The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-21


lor and Baldwin $. Bredcll, engravers,
who were arrested in this city in con-
nection with the counterfeiting con-
spiracy unearthed by the secret SER
vice department, were arraigned be-
fore United States Commissioner Ed
munds 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 testi-
mony. He accordingly called John y.
Wilkie. chief of the secret service, to
the stand.
After Identifying the prisoners,
Chief Wilke testified that in COM
pany with six secret service agents
he visited the engravers' shop and
placed the two men under arrest. In
the working room at Taylor and Bre-
dells place were two engraving desks
and each prisoner was required to de-
signate which was his. Under Brc-
delrs table, ,ChiefWilkic said, there was
drawer fastened with Yale lock.
In this drawer were found two un-
finished counterfeit stamp plates. Both
refused to say who had last worked
on the plates Later the detectives
found $50 silver certificate plate and
under a machine in another part of
the room was discovered proof of
the back Of $50 note. Chief Williic
testified further that both Taylor and
Bredell showed an inclination to as
sst the secret service men in arresting
the others implicated in the conspir-
acy. Taylor informed him that Will
h.. I CT gir p M n
ufacturer, who was arrested yesterday,
approached him nearly five years ago
with proposition, 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 Chief
Wilkie related the story of the arrest
at Lancaster yesterday Of William NJ.
Jacobs, William r. Kendig and James
Burns. In this connection he said
Taylor ana Bredell had admitted cut
ting the plate from which the famous
one hundred dollar Monroe head" GER
titicate was made This plate was
seized at Kendigs cigar factory in
Lancaster yesterday. Taylor told his
captor that not over 100000 of the 500
certificates had been issued by HIM
how many revenue stamps were print
ed.
Tons of Paper
In Jacobs factory. Chief Wilkie said
nine tons of imprinted internal reVe-
nue. paper was found. This is equal ia
about 40o,OOO,0O0 cigars. When Chief
Wilkie had concluded his testimony
raylOr and Bredell were asked if they
lad anything to say. Taylor remained
silent, but Bredell requested Commits
Homer Edmunds to fix the bail as low
IS possible. The men were committed
% the custody of the United States
marshal.
good share of the credit for the
capture of the gang belongs to Will
lam j. Burns, of the Washington office,
considered one of the cleverest detec-
tives in the secret service. who has been
constantly at work on the case since
he discovery of the dangerous COun-
erfeit 500 notes. Burns has done some
notable work before his assignment to
this case. He was instrumental in af-
tecting the arrest and conviction of the
Brockway- Bradford gang Of counter
feiters who engraved, printed and had
ready to float in Europe and this coun-
try $500 gold certificates, 500 Canadian
notes and 800 United States notes in
1894 and 1895.
Burns also assisted in running 10
earth the Costa Rican gang of counter
feiters. These men made dangerous
fac-similtes of the paper currency OF
all the Central American countries.
Burns was appointed to the service
from Columbus, Ohio, about ten years
ago.
Newitt's Transaction.
In speaking of the arrest Of Harvey
X. hewitt, eN-assstant United States
district attorney i'm this city. for at
tempting to bribe Secret Service Agent
Thomas r McBanus. District Attor-
ney Beck said To-Day:
The information furnished 80 me is
substantially To the effect that this
gang of CounterfeiterS suspected that
they We're under surveillance by secret
service operatives. They therefore
desisted for a time from their work
and for many weeks the game which
was being played between the shrewd
secret service operatives and the al
most equally shrewd counterfeiters was
waiting one. Finally, to test Wheth-
er they We're being watched. the coun-
terfeiters determined 10 hrbe an opcr-
atiNe of the secret service. The in
formation furnished 80 me is tu the
effect that for this purpose they paid
Mr.. hewitt very large sums Of money,
the amount of which / do not care 10
state, and Mr. hewitt in turn attempt
ed TO bribe a certain operative Of the
secret service by offering him hIibe
of S1Uv a month for twelve months, in,
conditions Of the bribe being that the
operative should first inform Mr.. New
lit whether any investigation was then
in progress, and if not, ne was to be
Informed If any were started within
the twelve months mentioned. For
ms service, according To my infurma-
tion, Mr., hewitt was To receive a
very large sum, the amount of which
am not willing AT this time TO state.
but II viii necessarily De developed
at his hearing next Tuesday"
Mr.. hewitt when seen today said:
i am absolutely innocent and when
an opportunity presents itself to tell
my side OF the story there will be an
entirely different aspect given to the
affair. | can only ask the public TO
suspend judgment until that opport .
tunity is presented" "
Jacobs and Burns We're brought here
from Lancaster today ana taken TO
the county prison.
Bogus Revenue Stamps.
Washington, April 2O-The officials
OF the internal revenue bureau are uu
able to even approximate the amount
of the counterfeit revenue STAMPS
made use of by the Lancaster. pa