The San Francisco call., 1906-04-13
HAWKINS TELLS
OF BAD NOTES
Bill Raiser Confesses to
: q. S. Secret Service Agent
Hazen, duplicating Pal
RUTH TAKEN BY CRONIN
Landladies of Lodging
Houses Fall Easy Victims
to Daring Counterfeiters

The capture of Fred C. Ruth, in Los
Angeles yesterday. by U. s. Secret Service
Agent John F. Cronin by order or Agent
George w. Hazen. in charge of the office
in this city. breaks up what might in time
have proved TO be the nucleus Of a very
dangerous gang of note raisers, who make
small store keepers and lodging-house
keepers their easy victims.
Ruth is the pal of Henry R Hawkins.
who was arrested at 211 Taylor street
by police patrolman last. Saturday night.
AS soon as Ruth missed his pal he went
to the room occupied by them at the
Favorite lodging-house on Fourth street
near Howard. took their baggage out
and went to Los Angeles.
On being "sweated" by Hazen. Hawkins
made a full confession. sparing neither
himself nor his pal. He is q years old
and came to this city last year from
Minneapolis. In whose vicinity he had
been working as farm laborer. He said
that this was his first criminal offense,
and Agent Hazen believes that the state
ment Is true. Ruth is about 80 years old,
and had served with the Canadian Rifles
in the Boer war in the Transvaal. He
afterward earned his living as solicitor.
He came directly TO this city from New
Orleans.
After becoming acquainted here they
secured the county right to sell patent
window shades in Kern County, but the
people. being salamanders and lovers of
straight sunshine, would have none Of the
shades, so the pair returned to this city
almost penniless about the beginning Of
this year. Ruth worked for four days
in Purdy's wood and coal yard, 1916 Oak
street, and Hawkins got job in the Cali
fornia Bowling Alley setting up tenpins.
After they had accumulated a reserve
fund of 81 they went into the note raising
business, using genuine 81 bills and rails
ing them to the denomination of SO bills
by pasting upon them figures cut from
Confederate notes. They had passed four
teen at the time Of Hawkins arrest.
which calamity was due to the fact that
he waited too long for his change.
On Saturday night be went to lodging
house, 211 Taylor street near Turk, kept
by Mrs. LIE Clair, and rendered her a rails
ed bill in payment of $780, the rent Of
a room for a week in advance. She sent a
lodger to the nearest grocery for change,
but the grocer, who had been previously
warned by the secret service people
against raised notes, detected the fraud
and detained the lodger until the arrival
of a policeman, who placed him under
arrest. A hasty explanation followed, and
the patrolman went to the lodging house
and captured the astonished Hawkins.
The prisoner told Hazen peculiar Incl
dent. 1t was his and Ruths first ex-
perience in passing raised bills They
made their first trial upon the landiady OF
a lodging-house on Fourth street. Not
having change for the ten dollar note. she
sent her daughter to get 1t outside. Fear
ing detection, the counterfeiters, without
waiting for the girl to return, hastily
quilted the place. When they reached
their lodgings, Hawkins changed his
clothes so as to disguise himself, Ruth
having been the spokesman, and return
ing to the lodging-house inquired for Mr..
Hunter, his friend, who had just taken
a room there.
"Oh, that must be the gentleman who
went away without his change" said the
landlady- Hell be back later
Upon this hint that the coast was clear,
Ruth went to the landlady and received
the change, $3.50, the sum Of $50 having
been deducted for the rent.