
spurious coin was again in circulation.
Storekeepers G. M. Doyle and lis clerk,
II. r. Fish, of Nicholson, had each TAX
en- in bad half dollar and both remem-
bered positively that one of the But
ton family, Lysle Button, a young
cousin of Simon, had passed the queer
money on them. Constable ]. c. Rey-
nolds was informed. The line and cry
was raised. A posse of deputies were
impressed into service on the spot and
manning a big wagon they drove to
Springville and made a descent on the
Button domicile.
LYSLE WAS COMMITTED.
Lysle was seized, handcuffed, chained
to the bottom of the wagon and carted
in to West Nicholson, where he was
given a hearing before Squire o. E,
Reynolds, and committed to Jail Two
days later they searched the house,
and yesterday Lysle was acquitted.
The government officers said at the
time they were gradually working up
to Lysle and had the constables kept
their hands off they would have had a
\ good case against him. There was
\ small hopes in the mind of the govern
ment authorities of convicting him
when he was called. yesterday, and
yen before the case was closed the
rosecution openly admitted that their
lse was rather weak one.
he accused is Young married man
good appearance. AS he sat at the
lndant's table with his three-year-
daughter sleeping on his breast,
\nxious-faced wife sitting at his
With another of the children on
?, and his aged father sitting be-
m intently watching every step
proceedings, he created good
on and no doubt won no little
y from the jury
8 represented by Attorneys
& Dawson. Detective Mt
at as representative of the
ion with the government at
Messrs. Heiner and Myers
4rst-witness called was the clerk
Doyle's store, II. G. Fish. On Aug.
~ 1897, Lysle Button and his wife came
into the store and purchased a pair Of
children's shoes, for which the husband
gave in payment a fifty-cent piece
After they had gone the clerk discov-
cred that the money was spurious and
placed 1t in a separate compartment of
the till, intending to call his employers
attention to it.
Storekeeper Doyle took up the thread
of the story here, telling that the But
tons came back while the clerk was
4 away and made d purchase of him,
- paying eighty-fve cents on account
and receiving credit for the remainder.
WARRANT ISSUED.
The eighty-five cents was made up
of half dollar, quarter and a dime.
When the Buttons had departed he
found that the fifty cents was spurious
and, like the clerk, placed it in a sep
arate part of the cash drawer. Later
when he learned that the clerk had also
been victimized and that the Buttons
were the victimizers, he had a warrant
issued for the husbands arrest.
Constable Reynolds next detailed the
arrest and told of finding three bad
half dollars in the pockets of pair Of
trousers which Button had discarded
He also stated that Mrs. Button cried
out vehemently against her husbands
arrest, saying he was innocent and ex-
planning that the money had been re-
! ,ceived in change for a five dollar bill
which she gave to a peddler in pay
ment for some safety pins the day be-
fore. He also testified to having been
present at the hearing and that But
ton there made the statement that the
coins had been given to him by Simon
Button in payment of a debt of $3.50
Detective McManus told of receiving
the coins from Squire Reynolds and
as an expert testified to their being
counterfeit. He also told of taking
Button into custody and confining him
in the Lackawanna county jail
Isaac X. Button, father Of the ac-
cused, was the first witness for the de-
fense. He testified that he was pres
ent when his daughter-n-law made
the purchases from the peddler and
saw her receive half dollars in the
change OF a five dollar bill
He was also present at the hearing
in Squire Reynolds office. He was
positive that his son did not say that
he wanted to withdraw the statement
that the bad coins had come into his
possession through peddler and sub
stitute the statement that Simon But
ron had given them to him. His son
did not know at the time whether il
was the pedder or Simon Button who
had given him the bad money. 1t was
suggestion of the witness made at the
'squires office that caused the son TO
first suspect and on reflection to he
later convinced that the counterfeits
came from his cousin Simon.
COUSIN SIMON ON THE STAND.
Cousin Simon was next called to the
stand. He had been brought from
the Western penitentiary to give testi-
mony for Lysle District Attorney
bleiner raised the objection that the
testimony Of, a convict is not compe-