The New York herald., 1922-03-19

Even in those days he couldn't have done IT,
We could have had Kramer arraigned on
a charge of passing counterfeit money, OF
course, but we didn't have thing to offer
a Jury. 1t would have been up to US, as
usual, to prove him guilty of knowingly
circulating the stuff. We couldn't muster
anything like sufficient evidence of that
The case was going to pieces. We were
considering abandoning it.
Heard of Another Ad
Of Money Being Found
But Just as we were about to do just that
news came from Newe York that about two
months before an advertisement appeared
in one of the newspapers there reading to
the effect that packet of money had been
found in Grand Central Terminal and that
the owner might have it by describing It
We held consultation and communi.
Gated again with the Secretary OF the
Treasury We took a long, long chance
and took Kramer before United States
Commissioner. We had him locked up to
await further investigation. The Commits
sioner set his bond at $4,000, and that
sum was too much for his enthusiastic
friends. They came to the decision that
there must be something wrong with
man the Government was so anxious to
hold. Therefore he remained in jail.
And then the first bit Of luck we had
came TO us. We had the original adver-
tisement as written for publication in the
St. Louis newspaper. We took that to
New York and induced the advertising
manager of the newspaper there to make
a search for the original Of the advertise
ment appearing in his columns.
Our luck was sustained. The original
was found. Just why they had saved 1t
requires more explaining than am able to
produce
The handwriting of the man inserting
the advertisement in the New York news
paper was identical with that on the ad
yertising blank for the st. Louis journal
We showed them to Kramer.
"You seem to be determined to prove me
a counterfeiter," he said. Suppose you
do it without my assistance"
We were so much encouraged that we
went back to the New England city that
held Kramer in such high esteem. We de-
voted a day to Kramer's home. We did
everything except remove the wallpaper
We even took framed pictures apart-re-
moved the backs and examined the photo
graphs and prints.
One of them was a print of Whistler's
picture Of his mother. I shall not forget
the subject of that picture. Between the
actual print and the cardboard back of it
we found a storage receipt issued by Oliver
Johnson & Son to Orville Clark.
Found the Complete Plant
In Storage Warehouse
In the boxes, trunks and barrels stored
there by Orville Clark we found two hun
dred Of our familiar counterfeit hundred
dollar bills. Likewise we found the plate
from which they had been made-and the
presses and the ink and quantity OF the
paper on which they had been printed. In
short we found a complete counterfeiting
layout, with some of the finished product.
Kramer confessed a couple Of weeks
later He did IL with all his wonted nom
chalance.
Il might as well tell you" he said. I'm
getting rather tired of all this anyway.
don't think can stand the long wrangling
OF a trial I'm guilty"
They sent him to Jail for fifteen years.
He had been in prison for about year
and half when the school teacher to whom
he had been engaged came to see me.
81 have married since Kramer went to
prison." she said. II want you to under
stand that It was impossible for me to be
loyal to him after that. But he has written
me a letter in which he says that he coun-
terfeted in order to accumulate money
enough to make me comfortable and to
give me luxuries after the wedding.
"That makes me feel responsible. I
understand there we're other women and I
understand that he may have been lying.
but the chance that he may have told the
truth in this letter troubles me. | have
spoken to my husband about what / am
trying to do and he agrees with me.
II want to know what can do to have
his sentence reduced. / am certain he will
make good as an honest citizen IL lib
Grated"
This young woman went so far as to
write the President. l was asked for an
opinion and the result was that Kramer
was paroled after serving six years.
have heard he is back home and has pros
pered. There is no secret about his past.
1t is generally known, but he has been