Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-09-21
FORMER CRIMINAL
WEEPS AT GRAVE
towa's Most Noted Counter.
feiter, George Woolsey,
Revisits Old Home.

ASAee1, 0SOISe WOOlSey,
Revisits Old Home.
Clear Lake. Ia.-Love and reverence
for the dead brought to this city re-
Gently one OF the most notorious char
acters the state has ever known.
Thirty-three years ago the little form
OF a daughter was laid away In tho
cemetery here. and 1t was the memory
of this one he owed which brought
George Woolsey back to the old haunt
1t was George Woolsey then and ha
is thus remembered by those who came
have changed, and now, under a differ
ent name. he owe around over the
northwestern state In the secret serV-
ice department Of the government. He
is now a gray-haired, ministerial look
ing man, who would be quickly picked
power.
Story Of Downfall.
Woolsey had a good time here with
some OF the boys he knew in the years
agOne, and he went over with them the
story of his life. In the hands OF the
novelist It would be adorned into one
Of the most fascinating stories. blu he
his life but to illustrate how easy it is
to get started on the downward path
n what heroic efforts 1t lakes to
right the wrong and to redeem the
loss.
The woolsey. the Ballard and the
Watson families were familiar in those
days. An entirely different atmosphere
surrounded Young American life in
those days, for it was largely the day of
the rough pioneer.
Become Counterfeiter.
A Of these fellows thought
that they would immortalize them-
selves by becoming counterfeiters.
George Woolsey. because OF his bright.
ness and alertness, was the natural
leader. How many there were at that
time in this company or the families
represented Woolsey does not now
want to recall, but their rendezvous
was just southeast of the lake. Dow
under the hill they erected their shack
n surrounded themselves with all
the requisites possible for making
counterfeit money.
Move Quarters to ST. Paul.
This was the job of all jobs, III
George WOolsey was able to accom-
plish it. 1t. wasn't long before he had
Il confederate in Washington, and he
in his own way obtained lead plates
VT $50, $40 and So bills. These lead
plates were soon converted into mate
rial more substantial for printing pur-
poses and they were then right In the
manufacture of counterfeit money.
1t was not long until their quarters
here were too mail for their operations
and they went to st. Paul.
One OF the counterfeiters who was
With WoOlsey in these operations had a
brother who was doing time in the
state penitentiary in New York. Trou-
BILE arose between WOolsey and his pal
and they separated. 1t was about this
time that these counterfeiters had COM
menced t. make bills by the wholesale
and Woolsey now says that they had
about 50, 200, 900 on hand about ready to
put out. The government officers were
after them and Woolsey knew 1t, and
he feared that his pal would peach"
but he had grown fearless and was
ready for almost any emergency.
Pal Peaches"
In sot.,e way one of the secret service
men learned OF the rOubl between
Woolsey and his former confederate
He hunted the latter down, and finally
an agreement was made with him TO
give up the word which would lead to
the roundup of the entire bunch. This
mar was to receive full immunity; the
brother who was in states prison in
New York was to be given his free
dom, and the brother who was still with
Woolsey was to be allowed to go free.
The scheme worked and Woolsey was
~apprehended, arrested, tried and cons
victed and sentenced for a long term of
years. He was not destined to serve
he long sentence which had been
meted out to him. He came to him
self" and decided on another course of
life. The officials realized that he was
a valuable man If turned in the right
direction, and he had only served 13
months when his conditional pardon
was obtained and he was soon fou d
in the secret service.
Soon after Woolsey was sentenced
the others renewed their efforts in
turning out counterfeit money. About
one of the first jobs Woolsey did was
to corral those who had been offenders
with him, one of the number being the
one who had .'peached" on him. Wool
sey in the years past has been engaged
in a humble of important adventures,
but his identity as George Woolsey,
once a Clear Lake resident, is never
known.
He found the grave OF his little
daughter in Evergreen cemetery, and
while there is no marble slab to mark
the resting place of the dead, on the
sod a teardrop fell and the reformed
counterfeiter, one Of the shrewdest and
bravest OF his day, went back to his
daily task.
To a Hopping Toad.
Now softly doth the hopping toad