The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-07-16

| 0eIectlVe naIlOnaI urrency-OeteCJlNe
| from the artisans viewpoint.
The eastern and weste rn crowds oper-
/ ated largely each for itself without the
| help Of the other but the resources OF
| the east were drawn on when the west
] ern cOunterfeiters needed a new plate
or material not obtainable in their own
I bailiWick, and the fasteners frequent
" came west for similar accommoda-
lions. "Coney" f1oated in the east was
frequently traced to the Mississippi
valley, or farther west, and some Of
the most troublesome inita tioDs we
ever had to deal with in the west We're
the handiwork of eastern artisans.
With this explanation I will take up
another thread in the story of The
BOscObel Koniackers."
Some time before my story opens. A .
L. Drummond. chief secret service op-
erative in charge of the New York di-
vision, had run across plates for the
manufacture Of scrip which he had
traced to the hand of Kale Ellis,
western product and as desperate
counterfeiter as ever lodged the secret
service. Drummond and w. w. Ken
noch, another operative. both had been
sailors, and. through furnishing infor-
nation to revenue officers concerning
certain smuggling operations had been
appointed customs officers in New
York. From this work they went into
the secret service.
Woods was then chief of the serv-
Ice, and had sent Drummond to Wis
conSin to hunt down Ellis. the maker
of the scrip plate. Drummond caught
up with his man and Ellis fled, with the
secret service officer i'm close pursuit
The cOunterfeiter ran to the PecatOn-
lca river, plunged in and swan TO the
other bank. DrummOnd. seeing his
man escaping, fired at him In mid
stream, one of the bullets clipping away
the lobe of Ellis right ear. making a
mark of identification that became
known to every man in the secret serv-
ice.
In his fight Ellis had carried with
him the plates from which the scriD
was being made. and knowing he could
not be convicted unless the plates were
found in his possession, he dropped the
package in the river as he swan for
his life. With remarkable presence OF
mind, while bullets from the officers
revolver were clipping the water all
around him, Ellis mentally took such
accurate bearings of the spot at which
ne dropped the package that he was
able afterward to recover it.
He reached the opposite bank ex-
hausted. Drummond followed him over
and searched him, but found him
clean that is, without tangible evil
dence Of his guilt in his possession
Aware he could not make a case that
would hold in court against Ellis.
Drumlnond let him go. but not until the
counterfeiter had delivered this mes
sage for the benefit of all of US:
II any - - secret service man
ever again tries to take me I'll kin him
on sight"
Ellis was known throughout the serv-
Ice as man of great determination
ana disregard of consequences when il
came TO keep his own skin whole. and
MS sworn threat to Drummond made
hlm man TO be feared unless We took
MN unaWares. I was compare lively
young in the service then and very am
Dltious. L decided that as Ellis was ia
my territory, and as he was a Darticu-
larry dangerous customer. besides hav-
ing escaped from one of the best oDer-
atiVes in the department, it would be
much TO my credit if l captured him.
ana at the same time would rid the
pubic of n sagaCiOuS counterfeiter
by systematic piping" and the Use
OF stool pigeons" 1 learned in the early
part of 1875 that Ellis was one of a
band of "cOney" men who were running
of big issue Of scrip in the town of
Boscobel, i'm the central western mart
of Wisconsin.
Despite the studied and artfuI secrecy
OF the counterfeiters il is true that sell
dom was Il big issue of "coney' foated
without the secret service having some
lnlimation of the forthcoming event.
Inc showing of an issue was ALWAYS
preceded by the absolute retirement of
the manufacturers and the mysterious
activity on the part of the dealers. In
other words. the coming event got into
the wind. and, while we may have had
no definite knowledge whatever. we
could scent the approaching issue i'm
most cases by keeping in touch with the
men who We're always under
suspicion IN this case it was learned
mat Napoleon b. Latta a wealthy
French farmer living fifteen miles nom |
BoScobel had contracted with the Ellis
crowd for all the "Coney'' they could |
furnish of a certain standard. OF excel |
Ience- We even got so far into the Sc |
rretS OF the "cOney" men as to learn
mat Latta was to pay 50 cents in geuu- |
me money for each dollar of represent /
alive currency. which. by the way. was /
an unusually high price. as the market 1
quotation in those DAYS for good /
Iuality of ''coney" was II cents on the
dollar.
In the spring of 1873. therefore. I went
% Boscobel. Registering at the hotel
Under a false name and from small
own IN missouri, / kept pretty much
% myself and out of sight In order
o keep the landlord from becoming
nquisittve. as the landlords of hotels
n small towns are prone TO be. / asked |
nm number or questions concerning
ne opportunity FOR successfully loan
nS money on farms in the vicinity.
These questions had the desired effect !
II preventing others from asking me
lstSstfons which 2 might arouse s,,s
'icion by not answering.
In the engraving department OF the