Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-14
CONNECT GRIMES
WITH LOCAL GANG
DETECTIVES BELIEVE THEY
HAVE C0UNTERFEITERS
Three Men Arrested in San Francisco
Said to Be Makers of Spurious
Coin With Headquarters In
Los Angeles

Following the arrest of the gang of
men alleged to be counterfeiters, and
some opium smokers, supposed to have
acted as their assistants, in a house
at Central avenue and Thirty-nlnth
street Sunday morning, by Secret Ser
vice Agent John Cronan and Detec-
tives Boyd and Steele, the san Fran
cisco secret service agents arrested
Henry Radkey, Billy Walker and w.
III. Carol in the northern city yester-
day.
Through information received by
Cronan and the local detectives in their
raid on the suspected Counterfeiters'
outfit here, information was sent to
the northern metropolis that led to
the arrests there. Information was re-
celved by Agent Cronan, together with
telegram of appreciation late yester-
day afternoon from Chief Willtie, head
OF the western secret service.
According to the advices received
yesterday by the local officer, Radkey
and Walker will be charged with coun-
terfeiting and Carol with making and
passing fictitious money. 1t is now
believed that the San Francisco gang
worked in conjunction with the Los
Angeles men, and UP to a recent date
were a part of the gang operating in
this city.
Work Long for Capture
For some months secret service
agents about the country have en-
deaVored to capture this gang, but have
been unable to get their hands on it.
The gang is alleged to have worked
in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacra-
mento and other California towns,
and in every case their work had been
successful.
The first work OF the gang that came
to Los Angeles is said to have been
to raise 81 bills to $40 and coin nickels.
Several specimens deceived experts un-
til their attention was called to the
fine hand work. Cronan was told OF
the passing of raised bills by one of
the large banking institutions and set
out to locate the men.
Ultimately publication of the fact
that the secret service had taken no
tice of the counterfeiting prevented
Cronan from capturing the men sew
eral weeks previous to the raid. After
working under renewed difficulties the
agent located the gang on Central ave-
nue. and together with police detec-
tves raided the place.
Find Men in Opium Den
Henry Perason. Thomas Weller w.
II. Carol, d. 4. Latham and Bert
Preder We're the first men to be taken.
They We're found in the house Satur-
Gay evening smoking opium. Believ-
ing that there were more in the gang,
The officers waited until early in the
morning when Weller and Castro
had settled themselves in the house.
With the last raid the officers OBJ
tanned casts, matching outfits and
everything to Indicate that the men
We're implicated in the crime. Not
having sufficient evidence to convict
those captured in the first raid the
officers lodged a charge of inhabiting
an opium den against them.
AS soon as the information concern
ing the northern city branch of the
gang was obtained the local secret SER
vice men wired to San Francisco and
gave that Office a good clew Not un-
til Tuesday evening. however, were
the San Francisco police able to locate
the gang there.
Cronan. Capt, Flammer and the Off
GERS ON the raid Saturday night and
Sunday morning We're highly COM
mended by the head of the bureau in
San Francisco.