The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-06
Eight Men and stock of White
Metal, Dies and Machinery
Captured at New York.
MADE 25 AND 5o-CENT PIECES
WHICH CLOSELY REsEMBLED THE
GOVERNMENT COINS.
C1ew Furnished by n Dealer I'm Sheet
Silver, Who Sold 1000 Ounces of
the Metal to the Counterfeiters.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 5-The officials of
the secret service of the Treasury Depart
ment, under the direction of Chief Wilkie,
made d number of important arrests in
New York, last night and this morning
For at least two months the secret-seryice
officials have been at work to discover the
makers of a large number of silver coun-
terfeit coins, mostly quarters and halves,
which were being freely circulated in New
York city. The result has been that Pho
Paris and seven companions, all Italians,
were arrested and are now in Jail awaiting
the action of the United States commits
sioner. The fact that large numbers of
these all-silver counterfeits were being
freely circulated in New York during the
last two years has given Chief Wilkie a
great deal of trouble. The coins being of al
most pure silver, 800 fine, and fairly well
made, they readily passed wherever pre-
sented and rendered extremely difficult the
task of locating tie makers and passers
The arrests came about in this way:
Some time ago two Italians called on
Messrs. Platt & Co., OF Gold street, New
York. large dealers in sheet silver ana
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, probably with view to
determining whether the sheet was of the
same thickness as the coin he had in his
possession This was made known to the
secret service officials by Messrs. Platt &
Co. and a force was Immediately set to
work on the new lead. From the fact that
the men took away with them only a small
part of the purchase 1t was assumed they
would shortly return for the rest. After
time the two men again appeared and took
away another small quantity to No. III
Mangin street, the East Side Of New
York. From there they were shadowed to
No. 80 Watt street, on the West Side A
force was put to work 10 observe every
move made by the people who frequented
this house, with the result that their lodg-
ing places were discovered and the fact
established beyond doubt that at both of
these numbers work was being actively
carried on.
Yesterday morning one of the roomers in
the Mangin-street house became suspicious
that the men the floor below were doing
some sort of crooked work and he at once
notified a policeman on that beat of his
suspicious, which fact came near render
Ing 1neuectlVe 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 admit
tance. He was not answered however and
went away. One of the gang who
had been watching on a street corner went
to the house. notified the gang of the sus-
picious circumstances and all precipitately
fled to the Watt-street place, carrying with
them many OF their dies, coins and blanks
The secret service officials realizing the
danger of further delay, immediately forced
an entrance into both houses, where they
found several of the men. eight in ALL at
work The Mangin-street house, as we'll as
the house Watt street, was fully
equipped with modern machinery for roll
ing 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 large basketful
of steel dies were secured. Many of the
dies. however, had been so mutilated as to
be beyond use. II seemed that as soon as
the policeman had given the alarm the
counterfeiters began to file away the faces
Of their dies to prevent them from being
used as evidence.
Chief Wilkfe said to-day that this gang
probably was responsible for at least so per
cent. of all the silver counterfeits which
have been put in circulation In Nssw York
during the last two yoar1s ~