Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
ANNIE. DoUG11ERTY
ONCE QUEEN OF The. COUNTEREEITERS

moment would not have banteringly ask
ed her where she got this gold piece. for
he was not at all suspicious. Francesca
became confused and her confusion made
the policeman suspicious.
An investigation showed that the gold
piece was counterfeit. 1t was likewise
found that the girls father was jeweler
of great skill. Never in the history Of
the secret service has counterfeit coin
been found that was as nearly perfect
as this ten-dollar gold piece There was
but one flaw in it and that was in the
milling. The edges of the piece of money
were slightly rounded where they should
have been at exact right angles with its
face. This flaw was accidentally de-
tected by Chief Flynn in handling the
coin, which he kept on his desk a
souvenir. Both the man and his beau
tiful daughter escaped conviction a
technically, but the secret service kept
them under observation for years. This
policy has grown out of a theory that
he who cOunterfeits money at any time
with any degree of success will do it
again before ne dies.
1t was three years after this that coun-
terfeit silver money began to appear in
great abundance in Brooklyn. Chief
Flynn had received number of speci-
mems of these coins and sat day
idly lingering a stack of them. Sud
the milling was defective on these coins
and their edges We're slightly rounded.
X 3
1t was the same defect that he had
recognized in the gold piece years before.
He would almost have sworn that the
former suspect was making the money.
He asked for a report on the Italian and
his daughter and found the former work
ing as a jeweler In Brooklyn, while his
daughter clerked in a store Francesca
was now seventeen and more beautiful
than ever. The secret service men pat
ronfzed her counter and sent others to do Sc
in the vain hope that she would pass bad
money on them. They Swallowed her
after work until she was finally sent to
silver dollar. They secured this coin and
sure enough it was counterfeit. The ia
Tiers house was raided and he was dis
covered in the very act of making the
counterfeit money. Both father and
daughter did time in Atlanta.
One of the greatest masters of the MAX
ing of spurious money was a resident of
Providence. r. l.. a man of culture. ele-
eance and refinement. For many years
he was in business for himself in Provi-
dence and stood high in the community
He was socially prominent, without any
bad habits, and when he was arrested
scores of his fellOW-tOwnsmen stood
ready to vouch for his integrity and go
on his bond. Yet he was proven to be
a counterfeiter of great skill and a passer
of bad money who was without a peer.
He kept his secret to himself and had no
cOnfederates.
The mans business was engraving and
he had many large contracts. including
at one time the work of two of the
Providence newspapers. Eventually his
business began to be neglected, however,
and he was known to be out of town a
good deal of the time.
Then II that the most pXcpllent1y
done hundred-dolIar counterfeit bills be-
gan to appear at Gravesend race track.
Amid the excited throngs who patroniZed
the bOOkmakerS at the track was one