The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-31
CAUGHT IN ACT
Of MAKING So
C0UNTERFE|TS
Milton III. Lee, 81 Years OF
Age, Is Taken Into
Custody by the
Officers.
(Continucd from Page One.)

the floor The coin was stu too hot 10
be comforta bly, handled By ono NOT used
10 handling hot metal In The oid man
pocket was found Il small machine LOT
putting the milling on the coins
In closet Off this room were iounn
a small charcoal forge. and, bali ourlea
filled with molten metal. Beside II were
two small ladies. Here were iound TWO
dies made Of strips of copper ntled TO-
Gether and held by means OF ught lhnnnp-
screws One OF these dies WAS for MAX
Ing So coins and the other for limitations
OF $50 gold pieces. Both dies were wei
constructed and the So die was almost
In perfect imitation OF the government
die for So gold pieces. 1t was stll hot
when the officers found IT.
On table were found twenty 50 coins
that had evidently been made yesterday.
The edges OF the coins had not yet oeen
trimmed down. In a sack in the closet
were found sixty 50 coins that had been
trimmed ready for milling. None OF the
coins had been gold plated and no gold
plating apparatus was found In the room
Pieces OF babbit, tin: lead and other
base metal were found In the room
These were used In the melting pot 10
make the composition Of which the coins
were made. The coins were all oil the
proper size and the design was remark
ably exact However, the coins were
considerably lighter than the government
standard,
All the counterfeiting apparatus found
in the house was taken TO the office OF
the United states mashal and both Lee
and Wertz were taken in custody by the
officers. In statement to the United
States district attorney Wertz main
tained that he had no knowledge OF the
counterfeiting and had believed Lees
story that he was working on an inven-
ton until recently. when his suspicious
became aroused through Lees secrecy
II was about that time that Lee con
fided to Wertz that If he were caught
he would kill himself. This led WertZ
to report the matter 10 the authorities,
Wertz said that Lee had come to his
house In Donelson court on January
and had lived there ever since. Lee
said he was a mechanic and was work
Ing on an invention. which would ac-
count for the tools and the charcoal
forge.
Wertz and said that Wertz had nothing
to do with the counterfeiting. Lee 5
story varied considerably in It's details.
AT first he said that he had never done
Lake and afterward he admitted
having been engaged In the business In
other cities, However. he said this was
the first time he had been arrested. Lee
seven years ago, and had lived near
Fresno nearly all OF his life. Several
months ago he went to Colorado and
worked on a ranch near Lisbeth. He
first OF the year, He said he had no
family other than two brothers living in
Colorado. In admitting his guilt, Lee
suggested that the coins might have been
intended for watch charms. He was told
that II made no difference what the coins
were intended for so long as they were
counterfeit.
In the afternoon Lee was arraigned
before Commissioner Charles Baldwin on
a charge OF having In his possession dies
intended for counterfeiting United States
coins. Though Lee had protested that
he had never before been in court. he
quietly told the court commissioner that
he would waive a preliminary hearing
and await the action OF the grand jury
This action and his general demeanor in
dicated familiarity with court practices.
II Is thought, that could only be gained
through experience, The officers know
Of no other counterfelting cases with
which he may have been connected but
they feel certain they will be able 10
connect him with others.
At the request OF Assistant United
States District Attorney w. NJ. McCrea
bail was fixed at $1,000 and Lee was COM
mitted TO the state prison 10 await ac-
ton of the federal grand jury,