The Sunday globe., 1901-08-04

tract to pay $4,000 i'm good currency
for $4,000 of Guyon's private stock"
i.e deal progressed favorably Ii
did not take long to learn that Guyon's
partner was old Nelse briggs, the ven
cradle counterfeiter, who has since re-
Gently died at Dayton. Nor did it re-
quire much time to discover that
Guyon and briggs had money-mak-
ing shop ON Turner's Island, IN the
Mississippi River near the village OF
Dameron. Negotiations for $4,000 in
queer stuff took place in st. Louis.
Counterfeitors are as slow and eau
tlous as diplomats, and the trade took
several days for adjustment, This
gave time for Hail to gather around
him the best secret service men Of the
Department
To inyeigle briggs and Guyon into a
trap was long. Wearisome work. Once
. briggs promised to bring the bogus
money to an appointed rendezvous.
briggs came, deposited a bundle, and
wanted to see Halls good money for
the bad. Hall flashed his $4,000 and
briggs opened the bundle, which con
tanned only blank paper,
81 suspect a plant whined briggs,
who was finally convinced that Howe,
alias Hall meant business.
Next day it was arranged for briggs
to deliver his $4,000 at PEARLS saloon.
This was q "joiut' the toughest in all
st. Louis The secret service men
knew it would be worth their lives
to attempt the arrest Of briggs or
Guyon i'm that disreputable place, and
they planned accordingly.
Hall had arranged to meet briggs in
a private room and receive the stuff
fresh from Guyon's island factory.
briggs came i'm finally, and, reassured
by the sight of Halls square" cur
reucy proceeded to produce the
queer
Put your gun and money on the
table" said the suspicious briggs, "and
I'll do the same
The reyolyers of Hall and briggs
were put side by side with $4,000 Of
good money and then, to Halls amaze.
ment, briggs began to undress.
The Old rascal got down to his un-
dershirt, and then the astOnished Hall
began to see something. He was COW
cred with counterfeit bills tied about
his body. There they were like plas.
ters, and i'm about one second the
handouts were ON briggs and his own
flannel shirt was being stuffed into his
mouth for a gag
Hall gave a signal, and the detec-
tives, who We're waiting at the bar,
started for the room.
Keep out, said the bartender, that
room is taken
Billings and Donnella did not stop.
The barkeeper fired pistol at them.
They stopped long enough FOR Billings
to return that shot, and the tough bar.
keeper went down with a bullet in his
neck
In a few minutes both briggs and
the liquor seller were in iail-old
briggs crying like a child, cursing
Hall, and declaring: "D-n him, l
suspected him from the start"
briggs, the dispenser, was caught;
the important work was to get Guyon.
A tug carrying detectives was sent to
the island. They saw Jim smoking
his pipe on the deck Of his houseboat.
Jim saw the tug, suspected trouble,
and before the service men got to him
GuyOn slipped away and swan the
river to the Illinois shore.
They did not get Guyon, but they
found several thousand dollars in coun-
terfeit tens, The plates were missing.
Nor have they ever been found
briggs served seven years at Ches-
ter, and was an old, broken man when
he came out. Repentant? Not he; for
briggs, like all other coniackers,
dreamed only of defrauding the Gov
eminent. Besides, he had $4,000 of
the Webster head money planted away
with Gerty briggs, his young wife.
She was a born criminal, and, though
a young woman, had a peculiar liking
for the old rascal, who became her le-
gal husband.
The secret service did not know of
the $4,000 which briggs had "salted
away but they were expecting new
bills from the undiscovered plates.
Sure enough, now and then a Webster
head $40 would show up, and the sery.
ice knew that Guyon and his pals were
again doing business. Finally briggs
came out Of prison and opened a road.
house near the Soldiers Home at Day
ton.
Apparently he was through with
him closely. The frequent appearance
Of Webster heads made the watching
more careful
A son Of Chief Hall and a detective
named Donella made headquarters at
briggs road-house, the one passing as
a gambler and the other as a book
agent.
Hall and Donella laid in a supply Of
information day by day and reported
minutely to Chief Bell at Washington.
Bell conceived a scheme for entrap-
ping the firm Of briggs Guyon G
briggs, He went to Hartford, Conn,
and opened an Office under the name Of
Andrew McWilliams, which, by the
way is the name Of the veteran chief
clerk of the Department at Washing
ton. Bell, as McWilliams, put out a
sign styling himself lawyer and loan
agent Gradually he met the briggs
firm, and declared himself anxious to
buy and handle some of the Webster
heads.
He spent much time in ingrauating
himself and old briggs, always sus.
picious, even made a secret visit to
Hartford TO make sure that McWil-
liams was really i'm business there.
briggs was convinced that at last
they had found q safe Yankee Gus
toner, and negotiations were easy.
McWilliams bought a bundle Of the
stuff, came back apparently delighted,
and wanted $4,000 more This meant
that Guyon would have to put his
printing Office i'm commission again,
and that was what McWilliams want
ed. He planned to catch Jim printing
the money, and get both Jim and the
plates.
After much bargaining it was agreed
to sell McWilliams the S25, 900 for
which $4,000 was to be paid. Guyon