The Yukon Sun. (Yukon, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, February 5, 1909 Page: 3 of 8
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COUNTERFEITERS OPERATE
IN A NATIONAL BANK
Hy art Ejc-Opcra.li*Je o_f ihc Secret Ser-Vice
Here Is a True Story of the Uncovering of the Country's Worst Gang
of "Shovers of the Queer."
Champagne Cases
Furnish Secret of
Odd Plot, Unearthed
by Captain Dickson
—Becomes an As-
sistant Gardener and
Expose of Workings
of System Quickly
Follows—Cashier Is
Placed Under Arrest.
ypt. dickson and I
CI were again foregather-
I ing in front of the
fl cheery log fire at his
■ home. He launched
into a capital story of
counterfeiting in high
places.
"I was once stationed
in the city of a great
international expos-
ition, to watch for cul-
prits that were ex-
pected to put out the
customary counterfeit.
For the first month or
so of the fair there was nothing to do
but lounge about the office and, like
Mr. Micawber, wait for something to
turn up. The four of us who were
assigned to this monotonous duty soon
grew weary of the inactivity and were
on the point of asking for a transfer,
when an excellent Imitation of the ten
dollar gold-piece made its appearance
in large numbers. After that, none of
the four of us had any cause for com-
plaint on the score of stagnation.
"Saunders nnd McGrath, two of my
companions, by means of a miserably
scrawled, anonymous note to the chief
of police, secured information of mys-
terious boxes coming by night to a
bank, and it required but a small
flight of the imagination to evolve a
plot in which the great financial mag-
nate, the president of the bank, was
the central figure, regardless of his
high social standing, his reputed fabu-
lous wealth, and his irreproachable
character.
"I selected the cashier at the fac-
tory as my man, and Murphy took the
teller of the bank, the man who made
up the pay-roll each week. For ten
days we shadowed them with dogged
persistency. They were both men of
the town and both were members of
the better class of clubs and moved
in the most exclusive circles of so-
ciety. These matters rather strength-
ened than weakened our suspicions,
for neither of the men was wealthy,
and playing society is an expensive
game at best.
"But in all our pursuit and in all the
lavish expenditures of these young
spendthrifts not once did either of
them pass or attempt to pass one of
the counterfeit coins, so far as we
could gather. I don't think they could
have done so without its being dis-
covered, so thoroughly did we track
them in every turn and move they
made during the period we had them
under observation. They lived to-
gether in a handsomely furnished
fiat, with a small army of servants,
and they entertained lavishly. Their
table was of the best and their wines
of the rarest vintages.
"We decided that nothing was to be
gained by shadowing them further, so
we left them to their frivolous social
duties. About this time Saunders and
McGrath came tagging home, convoy-
ing the bank president, tuckered out
and disgusted with their fruitless jour-
ney.
"The night of their return Murphy
and I held a conference with them,
at which it was practically agreed that
the bank president was innocent, and
that there was nothing else to do but
take him Into our confidence and
make the bank Itself our point of oper-
ation.
"I watched the teller very carefully
that week, and especially on the day
when he made up the payroll for the
factory, which was called for by
Saunders. The sack contained both
Bold nnd silver, but there was not a
single coin in the lot which had not
been given birth legitimately at some
■one of the government's mints. Saun-
ders made sure of this before the sack
reached the factory.
"The cashier, a man named Powell,
and the teller both kept lose watch
upon me while I worked In the big
vault, as was their duty, and this
gave me scant opportunity to Investi-
gate the sacks of gold piled away in
a pretentious row on a low shelf. In
moving them, I thought that some
seemed lighter in weight than others,
and as this would be valuable informa
tlon If true, 1 , it upon what I thought
■was a rather ingenious way of deter-
mining If my surmise was correct.
