The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-03-15
Ten Italians Were Gathered in by Members
Cfihe U. S. Secret Service.
MANY BOGUS SIS TREASURY NOTES.
TheI TUNED Up IN The Italian Quarter and Led 10
Tho Discovery Of Inc Makers I Ono Nan
Pulled or Traln

Boston, March 15.-After more than
four months OF careful work, the United
states secret service agents. assisted BY
the. local police. took into custody yes
terday 10 italians, whom they have every
reason TO believe have been issuing a
great amount Of counterfeit 81 treasury
notes and are, the Boston agents say.
one OF the largest and most crafty gangs
| OF counterfeiters that have operated IN
this country.
| While. through various means, the
| government officials claim TO have sue
ceeded in obtaining nearly so, 900 worth
OF the notes from nearly al the arrested
| parties at different times, no bad money
was found on any Of them yesterday,
and careful search OF what is believed
10 be the headquarters in this city faiied
! TO disclose any OF the counterfeiting
| paraphernalia
The secret service agents, however,
did not expect TO find any dies or plates
in this city. for every indication points
To New York as the issuing point.
The names OF those arrested are as
follows: Francisco Cacci. 43 years old,
336 Main street. Peter Gonzales. 45 years
old, 100 Pleasant street Salvador Mas
trapavola. 40 years old Mrs Angela
Mastrapavola, 81 years, and Mary Mas
trapavola, II years. all living at 2 Sun
court; Antonio Cotogna, SO years old
259 North street; Antonio Mazzucci, 30
years, Charles street; Francisco Brosi.
80 years old, Foster court; Joseph DE
Salvo, 40, 152 Endicott street, all Of Bos-
ton, and Francisco DE Marco Of Lynn.
The arrest was most adroitly made,
but was somewhat FASTENED by reason
OF the fact that one or two were pre-
pairing TO leave for New York In fact,
Brosi was taken from the end OF a NOV
ing train as IL was pulling out OF Park
square station. bound for New York.
For nearly six months a large amount
OF spurious So treasury notes bearing the
Jackson vignette have been coming into
the hands OF the secret service agents, a
greater portion of ii turning up in this
city, and last November the government
officials determined TO make a strenuous
effort TO run down the counterfeiters.
II. ID. Redfern OF New York came to this |
city and worked up the case. Two |
months ago the local police were called |
In, and with the assistance of other |
special detectives a most thorough search |
OF the city was made.
The government officials soon dis |
covered that the most OF the bad money |
turned up in the Italian quarter at the |
North End. as well as In Lynn. but for a |
long time. so crafty were those who were |
passing the money, the evidence did not |
warrant an arrest. 1t was, therefore.
decided that some unusual effort must
be made, and number OF trusted agents
were brought over from New York. all |
on close tems Of intimacy with Italians
They went about the city and succeeded
in buying about $4,000 worth of bad Sc
notes. The secret service men claimed
that all the bad money was obtained
from the parties under arrest.
In order 20 make the case clear and TO
get as much evidence as possible the
arrest OF al parties was delayed until
the last moment. During the interim
the officials discovered that frequent
trips were being made TO New York. and
that upon the return OF one or two Of the
men the notes became plentiful This
led TO the belief that none of the money
was manufactured In this city. but no
could be discovered in New
York
Yesterday. after all 10 of the suspected
parties had been faithfully over
shadowed. it was decided TO make a gen.
eral haul, and 10 less than 20 officers,
both government and local inspectors
Nere distributed about the city.
The FIRST arrest was made Oh Atantic
avenue where Cacci and Gonzales were
quietly taken into custody and con-
yeyed Co the federal building. An hour
'fter six officers went 20 sun court. IN
he North End. and gathered in three
MEMBERS of the Mastrapavola family, |
.nd "a hurried search Of the house was
made. Nothing OF "a suspicious charac- J
cr was found ar the time, but the entire I
building viii be carefully ransacked.
AT the same time Cotogna and Maz-
ucj~ were arrested at their little shop
lot far from the MaStrapavola house
nd then De SalVo was apprchcnded.
a the meantime every railroad station
a the city was carefully guarded and
o. outgoing trains watched for there
.cre two moro stll uraccounted Tor. aud
1r time thc officers believed that they
Jd escaped
Just o3 the gong at the Park square
tation rang Tor the departure OF the
'au River train an italian was seen %
tcp aboard The train and the shadow
.En1lled 60 tie officers. Two OF them
lmpcd on tie train and dragged the
lan off on the platform, and he was at
nee tafen O. THE federal building with
le otGrs.
The notice or tho arrest 90 Marco q:
yun was reC..v .vci soon after. and the !
scrct service agents heavcd a sigh Of
sHef
In thr detention room every one was
lrcfuiy searched but none of the bad
otre was found ON them. This fact
0wescr. does not in any way discourage /
Ir officers. Cor they say that they have ,
efficient evidence from thcir agents 90 ,
JuNict every one.
Tho government officials are not pre- |"
grcd 10 tsy just bow EXTENSIVE they be- 9
sved the rams 70 be, but they are con- o