Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-12-07

three alleged counterfeiters, who We're
arrested by secret service men in
Revere, Friday, were arraigned before
the United States commissioner in the
federal court, yesterday morning.
All pleaded not guilty, and were at
once ordered to recognize in the sum Of
$4,000 EACH The hearing was con-
tinued until next Friday. The prison
ers were not able to furnish bonds, and
so were detained in the prisoners cage
in the United States marshal's Office
Late, this afternoon, they We're taken
to Charles street Jail.
A confession by John Davis, who is
said by the secret service detectives to
be the leader of the counterfeiters cap
| tured in Revere, on Friday, convinces
the officers that they have unearthed
one of the biggest gangs of bad money
makers ever caught.
| Davis was captured in the house at
ISL Prospect avenue, Revere, by a
posse of secret service men. Among
! the captors were half a dozen members
of the New York force and Capt John
Flynn, who is in charge of the United
States secret service in that city.
| Davis confessed to me Immediately
after mis- arrest that he was engaged
in the counterfeiting business" said
| Capt. Flynn. 1T was an old story as
far as he was concerned. He has been
arrested many times, notably in Eng
land, where he was accused of forging
bank of England five-pound notes. He
peached' that time and secured the in
| generation of his confederates, he
himself escaping.
"He will not escape this time, for we
do not need his evidence.
I'm our eight months hunt after the
gang which has operated in New York
and Boston, producing very fine imi-
! tation of national bank bills, we have
learned many things. The evidence in
our possession is such that we require
TO evidence from any members of the
gang
| Secret Service Agent Murphy, who is
! in charge of the Boston district ar
raigned the three men caught in
Revere, Friday, before Commissioner
Hale, yesterday morning. Each were
not able to secure bondsmen and We're
committed to the Charles street Jail,
until Dec. IL. when they will be given
q hearing.
| Two of the seven men ARRESTED in
! New York, Benjamin Farber and
! Harry Stein will be brought to Boston,
to be tried with the three now here.
| These two will be accused with hav-
| ing carried the product of the Revere
/ plant to New York for circulation.
| The three ARRESTED in Revere, John
Davis, Joseph Bounenblitt and Moses
| Novak, undoubtedly operated the coun-
j terfeiting plant by which the seven
confederates arrested in New York
about the same time were supplied
with spurious currency. So far as the
secret service agents have been able
/ to determine, the seven arrested in
New York, were not engaged in the
actual making of the bad bills.
| The notes which We're printed and
! circulated were of 50, SIS and $40 denom-
! nations. The secret service men de-
clare that all of these bills were issued
from the Revere plant.
| SO careful were the counterfeiters in
| initiating actual banknotes that they
procured paper upon which the bad
bills were printed from the Crane
| Paper Company of Dalton, Mass,
where all the paper used by the govern
ment for national banknotes is manu-
i featured.
1t is not claimed by the government
| that the counterfeiters obtained any of
the paper which is manufactured spe-
cfally for banknotes. This paper is
specially prepared, made in a separate
/ mill and most zealously guarded. 1t
is manufactured by a secret process
: known to very few. 1t contains the silk
threads which have all along been re-
garded as making the paper impossible
I; of exact imitation. Every inch of this
paper produced is accounted for wheth-
err it turns out good or bad.
/ The paper which the counterfeiters
obtained was of a different sort It
was produced in another mill and was
made especially for corporation bonds
II was not limited to use as is the
, banknote paper, but is on the market
where it may be obtained by private
corporations as well as by town and
city governments and railway com
panies.
! 1t was through a sale of three reams
of this bond paper that the secret SER
vice men were able to unearth the
counterfeiters.
For months, the detectives said, yes
terday, the New York branch of the
secret service had been suspicious Of
the gang. They had nothing definite in
the way of evidence, however. on which
they cared to venture an arrest But
they watched the different members of
the gang day and night.
The dozen or more men assigned by
Chief Wilkie of the secret service to
watch the New York men, systemized
their work so that about every move
ment of all the men was known. The
detectives followed them everywhere.
One of the men was seen to 20 into a
paper store in New York and buy some
blank paper. by Detective Ritchey. The
man went to an express Office and
shipped the paper to III. Frankel, Bos-
tom
This was the name gwen by Moses
Noval1 when he hired the house on
| Continued on page 2.)