The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-23
$30O,0OO In Nicaraguan Pesos Is Captured By
 Secret Service Men
PRINTERS CLAIM ID BE
 INNOCENT OF WRONG
Affair Say They Considered Their Work to He Authorized Fly
 Nicaragua

Chicago, October 22-Three hundred thousand dollars in counterfeit Nicara- guan five pesos notes, freshly printed. were seized and the printer who made them, the engraver who made the plates. and the man charged with securing their manufacture were arrested here today by captain Porter of the United States se- cret service and his operatives.
 The notes had only been printed. not having the official seals or numbers im- pressed. There were 10000 notes each of nve pesos. worth approximately g each American money, and signed by F. Baca, advocate general: J. Madriz, .El Presidente,' and E. Mayorgax. They had not been cut from the large sheets. George Williams. president of the print Ing company bearing his name. was charged with printing the spurious notes; H. N. Secrest of Tampico, Mexico was accused Of being the promoter, having the notes printed, and Richard J. Trum- pull, manager of the Guarantee Engrav- Ing company of Chicago, is charged with haVlng made the copper plates from which the paper was printed.
 Ihese plates We're taken by the secret service men from the presses where they were being used at the time of the raid. A taxieab ride at high speed across tbs city, following tip" that A conference or the men engaged in the counterefit,ng was being held. enabled Captain Porter and his aides to reach the printing nlant Just as the conferees were hurrying away rom the building. They made no resist ahce when arrested, but Williams de- eiared he thought Secrest was an or,c,o, TOT the Nicaraguan government and tbat .he work was legal. Trumbull's plea was similar. Pie" was
 How Secret Leaked Out
 The story of the counterreiting nlan a, told by the secret service operatives and Whicn put them on sthe track of Secrest Is as follows: ". es'
 Secrest, planter of Tampico. Mexlco had been loaning money to Nicaragua ano was unable to get it back because oi a shortage of current funds in the lit- He republic. upon a public announre mont that the government would d,,nI,. cate Tor 1910 an issue of five pesos notes similar to those of 1909, to relieve inc nnancial stIingency, so the story goes secrest seeing a chance for profit. eams to the United States
 IL IS alleged that he went to a north Q place to have them printed.
 Then 1t is charged that he came to Chi cago. VI N'''7
 As result of the canvass of Chicago II is charged that Williams company through It's president, upon Secrest's rep- resentauon that he was an official from Nicaragua and that he wanted the Chi cago printer to turn out the official money Tor the republic, agreed to print the pa per. On the same representation. ac- cording to Trumbull's story, the Guar antee Engraving company agreed to fur. nish the plates
 The tip to the secret service opera tiyes from the first city Secrest is re- ported to have visited, enabled the Chi cago operatives to keep close watch on the Mexican and today when watcher at the printing factory reported the three men in conference, the wild taxicab ride or the officials and the arrest followed.
 Bad Money in Bundles
 Eight bundles of the printed notes. 12 copper plates used in the printing, and a copy of the official seal of the Nica- reguan government were loaded into a dray and taken to the federal building ana officials brought from the offices of the printing company two bona fide notes Of the 1909 issue. from which the en- gravers are alleged to have copied afhe plates for the commercials.
 The note bears a design offering little difficulty in copying, even for an inex- pcrienced engraver A backgrouud of orange, lines in simple. wavy design, bears printed in black type the words ..Repub- ltca de Nicaragua. 5 pesos and the names or officials of the government
 The United States laws provide punish ment for counterfeiters of American or, foreign coin or paper money the offense being having in possession the means of coin counterfeitlng or the spurious arti- cle. The penalty Is not to exceed five years Imprisonment or fine of s5ooo. one or both. United States Commissioner Foote set the cases against the three for next Wednesday. Secrests bonds were fixed at s1o,000: Williams at s5000 and Trumbulls at $500 Both Williams and Trumbull furnished the bonds
 Williams declared he had no thought that he was doing an illegal thing; that there was no attempt at concealment in his work. and that Secrest had told him the printing was for the present Nicara. guan government. Trumbull also protest. ed that he was innocent of any wrong