Year: 1871

Breaking Up of the Finy-Ceps. Stamp Ope-


About 10 o'clock yesterday morning Tribune
reporter saw Colonel Whitley and two of his
officers entering clarence in front of the Secret
Service Department in Bleecker street. and saw
carriage dash off in the direction of the
BoweTy. Confident that something calculated
to entail disaster upon some of the rogues of
New York was in the wind, the reporter gave
chase and caught the party near Third avenue
and Fourteenth street. Mounting the box, un-
known to the detectives inside, he was swiftly
whirled away. At command from the Colonel
the carriage stopped in front of the fve-story
tenement house No. 32l East Twenty y-fourth
street, near Second avenue, the detectives alghted
and entered, followed at short distance by the
reporter.


The premises are peculiarly constructed
Behind the tenement house, and separated from
1t by small yard, is two-story, double brick
house, to which access is only obtained by the
passage-way through the larger building and
the yard. On one side of the wooden stoop is a
room used as a wash-room by the inhabitants of
the tenement house, aud on the other is a small,
dark room, dingy and covered with cobwebs.
Outside the window, which reaches to the
ground, is a small pine board conveying the in
telligence Tin printers ink that the establish
ment is printing Office" Passing through
the washing-room into a passage-way, glass
door is the only obstacle to the interior of the
skeleton key. and the whole party, with
which by this time the reporter was
associated, walked into the den of the Quimby
gang of counterfeiters. None of the proprietors
were in, a fact that may be attributed to their
incarceration in Ludlow street jail, but their
materials for ''making money" were clearly
manifest. In the centre of one side of the room
stood small hand-press, and upon q couple of
empty -four barrels were scattered pots of
colors, cans of oil, and the like. In a closet at
the back of the room were piled up packages of
counterfeit 5O-cent currency, well executed and
neatly tied up. The plates were nowhere
to be found, though the detectives were
satisfied that they were concealed about
the premises. Axes and matches were
brought into requisition. and an onslaught
made upon the flooring. In few minutes a
loose plank was discoveries this was ripped up
and underneath were found four plates two
ed-pleces, and a transfer roller. The bed pieces
are first engraved, the impression is taken from
them on the transfer-roller, from which any
number of printing plates NAV be made. The
plates were steel, aud the engraving remarkably
well executed. The presses, rollers, paper, ink
colors, and oil were quickly transferred to a
car IN attendance, and the plates and money to
the carriage, and in few minutes the raiding
party was back in the Secret Service Office.


Ihe Colonel considers this the most important
maui OF the season. About a week ago he
erected the arrest of the gang, 10 in number
from information derived from some of the
gang who we're frighted by the pros pect before
them, the Colonel made up his mind that the
phtes were in New York, and set about finding
them with the success detailed.-M Y. Tribune
tO-OHu.