The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-03-11
POLICE UNCOVER
COMPLETE PLANT
Joe Spera Arrested at
House on Rowland
Avenue.
GET BOGUS DOLLARS
Man Declares He Was Expert
menting" but Seeks to
Eyade Arrest.

Police officers of the city under the
leadership of Chief Owen O'Hare late
Friday night uncovered a complete
counterfeiting plant at house at 1871
South Rowland avenue and Joe Spera,
43 years of age and former Chicago
man, is held in the city lookup await
ing the arrival of government officials
who are expected to take him under
q warrant charging violation of the
federal law.
Spera has been in Kenosha for the
past two months and was employed
during the days at one of the big Ke-
nosha factories. The cleanup of his
room at the Rowland avenue address
indicated that he was rapidly attain
ing an experiences as a counterfeiter
which made him most dangerous
worker.
Spera had big revolver in the room
when he was arrested and he sought
to evade being taken by the officers,
but Chief O'Hare, Detective Charles
Rock and Police Officer E. Radatz
swept down on him so suddenly that
he had no chance to use the gun and
they packed him and his counterfeit
ing outfit into the patrol wagon and
were off to the city hall before the
people in the neighborhood knew just
what was happening.
Police Office Looks Like Mint.
The private Office of Chief O'Hare
this morning resembled government
mint. Two long tables were necessary
to display the equipment taken from
the room of the alleged counterfeiter.
On these tables were placed some So
plaster-paris moulds which had been
used for the making Of counterfeit
silver dollars, half dollars, dimes and
quarters. There was lot of the COM
pleted product of the plant and while
it was not regarded as really danger
Gus, it was pretty good counterfeit
of the coin of the real.
Spera admitted to the officers that
he was still experimenting. In some
of the moulds were found perfectly
good silver dollars which had been
used in making the dies for the eoun-
terfeits. In addition there was gem
erous supply Of metals including Ger
man silver, nickle, copper in variety
Of forms, zinc and several alloys which
were not known to the police.
Had Plenty of Equipment.
The man had blow-pipes and mortars
and coiled copper springs which looked
like the ones which are used in stills
! for the manufacture of illicit liquor
/ He had ladies to carry the moulten
metal and all sorts of vessels for the
handling of it. Then there were all
sorts of cleaning chemicals and it was
evident that some of these had been
used in cleaning up coins. There were
dies for the making Of Red Cross med
ais and one of the trophies found was
copy of the Iron Cross of Germany
The man was evidently an expert
workman in the manufacture of dies
and his dies were the best ever found
in any catch of the kind made in Ke-
nosha. The workmanship on the fin
ished coins found was of the finest de-
gree but the man evidently had trouble
getting just the right kind of an al
10y He had presses such as might be
used for the printing of counterfeit
bills, but no bills were found in the
room.
Got Tip Three Days Ago.
While it is declared that Spera had
not made any effort to pass any of
! the bad money in Kenosha, it is be-
lieved that much of it has been sent
to other cities and that some of it
may now be in circulation. The police
got "tip" three days ago that the
plant was in operation and since that
| time they had been watching the house
on Rowland avenue, 1t was thought
possible that Spera had fed but late
Friday night lie came to the house and
slipped up to his rooms. A minute
later the three police officers closed in
| on him. He was taken completely by
surprise.
| Spera came here from Chicago two
months ago and he is declared to have
been an excellent workman at the
plant where he was employed. He had
been uncommunicative among his fell
low workmen and no mention had been
made of his employment at home.
Secret Service Men Here.
P. G. Drautzburg of the U. s. secret
service came from Chicago before ten
o'clock this morning and he gave the
Kenosha officials high praise for the
arrest of Spera.
"This man may not have gone very
far, but he looks like a most danger
Gus man." said Drautzburg. He had
the equipment taken from the place
photographed and it was later packed
for shipment to Milwaukee. Spera
will be taken to Milwaukee later in the
day and his case will come up in the
federal court there probably sometime
next week.
Milwaukee Begins
!