The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-12
Police Find Them, and More,
in Counterfeit Quest.
Treasure Hidden in House al
30S Crane Street.
WOMEN AWAIT MEN AT JAIL
Wife of Wanderer De Luxe Says
He's a COppersmith.
Federal Officers Search Source
Hundreds ''Bad" Quarters.

Secreted under unclean mattresses
and behind cob-webbed pictures on
the walls of a dilapidated shack at
sos Crane street. the police today
found thousands of dollars in gold
coins, paper currency and jewelry
placed there, they said, by John Petro
and Frank Ynes, gypsies under ar
rest while police and United states
officers are attempting to locate the
source of hundreds of dollars IN
counterfeit quarters and half dollars
f1oated in Topeka in the last two
weeks.
In the house the police found
complete blacksmith's OUTFIT. Az
tempts to find counterfeit dies had
failed late today. A cistern in the rear
of the house was being searched III
the belief that either Petro or Hnes
or one of the four women hNlhs III the
house with them had managed TO
throw these dies in the cistern.
The women. two of them MeXicans.
and two BraZilians. were arrested
Wednesday afternoon with the Two
men. Later. the women were re
leased. Today. they sat around ponce
headquarters anXiously awaiting de-
veIopments in the investigations
They have been in Topeka a month.
Gaudy Wanderers Dc Luxe.
one of the women, who. like all the
rest. was dressed in the gaudy colorea
calico of the gypsy, appeared nls, unus-
ually intelligent. She wore neaNS
silver bracelets on her arms anu neI
fingers were covered with variety
of cheap and costly rings. A gold
tooth continuously attra cted attention
of the police Investigation revealed
that in the center of the tooth
costly diamond was imbedded.
s.1.tf n rFQ fln
of Petro. She described their wan
derings from coast to coast hlhe
unon.hs OF every year and their re-
turn in ihe summer to spend three
months ct their home at Raleigh \.
c.. where she stated her husoahd
owned a farm and a big house.
..Then we dress up in American
clothes and I've like other people she
SAID "Things are different than they
1ised TO be. My husband bought an
automobile in Council Bluffs TWO
months ago and we sold our h0ises
Even us gypsies are getting hisii-
toned" ,
The woman claimed her husband
was a -coppersmith and made living
bv repairing and refining all klhus
of couper and iron kettles. pots. bollefs
and steam jackets. She produced
business card which advertised John
Petro, sos Crane street, as special
coppersmith.
Admit allbi Is Excellent.
If Petro and his gang are producers
of the counterfeit coins. the polce az
nit that his coppersmith BUSINESS Is
nm excellent alibi for any couhterIeiI
materials which may be found on the
PREMISES. So far. no one who mas re
'-eived the counterfeit coins has oeeli
able to positively identify any OF the
arvDsies as the persons who presented
them. r-..., ,4a+es
A. r. Trobert. deputy United states
,oorshaI and Lew Jackson, Unlle'i
states detective. have been working on
me case with a. Alba, city detective,
and other local officers. Today they
were awaiting the arrival OF FREQ
rate. chief of United states detectives
at Kansas City.
The gypsy woman stated that the
e,old coins and bracelets, rings and
Gtber trinkets represented the savings
of their lifetime. Her husband, the
coppersmith. had wrought many
strange patterns from the coins ana
bracelets In paper currency alone
the officers found nearly $1,000. An
estimate on the gold coins and otheI
trinkets was placed by the police al
around $4,000.
Banks Get Bogus Money.
4 Trobert stated that Topeka banks in
The last three weeks had reported the
receipt of approximately $500 in bad
quarters and half dollars. The coun-
terfeit coins reproduce the exact size
and general appearance of the new
style quarters. They may be detected
lv the fact that no stars appear under
the flying eagle. The real coins bear
three stars under the eagle.