East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-07-05
.CDUNTERFE|TERs
TELL FINE STORY
COON SAYS HE WAS
AN INNOCENT MINER.
Mrs. Mary Bastian. Who Sheltered tn,
COnmerfeiters, Is an Amiable ola
Lady of Good Reputation in the
Comnrmttty-Coon Says the Coin
Stamp Mas Piece of Mining Ma
chinexF.

Hauling wagon loads of apples over
the rocky roads that lead to the termi-
nil fthe railroads striving to make
a jointure in days when this wing of
the inland empire, by reason of its un-
settled vastness gave poetic license to
pen-pushing romancer of the period
to dwell upon facts or fancy Mrs.
Mary Rastian became a fixture in the
hills beyond Huntington says the Ba
ker City Democrat.
She piled her trade and traffic with
out hindrance. ani those who came
in contact with her had a good word,
bought her product and passed on.
Since the railroads were bound to-
geuher, some two decades ago, her
operations have been confined to
farming and fruitgrowing and the
peddfing of truck in and about the
Gate city, as Huntington is called.
But new crowd OF romancers has
come into being and the license which
they take has lost all OF the poetry
of yore. One of the contingent of yell
low fabricators had had the hardihood
to picture this old woman as Queen
of the counterfeiters."
Doubtless the secret service men.
fired with a desire to ascend the lad
der of fame and acquire an added sti-
pend filled" the journalist who per-
petrated this hoary hoax and the type
writer finished the tale.
The bald story OF how this intrepid
amazon has maintained a hacienda In
the Huntington highlands, of how
through her cleverness and cunning
she has protected one Coon and his
con-making cohorts produces among
| those who know her an equine ella
tion, otherwise the horse ha-ha.
To make a fitting climax she is now
pictured as eluding the governmnet
sleuths, taking strides through por-
tions ftwo states as If she were en-
dowed with NEUROLOGICAL genil traits.
She and Bud Butts are badly wanted.
Word from Huntington yesterday was
to the effect that she couid have easily
been found and in fact was about
there since the bagging of the makers
Of phony money.
In the meantime the gang which the
sleuths of Uncle Sans service have in
| Jail at Portland have commenced to
doing the denial stunt and from a
'ncws" point of view it begins to look
as If several mistakes had been made.
| Coon maintains that he was pros
pectinE in the mountains, and the ma
chincry which the government officers
claim was used for the manufacture
of spurious coin is some used In con-
nectiOn with his prospecting work and
| in the manufacture Of jewelry at odd
| times.
II have not been making counter
| felt money" said he. "None OF those
arrested or accused of being members
of gang have been engaged in coun-
| terfeitlng that I know OF. 1t is simply
case of where a man once convict
ed Of such a crime Is watched by the
government officers and pounced upon
again whenever a crime is committed
that they think he might have been
connected with.
1.-THE machinery which the officers
found on the ranch was not intended
for use In the counterfeiting bushes
and It was never used for that pur-
| DOSe. no HlOllty was tNtl
made by me or anyone else on that
ranch. That Is a mining country up
there and have been engaged In do
ing considerable prospecting while
working upon the ranch. The ma
chinery found was used in connection
with prospecting and mining work
and in the manufacture Of jewelry. I
am a jeweler and matchmaker and do
work In this line at odd times.
"I have known all the time that l
was being watched by a disguised Sc
cret service man. He didn't know It,
but knew him the moment he came
on the ranch, and / have known all
along just what he was there for and
what his every move was. To say the
least, ] would have been a fool to try
to make counterfeit money knowing
that a disguised secret service man
was working with me and spying up
on my every act. The government
men have made a mistake this time.
will be able to clear myself all
right"