The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-23
FOR CONTEMPLATING.
I'VE wlLMINGTONIANS Arr kEST-
ED ON THE CHARGE.

Government Detective Hf ~ Nick Po.
Iitz and Walter Silvia i.rrested-siI-
via Made Niekeis and Condensation
litz Denies the Che .rge-A smeIter.
Crucfbies and Met al Seized I'm HIS
Place of Busfn ess The Hearing
Takes Place ST f.. .Iorning.
For sometime. as heretofore noted IN
The Messenger from time to time, couh-
terfeit silver dollars and halves, ana
spurious five cent pieces have been IN
circulation in Wilmington. Ine Treas
ury department was notified, ana ABOUT
ten days e Mr.. 3. F. Perry d secret
agent of the treasury department. az
rived in the city to work up the case
He went quietly to work, got posses
sion of a number of the spurious CONS
nassAd off on our merchants, and the
result of his Investigations is that
Walter Silvia, a young white man
about q years of age, and Nicholas Po-
litz. a Greek, 26 years of age, are in jail
on the charge of counterfeiting.
Having got on trail, Detective Perry
and Captain John Furlong, Of the police
force. and Constable william Sheehan
went out Thursday night in search OF
Walter Silvia, who was suspected OF
counterfeiting five-cent pieces. They
searched all over town, among 9TH
er places going to the home OF young
Silvia, on Sixth and Harnett streets.
He was to be found nowhere. AT 100
O'Clock yesterday morning the officers
again visited the home of Silvia n
ascertained that he had gone home
about ~ o'clock. He was k into
custody and said he had been at work
on the Sound and had casually come
home.
Silvia was surprised at his arrest, and
when asked for his mOulds, he denied
having any moulds or having ever en-
gagged in counterfeited money.
Mr.. Perry told him he may as we'll 'ac-
knowledge the corn" for he knew he
had moulds in a chest in the attic. The
young man then said he did have
moulds and rapidly went to the attic,
where he opened a chest and turned
over it's contents to the officers.
In the chest was found 800
felt scent pieces, four wooden blocks
with three plaster of paris dies SUM in
duSuI IOleS, lWO OIullldIy duIIS dlld
a piece of block tin. The blocks are
held together by nails when the moulds
are in readiness to be used.
e Silvia acknowledged that he made
the five-cent pieces, but said he made
them to beat the Observation-Disclosures ma
chimes round town. The five-cent
pieces are alike on both sides, contain
ing only the head of the Goddess of
Liberty. He claimed that the pieces
were not counterfeit, as they did not
have United States" on the reverse
side. He was told, however, that he
was mistaken, and that he is a coun-
terfeiter. He was taken to Jail.
POLITE ARRESTED.
On information, the officers at 5
o'clock yesterday morning wen to the
grocery and liquor store of Nicholas
Politz, 119 South Front street, opposite
Front street market, to arrest him on
the charge of counterfeiting dollars
and halves. The store was open and
was in charge of a clerk, out Mr.. Politz
had not come down from home. He
was sent. for and reached the store at
6 a. m.
In the meantime, Detective Perry
had searched the premises but found
nothing. When Mr.. Politz arrived, De-
tective Perry demanded that he open
his safe, and he readily did so. In the
till there was owe $15G of good money,
OuL liz SlSl0 vi spun ooo to1I. ~
was a Iock box further inside, and De-
tective Perry requested him to unlock
that He said he did not know what
was in it, but when it was unlocked
the detective pulled out a package of
fifty-eight counterfeit dollars. He said
the package had been left there by a
man he did not know. The officers then
placed Mr.. POlitZ under arrest.
AT $50 a. m, both men who had been
arrested were taken before United
States Commissioner S. P. Collier, who
committed them to jail for a prelim-
mary hearing to take place this morn
ing at IL O'Clock in the United States
court room. The bond of Mr.. Po1itz
was fixed at $4,000. He has employed
Messrs. Bethany & Bellamy, the Hon.
John d. Bellamy and A. J. Marshall,
Esq, as his ounsel The assistant
United States district attorney will be
here this morning to represent the gov
eminent at the hearing.
A REVELATION.
After placing the men in Jail, the Of
fcers about 8 a. m. returned to Mr..
Politz's store and made a thorough
search. In a small back room in the
rear part of the store they found two
boxes securely nailed up, and when
they were opened the result was a rev.
citation. In the boxes were found a
gasoline smelling stove with a rubber
DelIOWS, tnlrty-tnree CruCiDleS, q burn
fishing apparatus similar to that used
by dentists, eight pounds of scrap Ger
man silver, fifteen pounds of anthony
and one pound of block tin.
In his search in the safe, Detective
Perry found a bill from Clendenin
Bros, of Baltimore, made out to N.
Politz, for twenty pounds of antimony,
Is cents per pound $4,000. The bill
was dated November 25th. There was
also a bill of Jacob Gminder, Baltimore,
dated November 25th, for ten pounds of
German scrap silver at 20 cents per
pound $4,000, and two and three-quar-
ter pounds of era silver, 60 cents per
pound $1.65.) Among the papers was
found the following telegram:
Savannah, Ga, Dec. y. 1898.
Ntehola Politz, 119 South Front Street,
Wilmington, N. c.:
Il am in trouble. Any chance for
me there? Immediate reply.
IN. HANGICOS."
Last night at s o'clock Detective
Perry went to the store to make an
other search of the safe, but found
nothing. Mr.. Politz was taken from
Jail to the store so he could open the