The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-08-27
HAD ONE MILLION
SPURIOUS PESOS IN
A LITTLE TRUNK
coUNTERFEITER CAUGHT WITH
THE GOODS ON BY FED
ERAL sLEUTHS.
VAS GOING TO MEXICO
Didn't Suspect Secret Service Men
Were on His Trail or He Wouldn't
Have Been in simpsonVille, He
Said.

4
LOUISVILLE, Ky. Aug 20
Dreams OF wealth which reflected theil
gaudy hues from a brass-bound trunk
containing 100000 in counterfeit
Mexican pesos were shattered for
John C. and Marion Roberts Thursday
when Deputy United States Marshal
William Blaydes arrested John Rob
erts in Shelby county with the money
in his possession. Since the hour of
the arrest there has been unraveled
in the customs house of Louisville and
in Central Police Station a tale of
attempted financial buccaneering that
puts into shadow some of the boldest
exploits in the history of counterfeit
ing.
Roberts, sitting in the Office of the
secret service bureau here cody said
that he would plead guilty at the
October term of the Federal Court and
seemed philosophic about spending
a majority of his years in the United |
States prison at Atlanta, Ga. He had |
played a bold game and failed, he
said. He could have been rich beyond
his dreams had it succeeded Now
he was poor and in the hands of the
sternest law on earth, but he laid
rather fattering JUNCTION to mis- soul
hat the scheme had been daring and
'omantic.
1t was through Marion Roberts that
he counterfeiters were apprehended
Marion Roberts some days ago ap- !,
'roached Louisville broker and made +,
lin the proposition that he dispose OF
Mexican pesos at high .
commission. The broker notified Chief
f Police j. H. Hanger, who at once
nlisted the secret service men and
ne trap to catch Marion Roberts was :
lid. Marion fell into it Monday and
nee that time the police and secret
ervice men have been extracting from ;.
i'm the information which led to the
escent upon his brother at Simpson :
lie. =
When Marshal Blaydes confronted
oberts in the hamlet in Shelby Coun-
the chief counterfeiter admitted
at he was behind the plan to dis :,
use of the imitation pesos through
broker. He showed Blaydes
brass-bound trunk, of the sort an.
rently especially constructed TO fig
e in romances, and this was filled
tn $1,000,000 in the crisp Mexican -
ties. ~
fol
Roberts is bulky man, weighing =.
use to $50 pounds and when he was
ought into Louisville his clothing
IS spotted and frayed with hard -.
ar. He said that he had manufac-
ed all the peso notes in this coun-
and that he had not intended to NJ,
'raud any one in the United States. -
i merely wanted to get rich," he -
d.
roberts is son of the late Judge
berts, once well known Louisville o.
lst His bond was fixed at Sic, 1000 -.
he at once waived examining
wol
.oberts said he would have been in 49,
xico with the trunk a week ago
he not been awaiting the arrival -
/ perforating machine and device n
numbering the bills. oon
Did you suspect that the Federal s,n,
,ers were after your" Roberts was uoi,
ed in the custom house Office =. .
+ had I'd never been in Simpson No.
," he replied, laughing. wit,
Ill Koenig, printer, was also ar how,
ed in connection with the case. ,ao,
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