Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-09-16

i11S WAAC Ill IAACy oNOAQO1 WOSS "a
Grand avenue. The couple had no chill
dren, and, so far as could learn, they
lived much to themselves, so far as
their neighborhood was concerned A
shadow was placed on the house
and it's occupants. The police beat on
which the Thomas residence was 10
Gated was patroled by Officer Weigman
of the st. Louis force, most cOmpe-
tent officer. From him it was learned
that some time before peddler had
complained to him that the minister's
wife had given him counterfeit coins
for vegetables. This had happened
often enough to convince. even the
thick-witted peddler it was not a CO.
incidence, and he told his troubles to
the policeman.
The shadow" carried on his investiga-
ton in the stores in which Mrs. Thorn
as traded, and several instances of the
passage of bogus silver pieces were
found. l therefore decided some one
should be selected to gain the minister's
confidence, and almost as quickly de-
cided that the one should be Woods.
Before long the two were doing business
together, Sullivan having been the in
termediary. Woods and Sullivan
planned to go to his house on one occa-
sion for counterfeit money, but the
preacher objected to the place of trans
fer. He also objected to the plan of
meeting Woods in Bosses saloon, be-
cause the church of which he was pas
tor was SO close to the saloon that mem
bers OF his congregation might see him
entering or leaving the drinking place.
1t was arranged, therefore, that Woods
should attend night services at the Nor
gan street church whenever he wished
to make an engagement with the minis
ter, and they could select a meeting
place while the preacher Ostensibly was
exhorting the sinner Woods to repent
OF his evil ways and become Christian.
1t was one of these occasions described
In beginning this narrative.
Woods reported to me that he was
on such terms with Thomas that he
could secure "coney" from him without
delay at any place appointed. 1t was
still necessary for us to place ourselves
in position to corroborate the state
ments OF Woods, and in order to do this
there must be witness to one Of these
transactions. Woods was instructed to
make an engagement with the preacher
to deliver to him package of counter
felt money at the customary meeting
place near the Rock" church. and a
few nights after the meeting have de-
scribed in Grand avenue between the
preacher and Harry became wit
ness to one Of these deliveries, being
stationed so that their every move
might be observed.
The operations of the secret services
related up to this point had covered
months. was determined to do the
work so thoroughly there would be no
chance OF its coming to naught in the
courts, as SO many efforts to settle Old
Fred Biebush' had DONE Thielen, Sui
Ivan. Hargate, Evans, Mrs Welch and
the others we're Swallowed or ''piped," in
the vernacular of the department, with
some good results A continued watch
was kept on Bosses place. This sur
veillance, for one thing, resulted in our
catching Evans and the Welch woman
passing counterfeit money in small
amounts. / was thoroughly satisfied
this money came from dies made by
Hargate, and. for the purpose of prov
ing it, caused the arrest of Evans and
Mrs. WEIGH and tried hard to get them
to tell where they got their supply of
money. Although they were the small
est ducks in the Biebush puddle, they
stubbornly refused to give any informa-
ton whatever as to where their sup
plies came from. The system of pip
ing" also revealed the fact that Hargate
was handling rs and 50-cent pieces only
So far as the minor members of the
ring were concerned the net was being
drawn around them in satisfactory
way, but Biebush was still we'll outside
of it. The solution of this great diff
Guilty at last came through Whalen,
who after being enlisted on our side,
one day met in Bosses saloon stranger
from southeast Missouri. The two be-