The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-07-16
CURRENCY FROM a CAMERA.
Two Alabama counterfeiters
"Print" Numerous $40 and SIS
Bills by Photographic Pro-
cess and are Exposed by
a Clever Barkeeper.
From, the MONTGOMERY Advertiser.

R. Clayton Hicks and jim Williams,
the young white men who were arrest
ed early yesterday morning charged
with passing counterfeit money, con-
fessed their guilt to Police Capt. W.
H. Taylor and were arraigned before
| United States Commissioner John A.
Elnore, who continued the cases
against them until Monday morning
at 10 O'Clock, and fixed their bonds at
S., COO each.
lor Hicks and Williams said they
resided near Centreville, Bibb Coun-
ty, where they conducted photo
graph gallery. After experimenting
in photogravure work, they said, they
reached the conclusion that by careful
photography they could make spurious
Government money.
Their secret experiments covered
many weeks, and when they succeeded
through the Photographic process in
counterfeiting several hundreds of
dollars worth of bills they left their
country home and proceeded to try
the homemade money on the city
folk. They were candid in telling Of
the success with which they met in
Montgomery, and according to their
statements numerous counterfeit $40
bills and IS bills are now floating
about the city.
When they were arrested Police
TAYLOR took from Hicks and Williams
several spurious bills. After their
confession they produced the genuine
bills from which the counterfeits were
made. The $40 bills were photograph
ed from a $50 gold certificate. The
IS bills were taken from a silver GER
tifcate. Each side of these genuine
bills was placed before camera and
duplicated on extra fine silk paper.
Then the two photographs were pasted
together so nicely that the bill had
the proper thickness and closely ap-
preached real money.
In the Photographic process the
color was slightly changed, although
doubling ones in receiving the bill of
exchange would easily have attributed
the soiled coloring to dampness or wear
of a purse. It was enough to observe
the perfect signatures of Ellis Il.
Roberts, Treasurer of the United
States. and j. ". Lyons, the negro
register of the treasury.
The counterfeiting was executed as
cleverly as is usually done by counter
feiters using plates. The Bibb County
men only gave their attention to max
ing $50 bills and IS bills.
When they had gotten together a
goodly bunch of these spurious bills
they left their Bibb County homes and
went out into the world to distribute
the money of their make and to have
good time. True they had real
money, for which they had worked,
but what was honest money to them
when\they had set up money mill Of
their own.
Reaching Montgomery R. Clayton
Hicks and his companion of the lesser
name began to distribute money. In
cidentally they took in the good
things that money will buy when Law
ishly spent.
They had suppers and things that
make "the pace that kills. and their
pace led them into the clutches Of the
rolice and their names are now writ
ten in Uncle Sans book, along with
Others who have heretofore tried this
game.
Last Friday night Hicks and Viii
liams rendered $50 bill in payment
of an account and the bill was sent to
a downtown bar room to be changed
into smaller money. The down town
bar room man is keen. He had seen
bad money before. He said nothing
about bad money or good money. He
kept his counsel for a time. Then he
telephoned the place from whence the
money came, suggesting that Williams
and r. Clayton Hicks be detained q
few minutes Next the keen whiskey
man communicated with Police Capt.
Taylor.
Taking two, or three of his trusted
men the police captain proceeded tc,
Bell street. When the fact dawned on
R Clayton Hicks and his companion,
Williams, that the police had discov-
cred the quality of their money they
showed fight. One of them attempted
togdraw revolver, but a big police
man suggested to him in the most:
emphatic fashion that this was not.
the proper thing to do.