The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-21
NOTE MAKERS
BEHIND BARS
Kentucky Counterfeiters
Are Held.
HEADQUARTERS In NEW YORK
Station Agent Resented Being
Called "0ld sport"
Wounded Dignity OF Railroad Man
Turned Up q Consptracy-De-
tails of the Plot Are

Louisville, Ky, Aug. 2o.-Flippancy
with a dignified station agent Of the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad and
dishonor among thieves. are RESPONSE
Bile. perhaps. for the loss Of what John
Roberts. confessed .counterfeiter, in
jail In this city. considered enough
wealth for any 100000.
John Roberts, arrested by Deputy
United states Marshal William Biaydes
in Shelby County. Virginia, was To-
Gated in his rural retreat because the
agent remembered that a 'lat guy"
mad called MIN "Old Sport upon ar
irving at the little kentucky town.
Marion Roberts. brother to John, fore
seeing possibilities in the 100 peso
notes John Roberts had made, finished
the treachery by stealing several and
Offering them to j. M. Fetter & Co.,
brokers. of Louisville. for disposal.
In the county Jail here. both Roberts,
who are sons OF a Jurist of this city
now deceased, admitted the downfall of
their plants to swindle Mexicans of
100000. The plates with which
John Roberts had the notes printed
are, he says. in the bottom of the Ohio
River. will Keonig, printer of this
city. who was engaged to print notes
from the plate, Is free on q small bond
because the secret service agents be-
lieve him to have been a dupe.
The Anal touch in the carnival of
fraud which Marion Roberts had pro-
jected, came today when dispatch
from New York announced that the al
legged headquarters OF the gang" In
Wall Street was occupied by firms of
unQuestioned repute. and that Marion
Roberts's representation OF such head
quarters to w. q. Osb borne. a broker
of this city. was as imaginary as were
the values OF the worthless notes his
brother had printed In q hut near Har-
rods Creek. this county.
Studies Mexican Notes.
John Roberts. At work AS an M
gineer on one of the Mexican railroads,
noted the money of that republic ana
decided that the notes could easily be
counterfeited. He went to New York
1--WE years ago, and ever since has
been at work upon his plan of initial
Ing these notes.
Two months ago, his plans perfected,
John Roberts came to Louisville anu
In the farm house near the city which
Marion Roberts had rented, he began
the work OF printing the pesos.
When q million had been struck of.
John Roberts destroyed the plates and
sent the notes in a brass-bound trunk
| finish the job of numbering and perfo-
rating them. He followed the iranH.
and alighting at the station. called the
station agent "Old Sport" waving MIN
from the trunk and declaring that he
would attend to 1t himself. The sta
ton agent remembered the man. and
when Government agents gave him q
description yesterday OF John Roberts
readily directed the officer to Roberts =
abode, where the counterfeiter waa
caught with the goods. admitted MS
part in the affair.
Yet, had 1t not been that Marion
Roberts, overjoyed with the artistic
money" his brother could make, APP
preached the Louisville brokers with
the plan to counterfeit everything from
railroad bonds to American gold cert
hcates. John Roberts declared that. In
a week, he would have been in Mexico
djsposing of his imitation values - the
people OF that nation.
Tonight the trunk with the fraudu-
| lent pesos Is in the hands of the Sc
eret servic.. men. Marion and John
| Roberts are in the county jail under
| 81. 900 bonds each. and the entirs plan
| is shattered.