The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-01-05
Coin
PLANT is RA|DED;
nine LOCKED UP
Authorities Discover Den In City
and Take Alleged Operators
Into Custody
CRUDELY MADE TEN-D0LLAR
"GoLD" PIECES BY HUNDREDS
Alleged Counterfeiters Claim To
Be Members Of National
Guard Of Hawaii

The city attorneys Office who had
made quiet Investigation on his. own
hook, the city police and detective
forces yesterday morning pounced sud
denly on bunch Of alleged counter
feiters. The place raidcd WINS little
room in the rear of the .Ycr Wo The
alter, in Aala Street. t
As result of the raid four Fill
pinos, Joaquin c. Reyes, said to be
the chief of the countrrfciters; Sancho
Quino, Bonifacio Serrano and Fernan,
do Tcrrer were taken into custody,
with quite complete, but simple kit
of counterfeiter tools, and many
crudely finished coins.
The police turned the case over 20
the federal officials and later in the day
Marshal Smiddy added to the collection
of supposed counterfeiters five more
lipinos-Faustino Estrella, Cypriano
Enriquez, Jose Regidor, Andres de Ia
Cruz and CrispolO Bagdco. e
The city attorneys office learned Of
the counterfeiting plant when one of
the Filipinos, said to have been Boni-
eacio SerranO, turned against his
friends, believing that they were cheat
ing him, and carried his tale to City
tttorney Browns Office. Captain Lake
was placed in charge of the ease and
quietly worked il up until Yesterday
when taking the police and detective
| departments into his confidence, the
place was raided. H
Waterman Slept On Job ".
When the counterfeiters den was
surrounded Filipino was found on
watch. He was captured by the police
nut too late for him to warn his con
federates.
The "plant" was found to be a yer,
crude one. II consisted of rathe
ingenious contraptiOn, somewhat lik
| l pair of tongs in which the sewers
lies were secured, number of bot
les of acids and chemicals and golt
7ainr, and also several tools for work
ing steel.
hundred counterfeit teh-dollar' coins
d" American style" as one Filipino e1
blamed yesterday. The coins, of pur
lead and very crude in workmanship
have nearly all been washed in a solu
ion of which gold paint was its priI
'ipal component part. The coins ar
light, much lighter than the real gol
;oin.
81 have been told" said MarshI
imiddy yesterday. "that these coin
IRE not quite finished. One of the FIJI
Dinos told me that before they wei
o be passed around they would
washed in a chemical solution whie
would finish them in better shape"
Counterfeit Coins Crude
The counterfeit coins are 80 cruC
in finish that when they are passe
from hand to hand particles of Il
gold paint stick to the hands.
The nine men already under arres
! and FIVE more are believed to have bee
in the gang and may be apprehe ndt
today, are members of the FilipiI
4 companies of the local National GuaI
If Hawaii. Several of them claimed
and exhibited their '&rst papers,
proof that it had been their bona fl
intention to eventually become Amer
IAN citizens through the naturalizatic
route, provided Judge Vaughan 8 I
'cnt decision. on the subject shou
somehow be reversed.
% In the bottom of the .valise cOntai
e ing chemicals and tools Marsh
~ Smiddy found, he said yesterday, a ca
,. tract signed by l.. +. Pinkham, wheI
7 by the Filipino whose name it bea
, was to come to Hawaii to labor a
n be educated.
d "Of course, the gang was not
e stupid as to try to pass these coins
their present state - Marshal Smid
~ claims, "but with some polish tn
n. would probably be able to pass t
rs bogus coin among their fellows, X
3. reans and possibly japanese in t
plantation camps. Only, am afra
- they would be able to do so only in I
. night, especially when the night "
- particularly dark. "
Biggest Haul Ever Made
y The haul made yesterday is believ
" to be the largest of its nature ever ma
in the Territory. In other raids col
that would readily pass muster W.
n discovered. In the whole outfit fOu
= Yesterday there is not coin any @
who ever saw an American ten-dol
gold piece would be hoodwinked to
II extent of believing it good.
X, The federal law provides fine
Ut $4,000 and Imprisonment for not M
." than ten years on conviction
ar rounterfeiting and passing spuri'
~ coin.
he The federal grand jury which me
at ten 'clock this morning will pr
ably begin its labors by taking up
Filipino counterfeiting case for inve