The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-04-15
ECLIPSE BIDWELLS
Japanese Counterfeiters Are
Believed to Have Received
Aid From Abroad
WILKIE VISITS KOBE
Finds Evidence of Cooper
alton Between Philippine
and Asiatic Swindlers

ana AS1dIlC OWlI1QlCIS
Investigation carried on among the
branches Of the Asiatic banking
houses in San Francisco brings out
many additional details of the scheme
exploited IN The Call yesterday by
which financial institutions in the Orient
were plundered of more than $780,
100000 by counterfeiters established
In Japan. and shows that the operations
of the gang virtually extended over
every quarter of the Far East.
When the Bidwen brothers were
planning their historic raid on the
money bags of the Bank of England
they counted upon cleaning up some
thing like a million pounds or fvs
millions in American money.
RAID of THE BIDWELLs
When the "Old Woman OF Thread
needle street finally came to the re-
the signatures of the Rothschilds and
the Barring Sseeflessa~vus~being printed
by George and Austin Bidwell. with
the assistance OF their accomplices. Ed
ward Noyes and George Mcdonald. she
made hurried examination OF her
Golfers and found that the American
crooks had swindled her to the tune
=
a stupendous forgery. and the Pinksr-
tons were petftioned to Join forces with
Scotland Yard and disturb the fasci-
mating lives OF Incidence that the Bid
wells and their two partners were
making for In the West Indies and
other exotic quarters OF the globe. But
that was N 1873.
The operations OF the Bidwells were
childs play in comparison with those
OF the still undiscovered gang OF note
forgers.
KOBE GANGS EXTENSIVE WORK
The Kobe gang, for example. was
not satisfied with plundering the
Russo Chinese Bank in Manchurla, the
Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Cor
poration in Shanghai and the Imperial
Bank in Hongkong. While they were
making these three big corporations
cash their counterfeits they were also
flooding Korea with spurious Japanese
paper notes and shipping other con-
signments of their nade-in-Kobe ware
to Manila and other parts OF the Philip
pines. Some Of their bogus banknotes.
1t develops. even journeyed farther over
the Pacific and found their way into
San Francisco. where they were seen
and admired by Chief wilkis OF the
secret service upon his recent return
from the Orient.
wILKIE LEARNS OF FORGERY
wiIkie went to the Orient for the os-
tensible purpose OF probing American
counterfeitfng in the Philippines. 1t be-
came known yesterday. however. that
he had dual mission and had an ink
ling into the gigantic swindling that
the banks In the Orient were suffering
from before he left the United States.
wiIkie, representatives OF the Oriental
banking-houses in San Francisco be-
Iieve. came into possession Of this In
formation when some OF the bills sus-
pected to be counterfeits arrived from
the Far East and were submitted for
inspection to the American Bank Note
Company. Other counterfeits were be-
ing submitted for inspection at the
time to the Bank Of England experts.
While en- route to Manila wilkfe
stopped OF at Kobe and Nagasaki,
which were then regarded as the head
quarters Of the counterfeitsrs flooding
Korea with spurious Japanese bank
notes He also had conferences with
the secret police Of Toxic on his war
home.
wflkie found enough evidence while
in the Philippines to convincs him that
even though the counterfeiters OF
American money in the islands and
the counterfeiters Of Oriental bank
notes might not belong to the same
gang. they were in a measure asso-
cfated in disposing OF their product
wiIkie. in fact. thought 1t was not un-
likely that American and British coun-
terfeiters might be either directing or
rendering material aid to the Japanese
operators in and about Kobe.
RAIDS BIZ TOXIC POLICE
As many as dozen different raids
on the counterfeiters flooding Korea