Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-12-21

BENJAMIN BOYD.
greenback variety issue of March 10,
1862, which notes had had wide cir
culation, thanks to the energy of the
men with whom Mccartney was in
league.
But this IS another DEPRESSION ex.
cept as to the settlement of McCart-
ney in Nauvoo, this act having result
ed in the establishment in Nauvoo of
headquarters for a prolific gang of
"coney" men and women. Pete" AIo-
Cartney in 1864 had married Martha
Ann Ackerman, whom he had Srst
met in Cincinnati several years befCre.
She was the daughter of an old Ger
man counterfeiter whose widow With
her two daughters had lived in Cin.
cinnati for several years. Martha w97
pretty and extremely skillful in ths
printing of counterfeits, her father
having employed her in that WORK
when she was as young as II years
of age.
The Mccartney band at Nauvcc hal
gained gradually in numbers anG thu
extent of their operations since Pete
had settled there. and among his con-
federates was DR.. Milton Parker who,
at the time l was detailed to the
Boyd-Driggs case, was in an eastern
penitenitiary for counterfeiting. But
Mrs. Parker continued to live 10
Nauvoo and was a handsome and IN.
telligent woman. There also lived
at Nauvoo a counterfeiter named
Louis Sleight and his partner, John
Frisbie, known to the secret service IS
the leaders of the "Sleight and Fris-
bic" gang. Knowing full we'll that
nearly all the western counterfeiters
of note at one time or another visited
Nauvoo, | determined, in the absence
of better or more definite clews, to 20
to Nauvoo and look around. 1t DID
not take long to discover that briggs
had been making visits to Nauvoo,
but, so far as could be learned, tho
magnet that had drawn him thither
was the beauty and charm of Mis-.
Parker rather than any business plans
he might have been working out iu
connection with Sleight or the other
members of the counterfeiting band
that flourished in the historic Nor.
nor settlement.
This was the first tangible clew that
had been uncovered in weeks Of
search through three states, and | do
termined that it was from the rest
dence of Mrs. Parker in Nauvoo that
Trio chpulH bn
From further cautious inquiry at
Nauvoo | found that briggs had re-
Gently made a visit to Mrs. Parker
and on leaving had gone ostensibiy
to Clinton, la. Familiar as was
with the manner in which such Grim.
inals as briggs bought tickets for un.
intended destinations, doubled on
their tracks and went to great pains
otherwise to throw the secret service
men off their trail, | decided to 80 to
In the latter part Of June, 1878, IN
elderly man and his wife, a good
looking woman many years younger
than her husband, made their appear.
ance in Clinton and rented two
houses. The man gave the. name of |
j. X. Watson ana told the men with |
whom he negotiated for the houses
that he was a retired cattle /
raiser, lie was n Scotchman. dark /
Of rather heavy physical |
mold, ana wore a full beard. lie \
dressed as well as or slightly better /
than man in his alleged vocation 4
would be expected to dress. His gen. .
'ral demealor tended toward the
ianct!mOniOus. lie often attended I
'hurch and was fluent at prayer ana /.
n religious discourse. Funds he had 4
70 plenty, ana be gave substantial eyi
!ence Of his business soIidlty by de.
posting $4,000 In the Clinton bank
ITu iis Continued