The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-03-19
COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
TIE SECRET SERVICE AND sOALE
FAMOUS CASES.

W G-h AAA4L III uIV4nllE
TIE SECRET SERVICE AND SOME
FAMOUS CASES
The remarkable exemption. when COM
pared with the records of other coun-
tries I'm which paper money is in general
use. OK the people Of the United States
from counterfeit currency and false
coins is in great measure due to the
activity Of the secret service division of
the treasury department, says a Wash
luBton correspondent ST the New York
Tribune. The arrests by agents of tins
division ia the last fiscal year numbered
6i3. Of whom 253 were convicted. 106 are
awaiting the action OF the United States
grand jury. so awaiting action of court
s. acquitted, So ignored by grand jury
~ casses nolled and Ire same number
dismissed by United States commits
gioners-
-Four hundred and thirteen of those
arrested were natives Of the United
states IS OF italy, "a of Germany. Is OF
ireland ana the others of other nation
atties- New York state takes first place
with So violators. Missouri, A, Penn
gylvania. 45. Illinois, 49, Kentucky, 2si
Texas. 20. Ohio n, Georgia, 20. South
Carolina 90. Alabama. IS. North caro-
lima. IL, Tennessee. u. Massachusetts.
9. and with smaller numbers Tor the
other states
The character and amounts Of altered
and counterfeit notes, counterfeit coins
and imitation money ca ptured represent
value Of 946.u0o-S5 of paper money and
ely.a-94l of coins. In addition 10 these
there We're vast piles OF miscellaneous
advertising matter consisting of fac
smiles of confederate notes. labor ex.
change notes, Tennessee state warrants
missouri defense bonds. prints of United
States coins. old state bank notes and
ether fash" notes.
The United States has more paper
money IN actual circulation than any
olner country In the world and yet
cnunterfeiting is not carried on to a
very great extent. though the facilities
gre great. one Of the most ANNOYING
features which the secret service has
nad 70 deal with was the circulation Of
counterfeit pennies. This is phase of
petty counterfeiting which has affected
me principal eastern cities almost ex
ciuslNelE. Nearly "A year of patient work
81 tne part or the agents in the New
NIk ana Boston districts was finally
crowned with success. and q sixflIa.
e'ppersmlth, who had been resD0nsihies
j." Iiopaoly 80 per cent. of these coui-
.tllrlts circulated in the last four yeaf-
ms arrested prosecuted and sentenced
TO a term Of years.
while the makers Of spurious small
com give the secret service men a
s9l aeat on trouble il is the we'll ex-
f'A yea pankuOte bobbiug up in differ
ent parts of the country which causee
,iielH 10 spend sleepless nights shadow
ing suspects Tt is generally men Of
lnlrlhsence who place these on the
market ana they are careful in cover
Ing up their tracks. The ignorant nm
leItered c0unterfeiter is an easy mark
Tor the agents. One of the most Nor
le'l nand executed counterfeit bills was
made by a green Georgia farmer named
Wy bonnel, being a composition of
six shinplaaters. confederate money and
a section Of one dollar genuine green
"a' X 1hese were so perfectly wrought
t2setner as to make "a seemingly gen
uine $40 greenback. B0nnell also made
O quantity OF silver money. and was
getting rich when he got to be i'm
hihine too freely of his own OUTPUT of
illicit whisky and gave his counter
felting business away. He was sent
up fer five years. and said that when
he served his time he would devote
himself to the business of making illicit
whisky and let counterfeiting alone He
expressed the opinion that the govern
me1t was against an honest man MAX
Ing an honest living.
Perhaps no woman ever gave the
secret service department more trou-
bic than did Maud Elrod of Missouri
she added TO her accomplishments as
horse thief. r0bber and an round
crook that of cOunterfeiting. She led
the officers merry chase, and when
nnaliy caught at couuterfeiting she
managed to borrow young baby.
which SIZE claimed as her own. and her
Fnotherly devotion during her trial was
such as to win a verdict of not guilty
from he jury
Two old-time counterfeiters who
gave the treasury many a bad dollar
were the Johnson brothers. They OPP
Grated 10 number of states. made all
kinds Of bogus money. and were sue
ceSsful IN passing thousands OF dollars
on unsuspecting country merchants
and traders. Their operations extended
over period of more than eight years.
and the johnson gang" kept secret
service men on the jump from one
state and from one city to the other
The brothers were typical country
sports. and always dressed in the latest
fashion Of the day. After many months
Of diigent work the gang was finally