The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-08-09
He BAFFLED'
DETECTIVES.
The Most Marvellous Skill Of
a "Jim the Penman."
WAS KING OF COUNTERFElTERS.
DaIkespsT's Wet Fingers Passing
Over Bogus Note Blurred II.
THAT AROUSED SUSPICION OF MAN.
The Famous Crook Was Then Turned Over
TO a Policeman and All on Account
OF an Accident.
THAT AROUSED SUSPICION OF MAN.

New York, Aug. 9.-Emanuel Ninger.
or as he is better known. Jim the PEN
man." who was recently released from
the Erie county, New York, prison, has
stood for years as the king of counter
feiters.
Here is a man who completely baffed
the officers OF the law for more than 10
years There is always a touch of the
romantic about the story of counter
feiter, but the case of Ninger is by far
more like fiction than that of any other
bogus note maker every known to the Sc
| cret service.
! Early in the year 1879 there was re-
| ceived at the Redemption Bureau of the
treasury department in a batch of notes
from one of the sub treasures $50 legal
tender note which the eye of the expert
examiner detected as counterfeit, but
unlike any previously discovered spurious
| production.
Careful scrutiny under a magnifying
! glass disclosed n startling fact. The
| note was a freehand drawing with pen
| and ink. and yet its likeness was so close
1
| lection at the hands of any but the most
| expert
The secret service officials were i'm
1 mediately notified, but were unable to do
| anything because the tellers of the sGo-
| treasury from which the note came were
unable TO say how 1t came into their pos
session.
From that time until Ningers arrest
| in March, 1896, these marvellous works of
| art turned up at more or less regular In
| tervals usually arriving at the treasury
! I'm remittances from banks where they
| had escaped detection.
Nor did they come from any particular
| quarter every section OF the country
contributing its share to the history of
| these now famous notes.
COULD GET NO CLEw.
Try as hard as they would. the secret
| service agents could get no clew to the
maker The general appearance" Of the
notes was so good that no shopkeeper
| hesitated to accept them. and in the
course OF a few days, when they reached
the banks, 1t was an even chance they
! would pass scrutiny, so that the officers
| were blocked at every turn In endeavor-
ing to trace them from hand to hand
A theory waswadvanced by some that
| the author of these amazing counterfeits
was a person of leisure. gifted with the
|
| this strange fad as an amusement. II
| pleased him to lead Uncle Sans detec-
| tives a merry dance In pursuit of a will
| o'-the-wisp.
Up to November, 1893, all of these pen
! and-ink notes received at the treasury
were twenties and fftles Then, how
| ever, fresh specimen of this mans
| handiwork was discovered, like the first
| In remittance from "a sub-treasury
IL was a 500 legal tender issue of the
| series of $780, bearing the portrait of Lin
| coin. In all save the denomination IL
| was like previous specimens by the same
| author.
Warnings OF these counterfeits were
| repeatedly given widest publicity. and
| numerous points wherein they differed
! from the genuine. as well as methods for
| detection, were Incorporated in these
| warnings
One OF these methods was to pass q
| moistened finger across the serial num-
| Der. Under this test the ink would blurr
| Ii was the unintentional application OF
this test which caused Ninger's down.
| fall
| DETECTED ACCIDENTALLY.
| When he started out from Flagtown.
| N. j., on Saturday morning. March 2s.
1896. Ninger had in his possession six $40
notes and one $50 note, which together
| were the product of fifteen weeks work
lie passed five of the twenties without
any difficulty; the sixth nearly brought
| him to grief.
Entering John Weyman's grocery store.
162 Third avenue, this city. ne called for
bottle of whisky. and gave the $40 note
I'm payment.
Immediately after his departure the
cashier while taking an account OF
| cash." noticed the blurred condition OF
the number or the twenty IL passed
| from under her moistcned thumb. and
quickly realizing that something was
wrong with the note. clerks were sent in
every direction 10 find the customer but
he had disappeared.
After leaving the grocery Nnger walk
ed rapidly downtown TO the saloon 81
Cortlandt street. where he obtained a
glass OF Rhine wine and cigar and
asked the bartender 20 give him change
for $50 bill explaining that he wanted
II 10 pay Off his farm hands,
His actions aroused tho suspicious OF
the bartender who took the hill from the
money drawer for n closer examination
In doing so his wet inrer nassed over
tho serial number and n distinct blur was
the result.
Putting on his hat ne started IN nursuit
| OF NinCer and found him I'm the New Jer-
! scy Central Railroad fcrrvhouSe. busy
counting over tho change he had just re-
ceived
FINALLY GOT HIM RIGHT.
when told that he was 20 he arrested
Ninger exhibited no surprise. but offered
90 settle the matter by returning the $50
and making the bartender n present OF
s. more.
This proposition was Indignantly re-
fused, and Ninger was turned over 10 n
policeman. who escorted him 10 tho
Church street. police station. where he
gave his name as Joseph Gilbert. resi-
dence. Wiikcsharrc. Pa. said he was not
married. rs his wife had gone away. and
I'm his country ~ was not considered n
marr'age when wife had left her hus-
mand.
TIe cNrlained the possession of tho
counterfeit hill bv stating that he obtain.
81 " from man I'm tho corridor of the