Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-05-23
Misrellaneol1s Beading.
BURNS AND coUNTERFEITER.
Noted Detective Tells How He Caught
Charley r. UIrioh, Expert Maker Of
the Queer

Charley was, perhaps, the most verYa-
tile counterfeter that ever operated
The government itself adopted his
method of engraving a national bank
note, and has used it ever since. Up
to this time the government had been
engraving a complete plate for each
bank. Ulrich engraved only one plate,
leaving out the title line; he then en-
graved separately the little lines of
the different banks, and combined any
one that he wished with the plate of
the note. The government at once
utilized Ulrich's ingenious device.
"Ulrich came to this country from
Germany in 1853. He was raw young
German then, but a real artist He
was a gentlemanly fellow, and his
principal fault was that he was the
best counterfeiter that ever lived. Af-
ter he landed in New York he soon
became known as a very talented ar
tist. 1t was not long before his work
caused considerable comment among
steel engravers. They called him the
young Dutchman.' A counterfeiter
named Jim Colbert induced him to
engrave a state bank note, having
convinced him that there was a for
tune in 1t. Charley did fine work on
the note, but they were both caught
and sent to prison for a short term.
When Ulrich got out the Crimean war
was just on, and, falling in with some
English recruiting officers, he enlisted
in the English army.
After a few years he returned to
this country, but the counterfeiters
soon got hold of him again. He finally
went in with a fellow named Jimmy
Courtney, one of the smartest fellows
in the business. Charley became ac-
quainted with Jim Courtney through a
couple of German girls, Kate Gross
and Mary Braun, both criminals and
associates of counterfeiters. He set
right to work and engraved a 500
note plate, printed $4,000, gave the
counterfeit bills to Kate Gross and
Mary Braun, and told them to go out
and pass them. The girls acted like a
couple of fools. instead of travelling
about, getting the bad money changed
for good money in various places, they
stopped off in Philadelphia and
bought $4,000 worth Of bonds from a
woman named Emma Cole, who was
the wife of the famous Dutch Cole,
a notorious counterfeit promoter. Mrs.
Cole deposited the entire $4,000 In
counterfeit notes in a certain bank in
Philadelphia.
"Of course, when the notes were
discovered to be counterfeits, they
were traced as coming from this bank,
and from there to Emma Cole, who
admitted that she had bought them
from Kate Gross and Mary Braun.
After the girls had been caught and
locked up they promptly confessed.
"Ulrich was tried and sent to the
penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, for 10
years. He was a model prisoner, and
he was allowed to have little shop
in the prison yard. One day he pick
ed up an old circular saw blade In
the yard and engraved on 1t a por-
trait of William Allen, who was at
that time the Democratic candidate for
governor. It was one Of the most per-
feet portraits ever engraved. When
Ulrich had been in prison for seven
years President Hayes pardoned him
through the intercession of the war
den, Colonel Innis, who thought 1t a
shame that such a clever artist should
be shut up. Innis then set him up in
an engraving shop in Columbus.
Il was a boy living in Columbus
then, and used to watch him go up and
down the street, for I'd heard his his
tory and it fascinated me. At times /
used to go over to see him, and little
dreamed then how much 1 was to see
Of him later. Charley left the coun-
try and went back to Germany. This
was in the early sos. While there he
opened a bogus commission house and
a large amount of goods was consign-
ed to him to be sold. He sold the
goods and kept the money. He told
me he got together nearly 100000,
and was just about ready to leave
Germany when they got onto him and
sent him to prison. His wife returned
to this country, settled in Cincinnati
and took in washing to support her
family.
Our government had determined to
keep an eye on Charley, and the Ger
man government had promised to let
us know when he was released. But
they failed to do so, and Charley came
to this country unannounced. Then,
when we got world was in the SER
vice by this time-that he was among
us there was scurry to locate him.
Schuyler Donnella was the man who
did it. He was watching Mrs. Ulrich's
movements. One day she did not go
to work as usual. She excused her
self later by saying that her husband
had just come home. Donnella found
this out and reported it to Washing
ton, and l was picked out to go to
Cincinnati to work on Ulrich.
II went to Cincinnati and found out
where he was living. There happen
ed to be a little fiat for rent directly
across the street. About the 1st Of
November Mrs. Burns and l moved
our unpretentious belongings into the
fiat. The next morning at 4.30 l was
out with my working clothes and din
ner bucket, all ready for the eyes Of
Charley and his wife. l went down
he street about two blocks and around
the corner, and was thus disposed Of
for the day for the Ulrich neighbors.
But came in the back way, changed
my clothes, and watched for Char
ley. When he came out l went out
with him-by the back way.
Charley and his wife watched me
each morning as l went to work, and
Mrs. Burns watched them.