The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-19
.C. M. MOONEY IS GIVEN SEVEN YEARS Must Also Pay 5000 Fine for
 Counterfeiting FALL OF A BLACKSMITH Made Spurious NickIes and Dollars In Shop at Cedar Bluff-He Pleads
 Guilty on Two Counts
 of indictment.
FALL OF A BLACKSMITH

Anniston, November 1S.-(Special.) )-Upon entering a plea of guilty in two counts of an indictment against him in the fed eral court for counterfeiting c. McDavid Mooney of Cedar Bluff, Cherokee county, was this morning given sentence of seven years in the federal prison in At lanta and fined 5000.
 There were three counts in the indict- ment one for counterfeiting nickles, an other for counterfeiting silver dollars and a third for raising paper bills to higher denominations. Mooney denied this last count, though it is said by those familiar with the facts that he was equally guilty in this count as in the others, but the district attorney consented to nolle prosequi on the offer of the defendant to plead guilty to the others.
 Mooney has the appearance of man of more than ordinary intelligence, and is said to be skilled mechanic. The particulars of his crime and the detection of 1t furnish a very interesting story, and are about as follows:
 Mooney lived at Cedar Bluff, where he conducted cabinet, blacksmith and gen
 
 for which he was able to command a good price; but he conceived "get-rich- quick scheme, 1t is said and launched into the business of counterfeiting money. Being, as stated, a skilled mechanic he was able to employ his genius in that direction as well as in the prosecution of legitimate business.
 Molds were constructed for the coin ing of both nickles and dollars and bab bitt metal was employed as the stuff out of which should come spurious coins to facilitate the "get-rich-quick" scheme the poor man had fallen upon. The coins came and Mooney began to shove them on the unsuspecting public.
 But it was not for long. Mooney, it is said, passed three of his spurious, homemade nickles on Conductor McEach- ern of the Southern railroad by way of settling for transportation and that seems to have been the beginning of his de- lection, as from that transaction sus- picion was first directed to him and the work of catching him and bringing him to punishment started.
 These nickles were placed in the hands of Capt. J. M. Wright, agent for the United States treasury department at At lanta, and he began to hunt down the criminal.
 The officers went to Mooney's shop and searched the place, finding molds and metal galore, together with other things that furnished discriminating testimony against Mooney, and he was arrested.
 After his arrest by Captain Wright it developed that Mooney had showed two raised bills on a neighbor, Wyatt Wood, for $50 each. The bills were of the $10 denomination, but had been raised by an artful scheme to $50 each The trick Was cunningly done, and no ordinary man would detect the deception New and higher figures had been adroitly glued tection was practically impossible ex- cept by an expert. In fact MT. Wood had not suspected the bills which Mooney had passed on him until after Mooney was arrested on charge of counterfeitng, and this led to an examination, which disclosed the other fraud.
 Mooney was arrested about two or three months ago and has been prisoner ever since
 Moneys wife was present today when her husband pleaded guilty and was sen tenced. She wept bitterly over his fate.
 The business of the court was concluded at noon today and the petit juries were discharged for the term. The grand jury however, has not yet finished it's work but is expected to do so tomorrow morn ing, when final adjournment of the court will be taken.