"Concealing my pen-knife in the hol-
low of my hand, with the blade open,
J selected one of the sacks of ten-dol-
lar coins which seemed to be lighter
(ban sow* of its mates, and, as 1
/
M
/Vft/f cmA/p/ro//^ CASFS /
fblM) f/YfMm£<5M 0m# /?CC£650/?/f<5
Of f(51
moved it from the shelf, I cut the cord
which fastened the mouth of it while
the attention of the inquisitive cashier
and teller was directed elsewhere.
"Having shaken the mouth of the
sack open and frayed the ends of the
cord so that my ruse would not be
detected. I purposely stumbled and
fell as I crossed the vault. The coins
poured out upon the steel floor of the
big vault in a bright yellow stream,
rolling hither and yon, while I sat de-
jectedly in the midst of the golden
flood and rubbed my knee and cursed.
"The two bank officials showed live-
ly concern at my stupid accident, and
both set about gathering up the coins.
I assisted them as much as possible,
but my pulse was beating too fast for
my help to amount to much. My ruse
had fully served my purpose. The
ring of the coins upon the steel floor
of the vault had not been true. They
had rung dull and heavy, and I knew
them at once for their real false char-
acter. The verification of this fact
came when I fingered them deftly, as
I restored them to the sack whence
they had come. There was no mistak-
ing the feeling of them. They were
greasy and slick; that slimy touch
which discloses the spurious coin 111
the dark as well as in the light. Every
one I touched had that slippery, soap-
stone surface which counterfeiters
cannot overcome except by the use
of metal of the same fineness as that
of the genuine coin.
"As I replaced the sacks, after clean-
ing the shelf, I was careful to weigh
each of them In my hand. There were
15 sacks, each containing a thousand
dollars in half eagles, which were light
in weight.
"I now felt sure of my ground, but
It w-as still necessary that we secure
proof against the teller. I had not
suspected the cashier, until his evi-
dent trepidation when 1 spilled the
sack of gold.
"The mystery was now more com-
plex and interesting than ever. While
1 had discovered the big reserve of
the counterfeiters I had no evidence
against any one, and was still afraid
to make arrests. 1 wanted the makers
of the coin and their machinery, and
wanted them badly, for this was the
biggest case that I had thus far in
pw career been engaged upon.
"That night I did some tall think-
ing. and also made a secret trip to the
banker's residence, which 1 carefully
examined from the outside, going
over the extensive grounds about the
house and the outbuildings at the Im-
minent peril of being shot for a bur-
glar. Here I discovered only one thing
of Importance. In the stable I stum-
bled on an empty champagne case,
which was of the same brand as one
I had noticed In the vault of the
bank. It might mean something or
nothing, but I had long ago learned
to take particular notice of small
things, and many is the valuable clew
that this habit has given me.
"Since the return of Saunders and
McGrath, they had been working on
the clew of the anonymous letter, and
the Information it contained about the
mysterious boxes which had been seen
to arrive at the bank at night. They
had located the author, a discharged
messenger, who bore a grudge against
the teller to whose instance he attrib-
uted his discharge. From the mes-
senger they learned that the boxes had
been delivered at the back entrance
of the bank late at night. They had
been brought to It in a one horse
express wagon, but the wagon had not
displayed a license number and the
driver, although muffled In a great
coat, had evidently not been a regu-
lar expressman, so the messenger In-
formed them. He gave a fairly accu-
rate description of the wagon, which
had been of peculiar construction.
"1 had seen just such a vehicle at
the banker's residence, a sort of de-
livery wagon which seemed to be em-
ployed in hauling feed for the exten-
sive stable of the banker, as It had
been filled with sacks of oats and
bales of hay when I saw it.
"The next morning I reported sick
at the bank, but my service with the i
banker was not at an end. I had shifted
my position from janitor at the bank
to assistant gardener and general fac-
totum at the president's residence.
Armed wl% a note from the hanker to
the gardener, I put in my appearance
at his residence. The gardener didn't
seem to like my appearance. He re-
garded me with cold suspicion, while
he read the note from his employer,
and. It seemed to me, he rather reluc-
tantly accepted me as his assistant. 1
verily believe he would have driven
me away on some pretext, If it had
not been for the explicit terms of the
note the banker had written at my dic-
tation.
