The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1908-08-01

old boy, started III a wagon from
their homes near Hill Top, they said,
to pick peaches in counties to the
westward; they were in the habit Of
making trips abroad for one purpose
or another, and nothing was
thought OF it,
Blanchard is the same seductive in
dividual who gave straightforward
performances in Harrison some time
since in connection with the moving
picture show; and John Willeoekson
several years ago worked here at
the Jersey mill,
AT Hindsvile, in Madison county,
this party bought a wagon sheet,
and paid for it in counterfeit coin
the character of the money was dis
covered after they passed on, and
the merchant telephoned to the
Sheriff, who nabbed them at Hunts
vile. Deputy L. S, Marshall Bry-
ant took DIR. Blanchard and Will
cockson before Commissioner Will
liams, at Fayetteville, and Sent the
boy home with the team. They
were held to the October term of I,
S. Court, and in default of $50
bail each, were sent to jail at Fort
Smith.
Learning the particulars of the ar
rest of Blanchard and Willcoekson,
Deputy L. S Marshal Hiram Suffer-
field, accompanied by W. A. Harp,
went out to the home of Blanchard S
father Monday. The story OF their
discoveries there are fully told in
Marshal Sutter6eld's testimony be-
fore Commissioner W. f. Mitchell
Wednesday, which we give in full
below:
About seven months ago my at
tention was called to the fact that
considerable counterfeit coin was
in circulation in this section. Coun-
terfeit fifty cent pieces were given me
by Druggist Clark, the Fair Store
and the Peoples Bank, For about
two months | have been suspecting
DR.. l.. W. Blanchard, of Hill Top,
and last Monday morning when |
learned Blanchard had been arrest
ed, | proceeded in company with W.
A. Harp to Hiram p. Blanchard S
residence on Hill Top, sixteen miles
south of Harrison,
I'VE arrived there about o'clock
p. m, and | asked for permission to
search the premises, which was
granted. Down stairs we found in
DR.. Blanchard's desk, bills for Ger
man silver, pure silver, brass, copper
and other metals. Also fifteen Or
twenty pieces of unfinished coins, in
boxes. Then | went up stairs and
found about twenty-five more unhn-
ished coins.
That night we went to an old
house 200 yards from the Blanch-
ard residence, and found there
small portable forge, a crucible
cup, about fifteen blanks for making
twenty-five cent pieces, and drop
hammer weighing about 40 pounds
with fall of 2 feet, evidently used
for stamping the coins by means of
steel dies
THE next morning July 2Sth, we
went back to the residence OF H. p
Blanchard Both he and his wife up
to this time had denied any knowl-
edge of the counterleitlng. We made
another search, finding several more
pieces of metal and unfinished coins
1--WE remained until 2 o'clock, i'm
pressing the old couple with the fact
that the crime would come to light.
and that it would be well for them
to confess their knowledge of the
counterfeiting, and turn in every
thing. Finally the old gentleman
agreed with me he would do so, and
went out with me in a cornheld near
the house, and dug down under a
hill of corn. and got a sack of the
spurious coins, dollars, half-dollars,
quarters and dimes, amounting to
about $3.50. He asked me to go
with him next to the stable, where
in the manger, under an old gum, he
dug up two sets of molds and three
sets of dies; he said he had buried
them and the money himself We
then went to the old house near
there where they had been operat-
ing, and where we found the forge,
etc. He said his son, Dr. Blanchard,
had told him he had buried some of
the molds under a potato hill, and
after considerable digging W. A.
Harp dug up a set of dollar molds
with a dollar in them
IL then asked him to make a writ.
ten confession, and he stated as
follows:
II. p. BLANCHARD'S STATEMENT.
81 am the father of DR.. L. W.
Bladchard, and the molds, the ma
terials. and the unfinished coins that
have been found, and that have been
delivered by me, were the property
of my son. The coins dug up by me
in the presence OF Marshal Hiram
Sutterheld, as well as the molds dug
up IN the stable, were buried by me
TO he'p my son concegl them, in or
der that should he le captured, the
less such things fo,n on the prem
49, . ~ 49, =. At-..tH L. e L..