The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-02-05
,~V%~~ST~~S--

the course Of an investigation into
the management Of the eastern
\ Pennsylvania prnitrntinry. it has
developed that coin rountrrfpilin2
was one OF the industries engaged III
by some or the prisoners. The amaze
mrnt with which this Information was
received hy the prison investigators
might have been less marked had they
been familiar with the prison history
or the country.
Despite the rigid regulations. OK
tremc vigilance and most excellent
management under which our penal
institutions are conducted. there is
hardly Il prison OF any size in the
United States which has not been
compelled TO bear the record OF III
least one such ease.
In most instances discovery and sup
preston overlook the daring ENTERPRISE
in its infancy. bringing only disaster
to the Offenders. y few cases nra of
record, however. so cnnnin.ly planned
and cautiously carried out that they
roach beyond The confines OF the prison
before detection.
In March. 1898. Will COnnOrs and
Jack Monroe. while working their way
from Colorado to their homes in Hi
noiS. formed The acquaintance mt .lef-
fcrSon city. Mo-. OF Charles Lewis, n
negro who had just completed a ten,
years term in the prison there and was
about to board Il freight train bound
for 81. Louis. The trio got into the
same car Lewis had his pockets fun
IA njt ~ IT..
paniOnS that for tllc year previous hr
had been II 'truSty." and during that
'lHi" WAS nj liberty to 90 to any part
"l the prison. He hauled tho freight
t" and from the station every day.
lhr trampS were discovered and put
OFT the train ut thamois. Mo. Here
Lewis discar1Hu the clothes furnished
nm ny the pHiSOn authorities and pur-
chased now outfit. giving in part
payment some Of the counterfeit coins.
At Hermann hc sent Il telegram TO u
friend on Rapd0lph street. ST. Louis.
charging him not to open n box that
he bad srnt by express until lhS arrival
there. AZ Washington Mo-. as waS
Lbs custom in each place. he passed a
f"W or the bogus coins and left town.
Followed by Connors anu Monroe.
s5Tiir or his victims raised an alarm
and the town marshal went in pursuit
or the trio. They captured tho two
Whtc men, but the negro escaped
When Informed OF the true situation
and learning Of the telegram sent from
hermann. the marshal wired to 81
Louis and the officers captured Lewis
ut the randolph street house and sc
cured the box shipped from jefferson
city. finding several hundred c0un
t"rfcit coins and Il complete outfit fOI
their manufacture. Lewis confessed
to having made the couEtcrfcits in the
prison.
While the authorities at Jefferson
City were busy Investigating Lewis
statements word was received from
Folsom. CAL. of the discovery OF Il
coin mill in lis prison. COnvictS $
toync and Brown were caught i'm the
act of making bad nirknls in the en-
Ginc room of the institution One
OF the guards supplied the plaster Of
paris with which tho m0ldS were made.
and the coins were manufactured
from hahbit metal taken from The en-
gincs used to haul freight about tho
prison yards.
The following winter two inmates
or the Mississippi States prison we. @
detected making coins. A number of
molds and several cigar boxes full of
the countcrfcits OF different dehomi.
nations were found Sccrpted about the
place.
The concluding chapter in the his
tory of the famous Philadelphia Inn.
caster cOuntcrfciting conspiracy, how.
over. established a record for criminal
operations within q crime e-punishing
institution. This last act Of the Drin.
cipals IN countcrfc.ting undertaking
the mammoth proportions Of which
at one time threatened the safety of
the country's currency, and promised
If successful, to involve men high in
the Governments service, was more
startling in daring than any before
and marked fitting climax to a prob
lem more difficult of solution than any
which the secret service Of the Govern
mcnt has had to deal.
On tho -JH*t day Of April. 1900, q
counterfeit $40 United States note was
discovered in Il remittance at the Phil
ndclphin Sub.Trcasury and forwarded
to the Secret Service office ut Wash
in%ton. Upon examination. the bill &
, dangerous counterfeit, was found tt
. bear many of the haractrrsticS OF Tho
remarkable counterfeit 500 "Monrot
head silver certificate. for the making
OF which Arthur Taylor and Baldwin
. Brndcll were in Moyamcnsing prison
, | awaiting sentence
For several days these imitation So
notes tnrifed mp with alarming frC
+ QucncT, and the best efforts Of tn
2 Government office were put forth +
ObtnM n clrw TO the guilty parties
, On the morning Of May i the CIT
Trust Company found one Of the coml
tcricits in their cash, which had bccl
deposited by the Goodyear Rubbr
Company. At the latter place accrc
| service operative was Informed tha
The note came from Il bicycle dcalc
, ! nanlpl DDnlpyV Mr. Doplnyv,c eli