The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-01-11
SILVER COUN1[RFD1ERS.
Secret Service Ofiicials Make an I'M
portant Series of Captures
IN New York.
RIVALS FOR UNCLE SANS MINT DROPS.

A11-Si1ver COunterteU S""s
Mace, Discovered and Seized. T"-
uether with Eight Italians Who
Conducted Them.
Washington. Jan. 6.-For at least
two months the secret service people
have been at work to discover tno
makers of a large number OF all sill
YER counterfeit coins, mostly quarters
and halves, which were being freely
circulated in New York city. FRIDAY
night and Saturday morning omciais
of the secret service of the treasury
department, under Chief Wilkes d.
rection, arrested Pho Paris and seven
companions, all Italians.
All-siIver Counterfefts.
The fact that large numbers OF
these all-silver counterfeits were be-
ing freely circulated in New ork dur.
ing the last two years has gwen Inlei
Wilkie a great deal of trouble. The
coins being of almost pure silver, zoe
fine, and fairly well made, they readi-
ly passed wherever presented, and
rendered extremely difficult the task
of locating the makers and passers.
The arrest came about in this way:
The First Clcw Secured.
Some time ago two Italians called
on Messrs. Platt g. Co., of Gold street,
New York, dealers in sheet silver and
gold, and purchased thousand
ounces of sheet silver. One OF the
men was observed at the time OF the
purchase to compare one OF the
sheets with a coin which he took from
his pocket. The circumstance was
made known to the secret service Of
fcials. The men took only
part of their purchase with them.
After a time they again appeared
and took away another small quanti-
ty, to Ill Mangin street, on the east
side of New York. From there they
were Swallowed to IS Watts street, on
the West side.
Swallowed by Detectives.
Detectives shadowed them, with the
result that their lodging places were
discovered and the fact established
beyond doubt that at both of these
numbers work was being carried on.
Friday morning one of the roomers in
the Mangin street house became sus-
picious that the men on the floor be-
low were doing some sort of crooked
work, and he at once notified police
man on that beat of his suspicious.
money from the start and at the end
of six years he returned home with a
fortune.
Nearly spoiled the Job.
The policeman not knowing that
| the authorities were watching the
house, went to the door and pounded
for admittance. He was not an
swere, and went away. One of the
gang who had been watching from
the next street corner at once went
to the house, notified the gang of the
suspicious circumstances, and all pre-
cipitately fed to the Watts street
place, carrying with them many OF
their dies. coins and blanks.
Further Delay Dangerous.
The secret service officials. realiz-
ing the danger of further delay, i'm.
mediately forced an entrance into
DoAii hoh1Ncs "htit 'hts Aohhu ct'-
cral of the men, eight in all, at work
The Mangin street house. as well ms
the house on Watts street, was fully
equipped with modern machinery for
rolling silver, punching blanks, etc
In one of the places screw press
weighing five tons, was in operation
About a thousand ounces of silve,
and quite large basket full of steel
dies were secured.
MutiIated the Dies.
Many of the dies, however, had
been SO mutiiated as to be beyond
use. 1t seemed that as soon as the
policeman had given the alarm, the
counterfeiters began to file away the
faces of their dies to prevent then
from being used as evidence.
Chief Wilkie said that this ganf
probably was responsible for at leas
so per cent. of all the silver counter
feits which have been in circua tior
in New York during the last tive
years.
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