Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1895 — THE CROOK OF THE CENTURY. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE CROOK OF THE CENTURY.

An Unsurpassed Counterfeiter Cap* tured at Last. It was very efficient work on the part of the New York secret service men which succeeded in breaking up a gang of counterfeiters, seizing their plant at Hoboken, N. J., and capturing their head, William E. Brockway. It was long known that counterfeit gold certificates for SSOO and SIOO were being issued, but it was hard to track up the criminals. Valuable plates were taken and Canadian notes, half printed, for $200,000, together with fibre paper and many United States notes. No plant of such magnitude and so complete in every feature has been secured by secret service men for years. Besides Brockway, who is regarded as the most expert counterfeiter in the country, and who is 73 years old, O. E. Bradford, Libbie and Sidney Smith and William Fi. Wagner were also taken. These others are comparatively little known, but Brockway has lived a life filled with deeds of crime and adventure. In many respects he is one of the msft notorious criminals of this class this country has produced. Only one crook overshadowed him in point of skillful work as a counterfeiter, and he was Tom Ballard, who, it was said, possessed a better formula'for making paper for greenbacks than, the Government. Only one man may be said •to have been his peer as a forger, and he also bore the name of Brockway. Brockway started on his career in New Haven about 1845. He was a Connecticut boy, and found employment as a printer. Later he learned engraving and, becoming an expert, he made good wages and saved sufficient money to pay for a special course in electro-chemistry in Yale. This technical knowledge he applied to the production of electrotypes. From almost the day he left Y'ale his career as a counterfeiter and forger dates. His first trick, so far as any record goes, was to take an impression in soft metal of a plate which two directors of a bank had brought into the shop in which he worked to have certificates struck from. Really his first important crime was committed soon after the war broke out. When the Government began to issue bonds Brockway thought he saw his opportunity. On the 7-30 bond his work was of such exceptional cleverness that $90,000 of the issue got into the Government vaults before any suspicion was aroused. Brockway was arrested, but was permitted to go on surrendering the

plates. Brockway was arrested in 1880 for counterfeiting and forging SI,OOO 6 per cent. United States coupon bonds. Two crooks, Smith and Doyle, were also arrested at the same time for complicity. The finished bonds and plates were all seized. .Brockway was sentenced for thirty years and Doyle for tw'elve. Brockway did not serve a day of this sentence. He managed to arrange a compromise with the Government. By consent of Judge Benedict the sentence wan suspended on condition that other plates be surrendered. It was said at the time that, if he were again caught tampering with the United States securities, the sentence would stand. He was caught again, but for some reason best known to the authorities the sentence of thirty years was not enforced. Brockway was arrested this time in New York, in November, 1883, for forging Morris & Essex Railroad bonds. Two others were taken into custody at the same time. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to Sing Sing for five years by Recorder Smyth. He was discharged on Aug. 4, 188.7. Since then he has gone free until just now.

WILLIAM E. BROCKWAY.