Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-18
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

IN THE STAR
The September draft in the District
in 1854 did not quite fill the local quota.
notwithstanding the ef-
Local Quota forts of the citizens Of
r.ar.l the various wards to
0AAA~ make the governments
requisition of men. In The Star Of
October IS, 1864, is the following:
According to the Official returns
made to Capt. Putnam by the board OF
enrolment up to the night of the 18th
instant. the following is correct
statement Of the number of men yet to
be furnished by the different wards in
subdistricts: First ward, 100: second
ward, 81; third ward. 10; fourth ward,
100: fifth ward, At; sixth ward. 20: sew
enth ward. "a; eleventh subdistrict, so;
twelfth subdistrict, 20. Each ward has
received credit for the number Of draft
ed men who were placed in barracks
and those who furnished substitutes.
Today the third ward put in one man
and tomorrow another one will be put
in to the credit Of the same ward.
which will bring the thirds quota down
to eleven men. All the drafted men
have not reported as Yet, and the
quotas of the different wards may be
somewhat reduced by those who do SO.
Another draft in this District will
doubtless take place shortly and our
citizens should adopt some measures
to prevent 1t if possible"
Counterfeiting was one of the chief
troubles of the government outside of
the military opera
4 CAPTURE Of lions during the
Counterfeiters. civil war a nena sse
ment was kept constantly busy in pre-
venting frauds against the currency
In The Star of October IA, 1864, Is an
account Of an arrest:
within the past few months vast
number of 50-cent stamps have been
put in circulation, which were good
copies of the genuine. In order to
discover the gang engaged in this ne
farious business. by which thousands,
principally of the poorer classes. have
been victimized. Col. Baker. chief OF
the national detective police. set about
to give the criminals local habita-
ton and name and eventually place
in TIE state prison. The zeal OF his
own force rendered them SO well known
among thieves In general that he was
led to select MesSrs. James A. NC
Dewitt and John A. w. Clarvoe of Super
in Washington, and these young Off
GERS soon proved themselves equal to
the important and difficult task set be-
fore them. Acting under the instruc-
80 C01 Doll n
cred that an immense number Of bogus
50-cent stamps were in circulation in
the state of New Jersey, and further
search showed that they were offered
the line of the Erie railroad. After
working up the case they traced the
principal issue Of the notes to Pater-
son, N. j., and as they were about
ers they (the latter) became frighten-
ed and removed the press and plates
to Port Jervis. The officers then re-
paired to Port Jervis, and after further
efforts they found that the note was
printed in the house of ]. c. Marvin,
a brakeman on the Erie road. On en-
tering the rooms of Marvin they dis
covered several of the parties en-
gagged in printing the notes on a small
press and in placing bronze on them.
The officers then arrested man named
Robinson, who confessed that he had
engraved the plates. He stated that
he commenced the work the day after
he had been released from Trenton
Jail, where he had served a term for
counterfeiting.
In the room there was a man named
Alexander, who had come from the
west to buy the first lot of notes, en-
gagged in learning the art of printing
them, SO as to be able. perhaps, to
start similar establishment on his
own hook in Kalamazoo, Mich, where
he halls from. Two sisters of Marvin
were brushing bronze on the notes
The plates. presses. bronze. bank paper
officers. who found $4,000 of the
counterfeit currency in 50-cent stamps
rolled up in bundles in the room. The
plates are accurately executed. One
Is on steel and the other on copper,
the latter being the Endorsement of the
5O-cent stamp. The previous issues of
counterfeit 50-cent stamps were de-
tected, the Endorsement being printed
from wood cut. but there is no such
means to detect this last issue. 1t is
them are now freely taken in change"
During the recent military operations
in Europe dispatches have told of the
clearing of the coun-
FORCE Sent to tryside at different
fla. "J places to facilitate
""'' artillery fire and to
destroy possible shelter for the enemy.
In The Star of October IA, 1864, is an
item which shows that the federal gov
eminent during the civil war did the
same in this neighborheod:
Yesterday a large number of the
hands employed in the quartermaster's
department were sent from the city
to work in the clearing up the country
in the vicinity of the Manassas Gap
railroad. SO that the woods should not
be used as a cover for guerrillas. At
the 7th street wharf. after the colored
nands had been marched on the boat,
work appeared at a standstill. 1t lis
absolutely necessary, so great are the
demands from the various corrals and
stables, that the forage department
mere should be kept in working trim
constantly, and to supply the places Of
the men set off the officers in charge
made raid on all colored men found
lettering about in the neighborhood I'M
occupied. The raiders consisted of the
veteran Reserve Corps, who gathered
up within few squares Of the wharves
over 100 men. Capt. Allen. the eff
clent quartermaster there, was thus
IuIly able to keep the work from ac-
cumulatfng on his hands"
There il a rille at ror~a.+ rJo1 n.,s,n