Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1910-10-23
In Act Of Grinding Oul Nj
caFaguan Currency
IN 4 CHICAGO, I'LL. PLANT
According to the Story
Gathered by Detectives
Promoter of the Scheme
Chose This Way to Collect
Debt from Nicaragua.

Chicago. Oct 22.-Three hundred
thousand dollars worth of counterfeit
Nicaraguan five-peso notes, freshly
printed, was seized, and the printer
who made them, the engraver who
made the plates and the man charged
with securing their manufacture were
arrested by Captain Porter of the
United States secret service and his
operatives today.
The notes had only been printed,
not having the "officiaT' seals and
number impressed. There We're 150,-
coo notes, each of five pesos. worth
approximately 81 each in American
money, and signed by F. Baca, ad-
vocate general; ]. Madriz, eel presi-
dente,' and F. MayOrgaz
The men arrested are: George B.
Williams, president of the printing
company bearing his name, charged
with printing the spurious notes; II.
n. Secrest of Tampico, Mexico, ac-
cused of being the promoter and hav-
ing the notes printed, and Richard ].
Trumbull, manager Of the Guarantee
Engraving company of Chicago,
charged with having made the cop
per plates from which the paper is
printed. These plates were taken from
the presses where they were being
used at the time of the raid.
Williams declared when arrested
that he thought Secrest was an Of
ficial of the Nicaraguan government
and the the work was legal Trum-
bulls plea was similar.
The story of the counterfeiting plan,
according to the secret service men,
is as follows:
Secrest, a planter of Tampico, Mex
leo, had been loaning money to the
Nicaraguan government and was un-
able to get it back because Of a short
age in the currency and funds Of
the republic. Upon the public an
nouncement that the government
would duplicate the 1910 issue of five
peso notes similar to those of 1909,
and relieve the stringency, Secrest
seeing a chance to profit Hlegitimate-
ly, came to the United States.
Failing to make arrangements in
another city, he made a canvass Of
Chicago, and upon his representation
that he was an official from Mica
ragua, the Williams company, through
its president, agreed to print the
paper The same representation, ac-
cording to Trumbulrs story, was made
to the Guarantee Engraving company,
which agreed to furnish the plates
A lookout tip to the secret serv-
ice operatives from the first city Sc
crest is reported to have visited, en-
abled the Chicago operatives to keep
a close watch, and today a watcher
at the printing plant saw the three
men in conference. Captain Porter
and his men hurried to the big north
side plant and captured the three as
they were leaving the building.
Big bundles of printed notes and
twelve copper plates used in printing
and copy of the official seal of the
Nicaraguan government were taken
to the federal building. The officials
brought from the offices of the print
ing company two bona fide notes Of
the 1909 issue, from which the en-
gravers are alleged to have copied
the plates for the counterfeits.
United States Commissioner Foote
continued the case against the three
until next Wednesday. Secrests bond
was fixed at $4,000, Williams at
$4,000 and Trumbulrs at $500 Both
Williams and TrumbulI furnished
bonds