"The gardener was a tough looking
customer. There was an atmosphere
of suspicion about him which put me
on my guard and causod me to watch
him with caution. lie was a smooth
Individual, however, and I had served
in my new capacity for three days
without discovering anything worth
mentioning, when he set me at the
task of wheeling out the ashes from
the big bin in the cellar. The biu was
Mr. Sport—Here Is a little some-
thing for you—drink a glass of beer
to my health.
Tramp—Light or dark?—Fllegende
Blaetter.
ITCHED FOR TWELVE YEARS.
situated at the rear of the furnace,
near the entrance of the basement,
and In passing to and fro at my task,
I noticed several wine-cases piled In
a dark corner of the basement. I took
advantage of the first opportunity to
examine them and, while the lids
were securely nailed down, I found,
by lifting them, that they were as
heavy as chunks of lead.
"That night I burglarized the bank
er's basement, while two of my com-
panions kept watch outside to see that
I was not disturbed. In the cham-
pagne-cases I found the molds snd
other accessories of the counterfeiters,
and a large quantity of metal and
newly manufactured coins.
"Iiefore we left the banker's resi-
dence, me gardener was a prisoner,
and before the night was over we
had nahbed Mason and Tarley and
Cashier Powell. The gardener turned
state's evidence and gave the whole
thing away. The three society men
held out firmly to the last. They were
convicted only after considerable dif-
ficulty. Except for the assistance of
the gardener in securing evidence, we
should never have been able to have 1
made out, against them, anything
more than a strong circumstantial
case. We _recovered about $10,000
from the culprits, and In the bank's
vault was more than $18,000 of the
counterfeit money. The night watch- I
man at the bank was also Implicated
and convicted.
"The gardener, who had many
aliases, was an old offender. He had
worked at one time in the 'Frisco
mint, and was regarded as a skillful
workman. After leaving the mint, he
had put out a gold coin of tho
twenty-dollar denomination, but had
been caught and had served a prison
term for it. He had drifted east, after
serving his term, and had figured out
the plan which he had there put in op-
eration. He had manufactured the
coins, using the big furnace at the
banker's residence for that purpose,
and had secured the three society
men, all of whom were heavily In debt
and therefore ready victims, to palm
off the money. Their method was to
take good money from the bank vault
and replace it with the bad, which
they worked off at the factory In the
weekly pay roll. The cashier at the
bank had secured the place for the
counterfeiter at the banker's resi-
dence, but this had not been with any
particular design further than it was
a place that was especially suited to
tho recesslties of the counterfeiter."
(Ci pyrlght, 1908, by W. G. Chapman.)
(Copyright in Great Britain.)
Eczema Made Hands and Feet Swell,
Peel and Get Raw—Arms Affected,
Too—Gave Up All Hope of Cure.
Quickly Cured by Cutlcura.
"I suffered from eczema on my |
hands, arms nnd feet for nbout twelvo
years, my hands and feet would swell,
sweat and Itch, then would become
tallous nnd get very dry, then peel
off and get raw. I tried most every
'tlnd of salve and ointment without
success. I tried several doctors, but
at last gave up thinking there was a
cure for eczema. A friend of mine
Insisted on my trying the Cutlcura
Remedies, but I did not give them a
trial until I got so bad that I had to
do something. I secured a set and by
the time they were used 1 could see a
vast Improvement and my hands and
feet were healed tip In no time. I have
had no trouble slnc^. Charles T.
Bauer, Volant, Pa., Mar. 11, 1908."
Potter Drug X Chum. Corp., 8olo I'rops., Boston
Woman to Conduct Large Estate.
