The St. Louis Republic., 1903-12-21
Served Seven Years Rather Than
Reveal Hiding Place of StO-
len Government Plate.
WILL BE FREED WEDNESDAY,.
William Brockway Has Resisted
All Efforts tc Entrar or
iiribe Him Into Giving
Up His Plmnder.
REPUEI.i,. SPECIAL.

REPUBLic SPECIAL
Trenton. y. j.. Dec. 2D.-Past three
score years and Ten. for more than half a
| century regarded by the police one Of
| the cleverest counterfeiters in the world.
and for seven years successfully resisting
! the Secret Service officials in their efforts
| 20 wiring from him the knowledge of his
latest crime William L. Brockway, on
| Wednesday next. will complete n ten
years sentence at New Jersey State
| prison.
| He will then be at liberty if he pays
| S1.O0o fine II he does not pay 1t he will
stand committed for an indefinite period
unless he avilils himself of the poor con-
victs' law.
Brockway has actually served little
more than seven years in prison. He was
sentenced in 1895 on the charge Of having
uttered d siOD bill and $500 United
States bill. and si0O note on the Bank
of Montreal. He was arrested with Doc
tor .Adolph Smith. Libbie Smith and 9TH
ers. Doctor Smith died before being
brought TO trial. and the others were i'm
prlsoneo for varying terms.
Secret Service men and experts declared
that the $500 bill which brought about the
conviction of Brockway and his associates
had been struck from a genuine plate
stolen from the Government. For the re-
covery of the plate or absolute knowledge
that # was destroyed. the Government
has ever since been tempting Brockway
with bribes of freedom and other reward
and also seeking to trap him into some
betrayal Of the secret He has refused all
overtureS and has resisted every scheme
to wrest the knowledge from him. The
Government also has spent thousands of
dollars digging for the plate in the sands
of Long Island, where 1t was believed it
vas hidden at the time of the discovery
Of the counterfeiter's fraudulent publica-
tion of the valuable die.
SECRET JEALOUSLY GUARDED.
At the time Of the trial Brockway was
told that the Indictment would be nolle
of the plate. He refused He was again
appealed to after he had been in prison a
few months. and again he refused.
When Doctor Clark of Chicago was
convicted on charge of counterfeitinS |
in this State. an arrangement was made |
gain the confidence of Brockway and |
learn the secret CT the missing plate. He |
was assigned to the same cell In the |
prison and for two years he tried in vain |
to get Brockway to disclose the hiding |
place of the much wanted cast. |
When Philip Gamer. said to be Brock |
arrested and sent to prison he. too. was |
promised freedom if he could get the in /
formation. He also failed, as did a Gov |
ernment detective. disguised as a criminal |
for two years and former detective con-
victed of crime and promised pardon IL he |
could get the secret
The former detective once declared /
Brockway had told him the story but he
was not believed, because he would not |
disclose his information when his pardon
was frst placed In his hands.
Rrockway has been counterfeiter since
1859. He studied chemistry at Yale and is
an expert electrotyper and engraver He |
can make counterfeits so cleverly as to
deceive the most expert. He was first ar
States bond for $4,000, and a Treasury
certificate for $4,000. A sentence OF thirty
years was passed. but he was pardoned
two years later. He was arrested later for
forging Morris and Essex Railroad bond
for large sum and for other crimes of a
similar nature.