The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1916-01-08
PHIL THOM
IS NAbBEO
BY POLICE
Former GOldfield Man is In CustO-
dy at San Francisco on a Seri-
Gus Charge
THREE MEN ACCUSED OF
SELLING IMITATION MONEY
Secret service Agents Lay Trap for
Dealers in Phony Paper and
Capture Three

Secret service operatives arrested
three men here yesterday on n
charge of issuing counterfeit foreign
money. One, Robert Wideney, son
of a former superior Judge at Los
Angeles, was arrested while count
ing $500 received in exchange for
$1OO, 600 of imitation Mexican cur
rency. The additional charge of
offering counterfeit foreign money
for sale was made against Widney.
The arrests are said to have fol-
lowed an investigation made at the
instigation of J. j. Arriola, a Sc
cret service agent, on behalf of the
Carranza government. Arriola ar
ranged a meeting with Wideney ana
said he had just paid him $500 in
American money, in exchange for
fictitious currency, when the ar.
rest was made.
According to Chief Agent Moffitt
of the United States secret servicD,
Wideney had agreed to supply Ar
riola 100000 more of the coun-
terfeit Carranza money today and
1000, 900 more within a Few
udyS. MOllltl Sdlu he Hdu MOI
learned where the money was made,
but more of it was ready for circu-
lation. Other arrests are probable.
The three men were released on
cash bail Of $4,000 each. They de-
clared they did not know the mon
ey was counterfeit and merely act.
ed as broners.
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Jan. G.
j. M. Arriola, a CarranZa secret
service agent, presented today evil
dence of the existence of a wide
spread conspiracy to flood Mexico
with spurious Mexican bank notes,
at the preliminary hearing of Rob-
ert j. Wideney, who with Walter S.
Williams and Philip Thorn, who
claims to be a Goldfield broker vi
mining man, were arrested on a
charge of attempting to sell $780,
600 of spurious notes for $500.
Arriola stated that the Southern
Pacific had been a large purchaser
of the notes, using them to pay oft
it's Mexican employees.
Thorn has admitted hat he sold
the Southern Pacific $4,000 of the
spurious notes last May. Arriola
told of meeting Wideney and ar.
ranging to buy the notes at three
and one-half cents on the dollar, and
then arranging the trap whereby
the arrests followed.
He said Wioeney told him ne
could nave up to 100000 at four
cents on the dollar.
The report from San Francisco
that one OF the three men arrested
there in connection with the MeXi-
cal coLnterteitig operations was
rnllip Thorn, a GoldIield croker, is
misleading, 20 tar as the occupa-
ton is concerned. Neither the lists
OF the two original exchanges nor
the subsequent consolidated list
SHOWS the name OF Philip Thorn.
The only person Of that name
known in Goldfield was ~connecte |
with the Blue Ribbon saloon, or re-
soft here, prior to 1911. 1t is be-
lieved he came here from Tonopah,
where he opened or operated the
Fashion" saloon. After leaving
Goldfield he lived at Seattle, where
he is said to have conducted a
1oOming mouse. His wife was an
attractive woman, and was asso-
ciated with him in his business ven
lures.
The Thoms moved from Seattle to
San Francisco about a year ago.
Some months later the San Fran
cisco papers chronicled a sensation
al double murder, of which Mrs.
Thorn was one of the victims and a
man from Seattle the other. The
murder occurred at Thom's apart
ments. The Seattle man was to have
been a dinner guest, and when
Thorn, who had talked with mis-
wife on the telephone a few min
utes before starting home from
down town, reached his apartments,
he found his wife dead from a bull
let wound and still bleeding, in the
parlOr, and the corpse of his guest
from Seattle was lying in the
kitchen.
Thorn has recently been attempt
ing to finance some mining pros
poets in California.
1t is not known whether the Wal
ter S. Williams mentioned in the
dispatches is the nan of the same
name who vas a pioneer surveyor
of Goldfield and one of the organ
izers of the district. The former
Gcldfield nan is said to be in San
Francisco, but it is not believed
here that he could have been iden-
titled with any countei feiting oper-
ations, as he bore a good reputation
among those who knew him here.
Williams surveyed the first claims
located in the Goldfield district, in
Guiding a number o included in
the properties of the Goldfield Con
sOIidated.