Mrs. Jennie L. Doane of Brockton,
Mass., has been appointed to adminis-
ter the half million dollar estate of tho
late R. N. Packard and also to havo
complete control of Ills large shoe fac-
tory. Mr. Packard died suddenly
without making a will. His heirs were
a brother and two Bisters, none of
whom knew anything about his busi-
ness. Mrs. Doane had been In tho
employ of Mr. Packard for a number
of years and he had often spoken of
ber ability to his relatives, declaring
•hat she had more brains than any
i'wo men of his acquaintance. For
that reason Ills heirs asked to havo
her appointed and put In full charge
of his business.
A Needed Change.
Tho navy department recently re-
ceived from tho commander-in-chief
of the fleet an official communication
relative to certain changes recom-
mended by him to be made In the uni-
form shirt of the enlisted men. In ac-
cordance with custom this letter was
forwarded to various officials for com-
ment or expression of opinion, the re-
marks of each officer being appended
on an Indorsement slip. Each Indorse-
ment Introduces the subject matter of
the letter in a brief, and one of them
thus tersely explained the contents:
"Commander-in-chief desires to change
shirt."—Lippincott's.
Laughter in the Court.
An old plasterer is called upon to
give evidence for the plaintiff. Coun-
sel for the defense tries to bully him.
"Have you ever been in prison?" "Yes,
twice." "Ah! how long the first time?"
"One whole afternoon." "What! And
the second time?" "Only one hour."
"And pray what offense had you com-
mitted to deserve so small a punish-
ment?" "I was sent to prison to white-
wash a cell to accommodate a lawyer
who had cheated one of his clients."
What His Wife Gave Him.
The boss builder was standing on
the edge of the great cavity at Thirty-
fourth street that they have been dig-
ging for the past few years, when an
Irishman walked toward him.
"Look here," he said. "Didn't I fire
you yesterday?"
"Yes," said the Irishman, "and I
don't want you to do it again, either.
My wife gave me the devil about it
when I got home."—New York Times.
DIDN'T KNOW
Coffee Was the Cause.
Many dally habits, particularly of
eating and drinking, are formed by fol-
lowing our elders.
In this way 111 health Is often fas-
tened upon children. A Ga. lady says:
"I had been allowed to drink coffee
ever Blnce I could remember, but even
as a child I had a weak stomach,
which frequently refused to retain
food.
"The taste of cofTee was In my
mouth all the time and was, as I found
out later, the cause of the stomach re-
belling against food.
"I now see that it was only from fol-
lowing the example of my elders that
I formed and continued the miserable
habit of drinking coffee. My digestion
remained poor, nerves unstrung, fre-
quent headache, and yet I did not sus-
pect tho true cause.
"Another trouble was a bad, muddy
complexion for which I spent time and
money for creams, massaging, etc.,
without any results.
"After I was married I was asked to
try Postum, and would you believe it,
I, an old coffee toper, took to Postum
from the very first. We made it right
—according to directions on the pkg.,
and It had a most delicate flavor, and I
at once quit coffee, with the happiest
results.
"I now have a perfectly clear, smooth
skin, fino digestion and haven't had a
headache in over two years."
"There's a Reason."
Name given by Postum Co., Battle
Creek, Mich. Read, "The Road to Well,
ville," In pkgs.
Ever reml Ihc tihove letterf A new
one ii|i|M*iirN from time to time. 'I'liey
lire ffenulne, true, uutl full of human
in te rent.
Mix half ounce of Concentrated pine
compound with two ounces of glycerine
and a half pint of good whiskey.
This simple mixture Is to be used In
doses of a teaspoonful to a tablespoon-
fill four times a day. The bottle should
[ be well shaken each time.
Any druggist can supply the Ingredl-
j enis and It can he mixed at home.
' The Concentrated pine Is a pine prod-
| uct refined for medical use. It comes
! only in half ounce bottles, each en-
i closed In a round case, which Is air-
tight and retains all the original
strength In the fluid, but be sure it Is
labeled "Concentrated" in order to get
| the genuine article.
AND THEY'VE GOT IT!
