Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-05

copyright. 1905 by Marion G Scheitlinl
(Continued).
1t was during the wanderings follow
ing Thomas Billiards. first arrest and
while the reward of $4,000 was hang
ing over him, that he and his two
brothers came west and took up their
residence on farm near Clear Lake,
Ia. They assumed the family name Of
Watson, and, naturally, fell into assoc
citation with the counterfeiters oper-
ating in the northwest. They became
acquainted with the Boscobel and st.
Paul gangs, and with Frank Conway,
which fact accounts for the frequency
with which encountered the assumed |
family name Of the Billiards. while try
ing to identify the man who had been |
arrested in Vandalia. The St. Paul con-
tingent of counterfeiters had In their |
possession, 1t was afterward found, the |
Poughkeepsie and Peakskill plates that |
had been made in the east by Ballard |
and had issued money from them.
There was no evidence that the Bal
lards accomplished much in the line Of |
producing "coney" while in the west. |
ton to the fact that from this point
any credit accruing to the secret serv-
ice for the ultimate discovery of the
engravers and producers of the $1OO
Wilkesbarre, Boston and New Bedford
bills should be bestowed on A. L.
Drummond and other operatives in the
eastern division of the service. In the
west we had first found the bills, de-
termined beyond doubt their eastern
origin, showed the connection between
Conway and the Billiards. and indicated
that in Conway's associates while in
the east the secret service would prob
ably find the producers Of the bills.
AS I have pointed out, the Billiards.
had given Conway credentials when he
started east which, with his arrest and
conviction for horse stealing, was suf-
ficient to satisfy the eastern contingent
that he was safe man with whom to
"do business" / had carefully pre-
served Conways testimony at his
Springfield trial, in which he told Of
his places Of residence and some OF his
movements in New York, and forwarded
them to headquarters, although Con-
way probably had no idea that the in
formation he gave at that time would
be of any value to us. 1t proved how
ever, to be of much service to the east
ern operatives in unearthing the crowd
| that issued the bills which Conway had
showed" in the west.
There were In the United States In the
year 1879 but four men capable of pro-
ducing such high-class plates as those
from which had been printed the $100
bills received in Chicago from several
western points. These were Charles F.
Ulrich, Benjamin Boyd, Thomas Bal
lard and Charles H. Smith. Each OF
these men possessed distinctive style,
which was familiar to the members Of
the secret service who had made these
things the subject OF long study. Ill
rich's method was to lay before him a
genuine bill of the issue he intended to
counterfeit and laboriously and as faith
fully as possible copy 1t on steel.
Boyd was the inventor and sole owner
of process whereby he transferred by
the use of acids a reproduction of the
genuine bill on to steel plate, after
cutting the plate by the lines trans
ferred. Ballard used the copying proc
ess, but his work was much finer than
Ulrich's, and had a distinct character
under the microscope. Smith was at
that time an engrayer in the employ Of
the United States treasury department,
and his work showed clearly the dis
tinctiye character of government en-
craving. Boyd was in prison, and the
work on the bills was apparently not
that of Ballard nor Ulrich.
For some time the secret service Off
GERS had had pretty accurate informa-
ton of the operations of the band to
which Smith belonged w. E. Brock
way was the leader of this crowd and
enjoyed the distinction Of beiag the
first man who used the electrotpye
process. He was also fine chemist
but Smith did the engraving For years
Smith had been employed by the gov.
eminent in engraving plates for cur
rency and bonds, and his character was
supposed to be above reproach. l dc
not know how he became entangled
with Brockway. The third principa
member of this crowd was James B
Doyle, who owned 600-acre farm neal
Bradford, Ill. Doyle had brother-in
law named Thomas shotwell, who was Q
counterfeiter.
Through shotwell. presumably, Doyle
had met DR.. Parker, Louis Sleight ant
other welhknown western counterfeit
ers, and had made trip to New York
, where he had formed the business con.
nection with Brockway and Smith
!, When he came west he brought with
him some Of the same bills we were try
ing to trace. Doyle's visit to New York
had been reported to headquarters by
| the western division and he was