The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-11
NINGER, THE PENMAN,
KING OF COUNTERFEITERS
BaffIed Secret Service Officers Fifteen Years and
Finally Caught by Accident
BY M. w. PRICE.

Washington, Sept. 10.-Chief WillSle
looked around the walls of his den in
the Secret Service Bureau in the Treas
ury Department and pointed to the
photograph of Emanuel Ninger. "He
was the most expert penman l ever
knew. or that the Secret Service Off
Gals ever came in contact with" said
Chief Wilkie, and then he declined to
talk further for quotation. because 1t
is the policy of the Secret Service new
err to do anything to display to the
world the criminal record of a man who
is apparently trying to live down the
black pages of his life.
Chief Wilkie was right. Emanuel
Ninger was the "Jim the Penman" of
real life. and in way the most re-
markable criminal of the age. He had
no extensive plants for engraving and
printing counterfeit notes, and his only
stock consisted of paper, ordinary writ
ing pens, pencils, red, green, and black
inks. With these he baffied the Sc
cret Service officers OF the government
for fifteen years, and was finally de-
tected by mere accident. The wet fin
gers OF a New York saloon keeper came
in contact with the ink upon one of
the freshly made bills of Jim the Pen
man." and the ink blurred. The fact
added to the suspicious of the saloon
keeper and led to the immediate arrest
of Ninger, who has served his sentence
and is a free man somewhere, no longer
engaged in counterfeiting the currency
of Uncle Sam. but always under sus-
picion by the organization over which
Chief Wilkie presides.
Finally Came 10 Grief.
It was in New York city in March,
1896. that Jim the Penman" of the
counterfeiting profession came 20
grief He started from his little home
in FIagtown, N. j., Saturday morning,
March Is, 1896. and had in his posses
sion six $40 notes and one $50 note.
which together were the product OF
fifteen weeks work. His wife and
four children did not ask him any
questions when he left home that
morning. He had been a mystery TO
them for many years. He forbade
them entrance to the room in his homo
I'm which he worked, and he said moth
ing TO anybody about his business. lie
had no confederates. and even his
wife did not have any idea what he
was doing.
Ninger experienced no difficulty in
passing five of the $40 notes. The sixth
one came near to getting him into
trouble He went TO John Weyman's
grocery store. on Third avenue, New
York city, called for a bottle OF whis-
ky, and gave the $40 note remaining
I'm payment Shortly after his departure
the cashier, in counting up her cash.
noticed the blurred condition Of the
number upon the note when II passed
under her moistened thumb, and
quickly realizing that something was
wrong, had an investigation made. BY
that time Ninger had gotten out OF
sight He walked rapidly down town
10 a saloon at 81 CORTLAND street.
There he got a glass OF Rhine wine
and a cigar and asked the bartender
to change the $50 note for him, stat
Ing. by way Of explanation. that he
wanted 10 pay of his farm hands. He
was accommodated, hastily gathered
up his change and hurried out. He
seemed 10 be somewhat excited, and
the bartender became suspicious and
took the bin from the money drawer
for closer examination.
Blarred BY narkeeDsr's Wet Fingers
IN doing - bis wet finger passed
over the serial number and the result
WAS che blur. Pulling on bis hat ne
started in pursuit ~ hIngor and found
him in fhe New Jersey Central Itaf-
road ferry house c0unting OYeF The