The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-01-05
FLOOD OF BOGUS COINS
Silver Quarters and Halves of
Regulation Fineness.

Washington, Jan 5.-For at least two
months the secret service people have
been at work to discover the makers
of a large number OF all silver counter
felt coins. mostly quarters and halves,
which were being freely circulated in
New York city. Last night and today
officials of the secret service of the
treasury department, under Chief
Wilkes direction, arrested Pho Paris
and seven companions, all Italians.
The fact that large numbers of these
al1-Silver counterfeitS were being freely
circulated in New York during the last
two years has given Chief Willxie
great deal of trouble. The coins being
of almost pure silver 900 fine, and fairly
well made, they readily passed wherever
presented and rendered extremely difn-
cult the task of locating the makers and
passers. The arrests came about IN this
way: Some time ago two Italians called
on Messrs. Plat & Co. of Gold street,
New York, dealers in sheet silver and
gold, and purchased a thousand ounces
of sheet silver One Of the men was OBJ
served 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 officials. The men took
only part of their purchase with them.
After a time they again appeared and
took away another small quantity, to III
Mangin street, on the east side Of New
OTk- from Lnere Iuey were SLlaOOWcQ
to 90 Watt street, on the west side
Detectives Swallowed them, with the re-
suit that their lodging places were dis
covered and the fact established beyond
doubt that at both of these numbers
work was being carried on. Yesterday
morning one of the roomerS in the
Mangin street house became suspicious
that the men on the floor below were
doing some sort of crooked work, ana
he at once notified a policeman on that
beat of his suspicious, which fact came
near rendering ineffective all the work
that had been done.
The policeman, not knowing that the
authorities were watching the house,
went to the door and pounded for ad-
rnittance- He was not answered, how
ever, and soon 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 precipitately ned
to the Watt street place, carrying with
them many Of their dies. coins and
The secret service officials. realizing
the danger of further delay, immedi-
ately forced an entrance into both
houses, where they found several Of the
men=eight in all-at work. The Man
gin street house, as well as the house
on Watt street, was fully equipped with
modern machinery for rolling silver,
punching blanks, etc. In one OF the
places a screw press, weighing five tons,
was in operation About a hundred
ounces of silver and quite a large basket
full of steel dies were secured. Many
of the dies, however, had been SO mu-
tiIated as to be beyond use. It seemed
that as soon as the policeman had given
the alarm the counterfeiters began to
file away the faces OF their dies to pre-
vent them from being used as evidence.
Chief Will1ie said today that this
gang probably was responsible for at
least so per cent. of all the silver coun-
terfeits which have been put in circu-
lation in New York during the last two
years.