Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-16
SUSPECTS CAUGHT
At PENIS GROVE
Five Alleged c9untsrteiters Cap
tured and Layout Seized
Nby Officials.

Special Correspondence Every EveninR
Penns Grove. ". j.. Aug. ls.-Wuh1
the arrest Of fivd men and the con-
n%cation of complete layout for the
raising of governtnent hanknotes In
raid here yesterday morning, Secrt
Service operatives believe they have
rounded up an alleged gang of coun
tcrfeiters. who ara suspected OF having
placed more tbah <25. 1000 in bogus
money In circulation during the last
six months through this section, Will
m&ngton. Chester nnd Philadelphia.
In the governments drive against
the counterfciters. Secret Service men
have made dozens OF arrsts in Phila-
delrs1fa. Chester and Wilmington. The
prisoners were charged with raising
bills In each case the workmanship
cf the bills was ssimilar. The trail
finally led TO this place.
-Four of the men were arrested as
they Law asleep with, loaded shotgups
beside them, and tho fifth when he
answered a knock at his door. was
trailing a headed shotgun behind him.
Those arrested in the first raid at
50 West Main street We're Antonio
Pepperess. 3s years OLD, owner of the
residence and a shoe repair shop, and
Prctono Crsscenzio. 4s years old. who
gives Pepperess's home as his address
In the second raid on the cobbler
shop and residence of Fortunate Pep
psress. brother of Antonio pepperess.
at 3i2 Broadway, the proprietor was
arrested together with two Italians,
each about IS years old. who refuse
10 reveal their identity or say anythitg
al all. All the men are said to b.
cohblers.
For the hast six months counterf ST
iten-dcllar Federal Reserve Bank
notes have been coming into the Fed
eral Reserve Bank in Philadelphia
Thsse notes We're SO clever that banks
in Philadelphia. Chester and WHINING
ton accepted them without question.
With five of his men. Agent Hough-
ton. of Philadelphia, armed with search
warrants, arrived here shortly after 4
oclock yesterday morning. They at
once went atread with their raids.
AT the home of Antonio Peppere-s a
rear window WAS found to be open.
Houghton, followed by his men, crept
through into the Kitchen. In the din
ing room. they saw. stretched on a
po'e. Protono Crescenzin, fast asleeu
with his hand on the stock OF his gun.
AS his men dashed upstairs. Houghtan
seized the gun, ard, as Crescenzio
a"oke. thrust his revolver into the
body of the amazed man.
Houghton's men meanwhile, entered
the bed room of Antonio Pepperess, on
the second floor, where they found
him and his wife asleep, their heads on
a pillow covering another gun, AS the
agents pulled the gun from under the
pillow, Pepperess ard his wife awoke
only TO find two men standing at the
foot Of their bed with revolvers point
irg at them.
The house was searched and coun-
tcrfeiting peraphernaiia was found.
With the raid completed and the ec-
cupants o. tie house made prisoners
Houghton led three of his men to the
residence adjoining the shoe repair
shop of Fortunate Pepperess, at sI2
Broadway
They found doors and windows lock
ed and we're forced to use a decoy To
get admittance. Houghton. with a
pair of shoes under his arm raped on
the glass door in view of Fortunate
Peppcress, who responded, trailing a
shotgun behind him.
With The shoes covering his re-
volver. Houghton pushed them to-
ward the cobbler, who had stood his
gun against wall. AS the cohbier
saw the revolver in Houghton.s hand
be reached for his shotgun. but was
halted by Houghton.
In = room adjoining the store. two
- men were stretched out asleep
- - floor, each with a shotgun lay
ivsr u-rfh y,
at the command of the agent TO md
themselves stripped of their weapons
Aand powerless.
The prisoners We're taken to the
Camden county jail and viii be sent
t. Trenton today for hearing.