Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-14
COUNTERFEITERS
WITHOUT CHANCE
S ecret Service Recognized
Bogus Money at Glance as
Work of Hornberger

Scranton, Pa, March IL When A.
M. Hornberger, of Reading, and Jo-
seph d. Ferry, of Harrisburg, an
nounced their intentions of pleading
guilty to counterfeiting in the United
States court here yesterday, Judge
Wilmer called upon M. c. Griffin,
United States secret service operator,
of Philadelphia, to tell what he knew
of the cases.
He said that when the $40 and $40
counterfeit bills were first discovered
in october last, he was given one OF
them and that he saw at a glance that
they must have been made by the same
man who had made the bills for which
Thomas Griffiths, an uncle of Horn
berger, one of the defendants, in this
transaction, had been sent to jail for
passing in Philadelphia in 1912. At
that time he said he was morally GER
tain that A. NJ. Hornberger had made
the plates from which the counterfeits
were produced, but that the jury fail
ed to convict him.
After having decided that the same
man had made both bills he went to
Reading to keep watch upon Horn
berger. Later he discovered a studio
fitted up in an old foundry at Me-
chanicsburg and owned by Russell
Weaver and his father, of Mechanics
burg. After investigation he was
satisfied that counterfeits had been
made in the place and that Russell
Weaver knew about the making of the
bogus money.
He accordingly took Weaver into
custody and promised him that he
would give him immunity if he would
tell the truth and give information
that would lead to the arrests of the
money makers. This was on January
3, last. For a time Weaver denied
any knowledge of the making of the
counterfeits, but finally told all he
knew and gave the information that
led to the arrests of the other three,
Ferry and Calvin NJ. Bal
mer, of Reading, who is to be tried in
Philadelphia, he having passed the
bogus bills that he got in the Phila-
delphia district.
Weaver told in part that Ferry had
told him that Hornberger was capable
of making counterfeits and that it
would be good scheme to have Ferry
rent the old foundry from his (Weav-
er's) father, fit up a dark room and
other things needed in engraving and
engage Hornberger to make the plate
from which they would print counter
feits. The three would then dispose
of them and divide the good money re-
ceived in return for the bogus bills.
Send Out For Samples
Accordingly an appointment was
made, Griffin says Weaver told him,
with Hornberger and he agreed to do
the work. The foundry building was
then rented by Ferry and the engrav-
ing plant fitted up. 1t was then de-
cided that a printing press would make
too much noise in foundry building
and an old cottage at Speeceville, near
Harrisburg, was rented and the print
ing was done there. Ferry paid the
rent for this cottage.
The money was printed up and
Ferry and Weaver went to st. Louis
and Chicago and disposed of some of
it. Hornberger took a bunch of it
also.~ After getting this much infor-
nation the secret service agents then
sent Weaver to tell Hornberger that he
had customer for $500 worth of the
money and that he wanted a sample
He got the sample and brought it to
the secret service men. 1t was then,
January 10, that Hornberger was ar
rested.
By the time that the government
agents went to the SpeeceviIle and Me-
chanicsburg establishments both had