Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1919-10-09
Arrested For Counterfeiting.

|
arrest Friday Of r. z. Robinett, :
Douglas county farmer living abou
IL miles from Mansfield, on rura
route 2. Robinett was bI ought tC
Mansfield Friday night and taken tC
Springfield the next morning.
Counterfeit dollars and nickels
and pennies coated over and passed
for dimes were apparently the only
coins put in circulation by the coun.
terfeiting outfit.
1t is shid that one or more of the
dollars were passed at the store al
Brushy Knob.
A MirrGc' representative saw one
of the counterfeit dollars Saturday
1t is dated 1900 and is good resem-
blance to the genuine dollar and it is
said to be Of the exact weight of q
real dollar, but lacked the right
ring" and was rather dark looking
The job of making dime out of a
one cent piece was not we'll done ,ap-
prrently.
Robinett's wife gave him away to
the authorities. following beating
by him, We understand She inform
ed Constable Louis Davis at Olathe
who passed the word on to Detective
Roe Strong of Mansfield, who advised
nj 10 nrf a n,,th h1p IL
ties, which he did Cashier n. ]
Craig OF the Farmers and Merchants
Bank accompanied the officers when
they went after Robinett. The par
ty left the auto in which they made
the trip, about three miles from the
Robinett place, completing the jour-
ney on foot. The lurid space writ
ers OF metropolitan journalism are
thus furnished another opportunity
to expand upon the gangs of counter.
feiters carrying on thec nefarious
traffic in the secluded and well-nigh
impenetrable hill businesses of the
wild and untamed Ozark region.
Saturdays Leader says:
After pleading guilty to a technical
charge of having in his possession
mods for making counterfeit United
States coins. Bob" Robinett, a far
mer of Douglas county, was commit
ted to Jail by Fede'al Commissioner
A. l.. Arnold this morning to await
Sentence in the United States dis
tr'ct court on Monday.
Robinett was arrested yesterday
at his home in the hills. about nine
miles from Mansfield. by ]. B.
ShelhOrse, of the United States Sc
cret service at Kansas City. Shell
horse, accompanied by Constable
Louis Davis of Olathe. made an ar
duous journey on foot over the rough
roads of that part of the Ozarks
in order to reach the Robinett farm,
which is perched on one of the
most inaccessible knobs" that alb
ound in the thickly wooded region.
When the farmer was placed un-
der arrest a pair of molds made
The making OF nickles, was found
| in the farm house. No other mOlds
were found in the house. though
! the officers had information to the
effect that counterfeit dollars were
/ loo h., at 11 fD Doh
met is said to have admitted hav-
ing made and passed coins of the
larger denomination among the far
mers Of the region.
RObinett's arrest was indirectly
due to a quar.cl that he had with
his wife several days ago. The
| quarrel was the elimination of sew
eral disputes between the pair in
which Robinett is said to have beat
en his wife with his fists.
Mrs. Robinett went TO Constable
| Davis at Olathe and after making
a charge against her husband Of i'll
treatment she dropped hint that
| RObinctt was also engaged in violat-
ing the Federal laws. A message
was sent to Kansas City asking for n
secret scr'vicc operative to investigate
| the matter and Shellhorse was COM
missioned to investigate.
| At Mansfield the Federal officer
| N nt In /
| Craig. cashier OF the Farmers and
| Merchants Bank, of the circulation
of spurious coins of various denomi-
nations. Craig gave the officer
much valuable aid in gathering evi-
dence back in the Ozark hills.
There was no way TO reach the
Robinett farm except on foot or
horseback. the roads being merely
| trails. Shellhorse. accompanied by
| Constable Davis. started early yes
tcrday for the farm. reaching the
place shortly before noon. Accord
| ing to Il statement made this morn
| ing before Commissioner Arnold by
| the sercret service operative, an un-
derground tip had been conveyed to
the counterfeiter that a raid by the
Federal officers was contemplated.
The equipment, with the exception
OF the nickel molds. was destroyed
or concealed, Shellhorse said.
| Mrs. Robnett, acting in conjunc-
tion with the officers, seCreated the
molds for the smaller coins and de-