The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1903-09-15
MONEY!.
Pennsylvania COnvicts Alleged
Making Spurious Coins.
The Fact Was Discovered While InVes-
tigating Gross Irregularities in the
Cigar Department of the East
ern Penitentiary.

Philadelphia, Sept 14-Following
closely upon the exposure of gross ir-
Irregularities in the cigar department of
the eastern state peltentiary came
| the public announcement Sunday
night that the illegal coinage of mniOr
silver pieces has been carried on by
cOnvictS in the big institution. No de-
tails of the counterfeiting scheme can
| be learned from any of the officials
connected with the prison or from the
government officers that have been as
signed to the case. The fact that such
a daring scheme had been carried on
in the penitentiary was made public
by George VauX, jr., one of the prison
inspectors, who summoned newspaper
men to his home and voluntarily made
the disclosure.
He gave out brief statement which
is as follows: DIR. w. D. Robinson
and Mr.. Vaux, jr., who are at present
the visiting inspectors on duty at the
eastern penitentiary, made the state
ment that there has come to their Off
cial knowledge that within a short
time an attempt has been made by GER
tain convicts now confined in the pen
itentiary to manufacture counterfeit
silver coins. But a few pieces were
made and a number of these have
come into the possession Of the in
spectors together with the metals and
chemicals used, the attempt thus being
nipped in the bud. The evidence in
the case is not yet complete but all
that has been secured has been sub.
mitted to the United States authori-
ties"
Mr.. VauX refused absolutely to give
any more details than contained in his.
statement. From other sources, how
ever, it was learned that dimes, quar-
tiers and half dollars were the coinSa
manufactured. The discovery was
made several days ago and United
States secret service officials were i'm
mediately called in. Their iuveStiga-
ton, it is learned, is still in progress,
their principal object being to learn
whether there was collision between
the convicts and employees of the in
Stitution
II Is OSIlCNSO Tic OiSCONSty vi COtIll-
terfeiting in the prison was the result
of the investigation now being car
ried on in the place as a result Of the
Irregularities in the cigar department
The irregularities became public mat
ter last week. and pending an investi-
cation Warden Daniel w Bussinger
and the Overseer of the cigar depart
duty and the penitentiary placed in
charge of Rev Joseph Welch, the
chaplain. 1t is alleged that thousands
of cigars made by convicts are unac-
counted for. that thousands of them
did not contain the internal revenue
stamps and that in many instances the
law requiring prison made cigars to be
stamped Convict made" was ignored
How long this has been carried on is
yet to be learned. The government of
the penitertiary is vested In a board
of five inspectors appointed by the gov
ernor who serve without salary This
board is now making an inspection of
each branch of the institution and has
employed an expert accountant to go
over the books. IN addition to this the
internal revenue officers are carrying
on a separate investigation.
Dr. William D. Robinson. one of the
inspectors, in speaking of the affair,
said that the inspectors have not
found anything that initiates against
the personal integrity and ability of
the warden. but had found abundant
evidence that the old methods so long
in vogue are faulty and antiquated.
Warden Bussinger has been permitted
to engage an accountant to protect his
| interests in the matter of his accounts.
BALLPLAYER BADLY INJURED.