Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-20
Philadelphia ooanterfeiters' Hearing
Before Commissioner Edmunds.
TESTIMONY :: !, Of; CHIEF VlLETE
Department Makes an Estimate of
the Bogus Issues,
TONS OF PAPER CAPTURED

PHILADELPHIA. April 20.-Arthur Tay-
lol and Baldwin S. Bredell. engravers. who
were arrested in this city in connection with
the counterfeiting conspiracy unearthed by
the secret service department, were ar
raigned before United States Commissioner
Edmunds this afternoon They waived a
hearing and were held in $4,000 bail each
for court
Commissioner Edmunds announced that
in order to fix the amount of bail it was
necessary to take some testimony. He
accordingly called John A. Wilkie, chief
of the secret service to the stand.
After identifying the prisoners, Chief
Wilkie testified that, in company with six
secret service agents, he visited the engrav-
ers' shop and placed the two men under ar
rest In the work room of Taylor & Bre-
dells place were two engraving desks, and
each prisoner was required to designat-
that which was his
Plates Found in Drawer.
Under BredeIs table Chief Wilkie said
there a drawer fastened with Yale
lock. In this drawer were found two I'M
finished counterfeit cigar stamp plates
Both men refused to say who mad last
worked on the plates Later the detectives
found a fifty-dollar silver certificate plate,
and under a machine in another part OF the
room was discovered proof OF the pach
of a fiftydollar note.
Chief Wilkie testified further that poth
Taylor and Bredell showed an inclination
to assist the secret service men in arresuhg
the others implicated in the conspiracy.
Taylor Informed him that William M
Jacobs, the Lancaster cigar manufacturer,
who arrested yesterday, approached
him nearly five years ago with a PROPOSE
ton, which he accepted, to engrave cigar
stamp plates. For this work Jacobs paid
him several thousand dollars When the
first set wore out Taylor made another
Story of the Arrest.
Chief Wilkie related the story of the ar
rest at Lancaster yesterday of William NJ.
Jacobs, William L. Kendig and James
Burns. In this connection, he said, Taylor
and Bredell had admitted cutting the plate
from which the famous one-hundred dollar
"Monroe-head" certificate was made. This
plate was seized at Kendig'S cigar factory
in Lancaster yesterday. Taylor told Wilkie
that not over S1oaoD of the one-hundred-
dollar certificates had been issued by him
self and Bredelf. He could not say how
many revenue stamps were printed.
In Jacobs factory.Chief Wilkie said, nine
tons of imprinted Internal revenue paper
was found. This is equal to about 400, 000,
600 cigars of-
When Chief WiIkie. chad concluded his tes-
timony Taylor, and Bredell were asked if
they had anything to say. Both remained
silent. They We're then committed to the
custody of the United States marshal
Estimate OF, the Amount.
The officials of the internal revenue bu-
reau are unable, even to approximate the
amount of the counterfeit revenue stamps
made use of by the, Lancaster, Pa, cigar
manufacturers who, were placed under ar
rest yesterday.
Several months ago the agents of the bu-
rean received informal ton that there was
something wrong with these factories, and
at once set bout uncovering it. but they
had not proceeded far before they became
aware that the secret service agents were
watching the factories for another pur-
pose, and at the request of Secretary Gage
the internal revenue officers We're directed
to abandon the case
A special revenue agent from PHILADELPHIA
is now in charge of the factories and as
soon possible will locate the supply of
blue paper from which the stamps were
printed. The manufacturers of cigars are
required by law to furnish an indemnity
bond to comply with the revenue laws, and
it is assumed that the amount of the bonds
required in these two cases will nearly if
not entirely, cover the loss the government
might otherwise have sustained.
Mr.. Moran, the assistant to Chief Wilkie
of the secret service, has returned from
Philadelphia. where he aided in the arrest
of the parties under arrest, he says is over
whelming. The maximum term of impris-
onment in such cases is fifteen years under
each Indictment, and in most of the cases
he thinks at least four indictments will be
sustained by the court.