The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-23
Charge of Counterfeiting Yene-
Zuelan Dollars Is Placed
Against New Workers..
CLAIM MADE SIMPLY
OF ANTICIPATED SUCCESS
Men Accused Declare That This
Was Just Method Of War
Financiering.

NEW YORK. Aug. 22.-On charge
of making dies TO counterfeit the stand
ard silver dollar of Venezuela to finance
revolution in that country. secret
service officers today arrested Capt
| George Boynton, former resident man
| ager of the Orinoco corporation of Ven
ezuela, and i. NJ. Thomson, an attor-
ney, both of this city. Both prisoners
were admitted to bail in $4,000.
Joseph Keller and Sidney Keller of
Keller Bros, diemakers, were also ar
rested in connection with the case.
The two principals in the case aver
that the plan TO duplicate Venezuelan
money is nor counterfeiting. Later, af
ter the revolution proved successful,
they said, it was expected to legaJize
tbs issue of money, both by executive
decree and by act of the Venezuelan
lunta, The accused men characterize
this plan as q 'war measure. They
also allcge that half of the South Amer
lean risings are similarly financed
SO important did the Federal author
tics regard the arrests that Chief Will
kie of the secret service came over from
Washington to be personally on the
ground when the men were appre-
hended.
Interesting Story.
The story of the arrests and facts
leading up to them are interesting. Ac-
cording to Chief Wilkie, Capt. Boynton
came to New York in June last to
finance and lay the preliminary plans
for revolution against President Cas-
tro. He had with him an authorization
which purported to bear the signature
Of leading revolutionists appointing him
special commissioner to America, with
power to do practically anything and
everything necessary to get the move
ment started.
Capt Boynton, it is said, has been for
years the local and resident manager
or the Orlnoco concession, capitalized
at $5,ooO,ooo, and controlling practical
ly the entire Orinoco dett. it is
charged that when Capt Boynton came
to New York in June to get the alleged
revolution on foot he undertook to put
In operation a plan similar to that
whereby the revolution against Dom
Pedro in Brazil was said to have been
fnanced-that of getting dies, buying
bullion and turning out what silver coin
was necessary. Later, if the movement
proved successful, the issue could be
legalized; if unsuccessful, no one would
were to be made of the same fineness
as those regularly coined by the Gov
ernment.
Held Out Inducements.
In some way Capt, Boynton met Law
yer Thomson, an old acquaintance, and
interested him in the revolution The
Captain said he wanted to find a man
who would advance 100000 with which
to buy the silver bullion. To such a
man, the Captain said, the sum of $50.-
600 would be returned if the movement
against Castro proved successful Law
yer Thomson had difficulty in interest
ing men of means, and finally ap-
preached some men described rs sport
ing men, One of these called to see
Chief Flynn and talked with him about
IL. There is a Federal law protecting
the coinage Of other nations. and Chief
Flynn decided TO investigate
The two men, if convicted, may be
sentenced TO FIVE years imprisonment
for attempting to counterfeit the coin
Of a friendly power.
Later in the day warrant was sworn
out against the two Kellers, at whose
establishment other dies were found.
They were arraigned before Commits
sioner Ridgeway and held in $500 cash
bail for having the counterfeit dies in
their possession. They furnished bail