The San Francisco call., 1908-12-27
By A. L. DRUMMOND, FORMERLY CHIEF OF


she knew-hcr husband among others This is
necessary. Women do not live for themselves in
the sense that men do, and their histories but
patcnwori made up from bits OF the records of those
who know them well.
Early in Octber. 1871. David Kirkbridc was
rested at the old Hudson river station at Thirtieth
street and Ninth avenue, New York city. In his
pockets was $1,000 q counterfeit $40 In chas-
ing counterfeters what is wanted much their
bad money as the plates from which the bills
printed. So Kirkbride was promised immunity if
he would tell the source of his supply. He named
David Keene, wholesale liquor dealer who lived in
1I7th street, near Second
A few nights later secret service operatives OF
whom was one started with Kirkbride to trap
Keene Kirkbridc was given 81, 500 in marked money
with which to buy $4,000 in counterfeit He
to go to Keene's house. ring the bell, enter make
the DEAL pay out his good money fer the bad, leave
the house and then go back in half minute and ring
the bell as if he had forgotten something The ring
ing the door bell the second time to be his signal
that he had the counterfeit and Keene had the l500
in genuine notes Then as Keene opened the door,
were TO rush in, overpower and arrest him.
A man named Newcomb and were assigned to lie
from escaping when the other officers in the
front way After climbing FIVE alley fences reached
our positions-not a moment too The back door
opened and a lamp that the kitchen table sent
OF. triangular shaft OF light into the darkness.
Kcene came out passing within few feet OF me,
lifted up large fat and took out tin cashiers
box Returning the house. he closed the door after
him and we knew negotiations had begun.
In half an hour heard the front door close and
iase he drinO he
When Kcene came the door kirkbride had time
only to say. oh Dave wanted o-and the officers
rushed past him and made the arrest
Keene knew instantly he had been betrayed but he
did finch and he did talk, except to answer
questions In the house found large amount OF
excellent counterfet-the celebrated old Poughkeep
sic tens" and St. Nicholas 'twos"-but only $i450
of the goo1 money Krl6bride had paid. We looked
high and low for the odd fifty dollar bill, but couldn't
find it. keene insisted that he didn't have any more
and finally explained that Kirkbrde had paid him
only Sl,450. Then stood Kirkbride up and finally
found the missing fifty tucked into the folds of his
old fashioned made up" necktie.
Again we promised immunity to get the man
higher up" And that brings US TO the woman whose
life is the thread upon which the events in this
rative are strung. Keene said he got his counterfeit
from Harry Cole.
Harry Cole was OF the remarkable men of his
day. Keen shrewd resourceful and secretive he
had all the qualities that go make up successful
OF his type. In middle life he had married
widow with six chidren-"Dutch Eva" she called
merely because she German-and for years they
both peddled counterfeit along the Erie canal So
far as | know she would have been good woman if
she had married the right kind of a man. but, doliz-
ing Harry she did, she evidently thought whatever
he did was right and helped him. They clever
and prospered. The Erie canal soon became too thin
field for them. They felt their power and wanted
an opportunity extend themselves. So they came
to New York
In New York Cole bore the relationship to
the counterfeiting business that a great merchant
does to the manufacturers who make the things he
sells He didn't make any counterfeit, but he distrib
uted it on big scale He was jobber selling to
retailers, and his deals were with who could af
ford take from 81 600 to $4,000 at time And
while he traded in big bills, Eva his wife, dis
tributor of counterfeit fractional currency. Their
home was III Eighty-fourth street
When got ready TO take Cole put UP the
same kind of job on him that we had put up on
Keene Keene who had been betrayed by Kirk
bride, along to buy his liberty by turning
traitor to Cole. With 81 500 of marked money that
had been given him he bought $1,000 counterfeit and
Cole and his wife both arrested before they
could realize what was happening
Cole took his arrest calmly. Eva was panic
stricken. Her Harry was in jail! He might soon be
in the penitentary! She might be with him. for that
matter, but she did not TO think of herself Her
whole anxiety was t. get him out of the tolls. And
straightaway she began bargain In her forgetful-
of self it appeared to her that information
desired pertained to the identity of the maker
Of her counterfeit fractional currency. And the
words tumbling out OF her mouth so fast that
we could hardly have stopped them had we desired.
TON Condon's the Let Harry off, and I'll
help you get Condor and his plates" Little did she
realize how small her fractional currcpcy affairs
as compared with the famed Poughkeepsie tens" and
their maker.
The next day Cole, quaing before prison SEN
,of