Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-09-22
FORMER CRIMINAL
WEEpS AT GRAVE
IoWa's Most Noted Counter.
feiter, George Woolsey,
Revisits Old Home.

Clear Lake, Ia.-Loye and reverence
for the G 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 the
cemetery here, and it was the memoir
of this one he loved which brought
George Woolsey back to the old haunts.
1t was George Woolsey then and he
is thus remembered by those VINO came
here in the earlier days, but times
have changed, and now, under a differ
ent name, he moves 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
out in a crowd as a mar of force n
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 ii would be adorned into one
of the most fascinating stories, but he
tells it, not as a triumphant feature of
his life but to illustrate how easy 1t is
to get started on the downward path
and what heroic efforts it takes 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 company 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. Down
under the hill they erected their shack
and surrounded themselves with all
the requisites possible for making
counterfeit money.
Move Quarters to St. Paul.
This was the job Of all jobs, but
George Woolsey was able to accom-
plish It. 1t wasn't long before he had
g confederate in Washington. and he
in his own way obtained lead plates
of $40, SO and 81 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 small for their operations
and they went to st. Paul.
One of the counterfeiters who was
with Woolsey in these operations had q
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 to make bills by the wholesale
and Woolsey now says that they had
about $4,000, 900 on hand about ready to
put out. The government officers were
after them and Woolsey knew 1t, and
he feared hat his pal would peach"
but he had grown fearless and was
ready for almost any emergency.
Pal peaches"
In some way one of the secret service
men learned Of the trouble between
Woolsey and his former confederate.
He hunted the latter down, and finally
an agreement was made with him to
Civ up the word which would lead to
the roundup of the entire bunch. This
man 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 Woolsey was
~apprehended, arrested, tried and con-
victed and sentenced for a long term of
years. He was not destined to serve
the Ion sentence which had been
melted out to him. He "came to him.
SELF and decided on another course of
life. The officials realized that he was
a valuable man IL turned in the right
directions, and nc he'd only served 12
months when his conditional pardon
was obtained and he was soon found
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 numbe being the
one who had "peached" on him. Wool
sey in the years past has been engaged
in a number 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, M Of the shrewdest and
bravest of his day, went back to his
daily task.