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A NOTED COUNTERFEITER

One of my companions in the mines, and with whom I worked a couple of
weeks, lying almost side by side with him as we dug coal in the same
room, was a noted counterfeiter. He had plied his trade for many
years successfully. Whisky finally sent him to the penitentiary. If
professional criminals would only let strong drink alone not half so
many of them would get caught. They get drunk, and in this condition
expose themselves. We don't mean to use this as an argument against
the prohibitory law! It is, perhaps, proper for them to drink. This
counterfeiter makes his dies out of plaster paris. They are very simple
and easy of construction. He explained to me the manner in which they
were made. I would give his method of making these dies were it not for
the fact that some smart boy getting hold of this book and learning the
method would undertake the business, and as a result his good old mother
would be going to the penitentiary to visit him. When this counterfeiter
would run short of funds he would purchase the necessary material, go
into the woods on a dark night, and in a very short time would have
plenty of bogus money. He taught the trade to his brother and to some
bosom friends, and it was not long until they had a regular organized
gang. Getting drunk one day one of them displayed too many shining new
pieces of money. He was "spotted." A detective was put on his track.
He was traced to the headquarters of the gang, and in a few hours
thereafter the entire posse were locked up in jail on a charge of
counterfeiting and passing "bogus money." They now formed plans for
their escape from jail. They adopted the plan of seizing the jailor,
as he brought in supper, thrusting him into a cell, locking him in, and
then making good their escape. They made the attempt. The jailor was
locked in the cell according to the programme, but so much noise was
made in the struggle that the sheriff put in an appearance with a
loaded revolver. The prisoners made a dash for liberty. A brother of my
informant was killed; another of the gang was wounded and dragged back
into his cell in the jail; the others got away. It was in the winter
time. The succeeding night was extremely cold. Wandering about all night
in the snow, their feet were frozen, and they were easily recaptured the
next day. They had their trial, and all were sent to the penitentiary.
They got eight years apiece, three for counterfeiting and five