"How do you like the new styles In
neckwear, dear?"
"A little ruff around the neck, love."
THE PERUNA ALMANAC.
The druggists have already been sup-
plied with tho Peruna almanac for
1000. In addition lo the regular astro-
nomical matter usually furnished in
j almanacs, the articles on astrology
are very attractive to most people.
! The mental characteristics of each
; sign are given with faithful accuracy,
j A list of lucky and unlucky days will
I bo furnished to those who have our
| almanacs, free of charge. Address The
Peruna Co., Columbus, O.
The Sneeze That Failed.
A little maid of three has been
taught to say "Excuse me" when sha
sneezes.
Tho other day her mother had her
attention attracted by a queer gasping
noise, and, looking up quickly, saw
the face of the little maid wrinkled
up In a very distressing way.
"You didn't say It," said the mother
"I didn't do it," responded the little
maid.
Prof. Munyon says: Cure a cold and
you prevent Consumption. His opin-
ion is now shared by the leading
physicians of the country, and the
wonderful cures that are being made
by Munyon's Cold Remedy have at-
tracted the attention of the whole
medical fraternity. These little sugar
pellets break up a cold in a few hours,
and almost universally prevent Bron-
chitis and Pneumonia.
A Fatal Breath.
Brookton (with statistical bent)—
Do you know, old man, I've Just been
reading up a lot of statistics on pres-
ent day mortality, and I have learned
some remarkable things. Why, every
time I breathe a man dies!
Brockton (comprehendlngly)—By
the great autofumes! Then why In
the name of the census don't you chew
cloves?
MIX FOR COLDS
To one-half pint good whiskey, add
one ounce syrup sarsaparllla and one
ounce Toils compound, which can be
procured of any druggist. Take in tea-
spoonful doses before feach meal and
before retiring. This relieves in 24
hours, and cures any cold that Is
curable.
Yom Klppur.
When everything else is surrendered
that Is distinctive of Jewish ceremo-
nialism the atonement retains its grip
on the vast majority of Israelites. Kip-
pur Is the last link binding them to
their community, their faith and Its
peculiar observance.
Important to Mothers.
Examine carefully every bottle of
CASTORIA a safe and sure remedy for
Infants and children, and see that It
ST
In Use For Over .'SO Years.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
Poor Stuff.
The Servant—You got cheated when
you bought thai chlr.y vase, mum.
The Mistress—How cheated?
The Servant—Why, It's weak. It
busted all to smash the first time I
dropped It.
Could Only Guess.
"How many ribs have you, Johnny?"
asked the teacher of physiology.
"I don't know, ma'am," giggled John-
ny, squirming around on one foot.
"I'm so awful ticklish I never could
count 'em."
II p(l, Wrnk, Uriirr, Unlrry 1"jr*
Relieved by Murine Kye Remedy. Com-
pounded by Experienced Physicians. Mu-
rlni' Doesn't Smart; Soothes Eye Pain.
Write Murine Eye Remedy Co., Chicago,
for Illustrated Eye Book. At Druggists.
Extent of His Knowledge.
Singleton—What do they use to ex-
tract gold from quartz?
Wedderly—I don't know; but wom-
en use tears to extract it from men's
pockets.
Lots of people haven't chewed WRIG-
LEY'S SPEARMINT. But they will!
Those people may not have white teeth
or good digestions. But they will!
Stuck.
"My wife is always sticking me for
money."
"That must be pin money."—Ex-
change.
Why Is It that the divorce suit o*
one of her friends interests the aver-
age woman more than her own mar-
riage?
There Is no Safer Remedy for a Cough,
or Lhrout trouble than "Brown's Bronchial
Troches." 25 cents a box. Sample free.
John X. Brown & Son, Boston, Mass.
You might say of a legal wedding,
"Certainly knot."
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The Yukon Sun. (Yukon, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 5, Ed. 1 Friday, February 5, 1909, newspaper, February 5, 1909; Yukon, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc128040/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.