The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-05-10
BOLD COUNTERFEIT PLOT.
Eight Men Captured For Making
Bogus Silver Certificates.
THE ARREST OF U. S. OFFICIALS.

Former District Attorney Inxham ant
Deputy Revenue Collector Downey
Charged With Aiding the Bad Bill
Makers-wholesale CounterfeitIng o.
Revenue Stamps-Scops OF tho Plot.
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (Special).-The
roundup OF alleged counterielters oI
Treasury notes and revenue stamps which
has been made by John A. Wllkle, chief oil
The Secret Service Bureau, In Washington
reveals the most daring and successful at.
Tempt at counterieiting that has ever been
:rled upon Uncle Sam. The Secret Service
men had been on the track OF these men
Tor nearly year.
The climax In the gigantic counterfeit.
Ing conspiracy was reached on Monday
whom former United States Dlstr!ct-At.
torney Ellery P. InSham. OF this city, and
Deputy Internal Revenue Collector Sam.
uel B. Downey, OF Lancaster, were arrested
by Secret Service officers on a charge ol
aiding the chief counterfeiters In their OF.
forts to food the country with forged
Treasury notes and Internal Revenue to-
bacco stamps.
The arrest OF Ingham created great
sensation. The others under arrest are
Henry X. hewitt, former Assistant United
States Dlstrict-Attorney OF this city; Will.
lam NJ. Jacobs, OF Lancaster; William F.
Kendig, OF Lancaster, Thomas Buns, Ken.
digs foreman; Arthur Taylor, expert en-.
graver, OF this city; Baldwin 8. Bredel, e1.
pert engraver and mechanic, OF this city.
The former Distrlct-Attordey. Ellery P.
rngham, was arraigned before Conmis.
sioner Edmunds and charged with con.
spiracy with Harvey hewitt, his law part.
ner. Ito promise, offer'and give the sum OF
$4,000 In monthly payments Of $500 each, p
to William J. McMGnus OF Philadelphia, a
the case against the FIVE men charged with
counterieitng revenue stamps and S10C
silver certificates. Ingham waived hear.
Ing aud was held in $4,000 bail for 8
further hearing.
Counsel for William NJ. Jacobs and Will.
lam L. Kendig, the chief Lancaster mem.
bers Of the gang OF counterfeiters has I'D.
mitted that Jacobs has made full confes.
sion OF their criminal practices, and that
1t shows conspiracy Of such stupendous
magnitude as to be appalling. Jacobs, who
Is now In prison, and Kendig, who Is under
big bail, have announced their intention Of
pleading guilty when placed on trial.
Chief Wllkie, OF the Secret Service, has
II to be one OF the most remarkable in the
history OF counterieit.og. Mr.. Wilkte
learned that the plan was to print So.
COZ, 900 In counterfeit money and to divide
It among the Hve men, Jacobs, Kendig,
Burns, Taylor and Bredell. Jacobs Tas
the leader OF the plot. He proceeded on
the theory that every man had his price,
and his plan was TO buy receiver In the
Sub b-Treasury IN New York and deposit
the counterfeits with him In denomina.
lions OF 800, $50 aud Sl0O. taking In re-.
turn q certificate OF deposit and drawing
on those, receiving good money In return.
Bredell, who Is n mechanical genius, had
charge OF the machinery.
The counterfeiters had constructed a
plant for making paper which could not be
detected from that used by tho Government
In printing Its money. The machinery was
boxed up when captured. The counter.
ieIters evidently had decided to walt until
everything was ready before putting 1t to-.
gether and In working order. So extensive
was the plant that In weeks time enough
paper to print tie entire SIC, 900 900 could
have been manufactured.
The counterfeiters had already completed
O $50 plate, known as the Everett plate.
and had partially completed a plate fol
printing 500 notes. These plates and the
others captured are now In the possession
Of Chief WIlkIe. One OF the plates was a
facsimile OF the Monroe S100 die used by
the Government. It had been used. It
This plate was very fine piece OF engrav.
Ing work Jacobs retained It after Secre-
tary Gage had called In the Monroe series,
apparently believing that he could print
more notes from 1t without detection after
rhe counterietting scare In regard to its
Ise had blown over. The $50 plate Is the
Ilnest piece OF tcounterteitipg that the agents
~ the Secret Service have ever seen.
Jacobs and Kendlg were running two
separate tobacco factories ut Lancaster,
Penn. They were using counterfeit rev.
enue stamps on their cigar boxes, and It Is
estimated that they had defrauded the
Government out OF s140, 900 In taxes. The
Secret Service agents found four worn out
revenue stamp plates. Each OF these
plates ordinarily lasts long enough to make
furnishes ton stamps, the four plates must
have been used In printing 900, 900 stamps,
zach good for box OF fifty cigars or to-
tai for the entire issue OF 80, ,0O0, 900 cigars.
Jacobs and Kendig were selling their cigars
1t 81 less than the regular price. Their
profit was very great, as they escaped pay
log the revenue tax on 1856 hundred.
The two Lancaster factories are now In the
hands OF the Government.
When the forgery Of the 500 silver Ger.
tihcates was discovered Secretary Gage
called In the entire S26, 900. 900 Of these sill.
yer certificates outstanding. At last re.
ports he had recovered about 800 900 900.
So there are $4,000, 900 still In circulation
around the country somewhere.