Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-09-03
Tle Great Lancaster C0lDtGPt6itlgI Conspiracy.
A Narrative of Truth That is Stranger Than
Fiction.
Fiction.

lost"
In these words William M. Jacobs,
chief conspirator, epitomized the most
gigantic counterfeiting plot ever un-
earthed by our government. Cn the
day he uttered them he was captive
felon; only the day before he was
known to his fellow-townsmen in Lam
caster, Pa, as q prosperous cigar
manufacturer. His chief .comrade in
wrong doing was a neighbor, William
L. Kendig, manufacturer on a small
er scale. Jacobs was the capitalist
Of the plot, but man of meagre in
ventive faculty and poor address; Ken
dig was born executive, genius IN
resources, and had the gift of soft
approach" like a cat.
During the Christmas holidays OF
1897 a clerk from the sub-treasury
at Philadelphia appeared in Washing
ton with five s1OO silver certificates
bearing the visnette portrait OF Pres
ident Monroe. The weak color OF
the red seal on their faces had aroused
his suspicion. All the experts WHO
scrutinized them, however, pronounced
them perfect except as to the seal, and
it had been about decided that they
had been stolen from the government
bureau of engraving, when one of the
notes which had been stepped in hcs
water by Mr.. Moran of the secret SER
VICE split in two. Microscopic exam
ination then showed that the green
ink, soluble in acids, had been washed
from the backs of two 81 notes; that
their faces. being printed in a per-
manent black inl,' had been shaved
down or peeled off; and that the
face and back devices of $l00 certitl-
cate had been printed on the cleaned
surfaces, and the thin pieces stuck to-
.gether with rice paste. These excel
lent notes were counterfeit.
A circular of warning went at onca
to the banks, and every sub-treasury
was ordered to ship to Washington
all the S100 Monroe-head certificat::;
it had on hand. oWhen these came in
3 number were found 10 bear the tell
tale seal. The possible magnitude Of
the fraud gave the treasury chill;
and Secretary Gage sent for John E.
Wilkie of Chicago, journalist who
had done some shrewd detective work,
appointed himi chief of the secret SER
vice, and babe him win his spurs by
running this affair to earth. That was
in February, 1898; the last person
sentenced for connection with the
crime went to prison a few days ago.
The story of the four years patient
campaign I shall try to give in out.
line. ~ z kfss.r
alaggad aphg "a e notes
proved that the plates must have been
made by photo ching. helped out oyl
handIwork, a process which experts
agreed could have taken not less than
fcurmonths. The Oldest ofi;the3 collh-
terfeits discovered had been redeemed
in June, 1897. Allowing month Tor
their circulation before redemption,
they must have been issued in May;
ard four months for their manufac-
ture would carry the date of begin
ming them back to January.
Armed with this logic, Mr.. Wilkie
took a trusted subordinate with him
to Philadelphia, the chief seat Of the
fine engraving industry in America,
and the city where the false notes had
appeared in the greatest quantity.
They pretended to be about to open
a high-class printing establishment,
where they would need engravers
skilled in lathe work, and capable Of
copying vignette portraits for bonds
and checks. This started gossip in the
craft, and Mr.. Williie soon heard of
18Eorl29 men who were deemed COM
petent for such employment. Among
: them were two partners, Arthur Tay-
]of and Baldwin s. Bredell, who struck
him as. being worth knowing, for their
friends had laid wondering stress on
the fact that, though young and only
recently started in business for them
selves, they had suddenly, in January,
1897, dropped out Of their accustomed
hauntssS : Until April or thereabou.,
their:shopr had been closed much of the
time; but in spite Of that, both after
ward wore the air of prosperity, Bre-
dell buying fine diamond ring and
Taylor taking pleasure trip to Flor
ida.
Here. was a lead. surely. A watch,
was set upon this eccentric pair. and
for more than one year thereafter no
person entered or left their shop in Fill
bert street, and no package was deliv-
cred there, without careful note being
made in the reports sent nightly to
Washington by the watchers The
shadowing was unremitting. and it
soon became plain that the firm was
perfecting machine for paper-making
in a small way,
One day in June, 1898, Taylor left
the building with gripsack for the
railway station. A detective followed
close in his footsteps. and when Tay-
lor bought a ticket for Lancaster his
follower did likewise. They rode in
the same car, and at their destination
the officer saw his mai meet Jacobs
as by appointment and hold a long
private conference with him.
What use has q respectable cigar
manufacturer for "crook" engraver?
This question buzzed in Chief Wilkes
brain; for some hours after reading
that days report. Then an idea oc.
Cured to him. He wrote to an agent
in Chicago to ascertain what tobaccon-
ist there dealt in Jacobs cigars, and
to purchase a. few boxes for him. He
put the revenue stamps under the mi
croscope, and the connecting link was
there. His agent. on his orders. in
spected 200 boxes. There was not a
genuine stamp in the lot!