People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1893 — Page 8 Advertisements Column 2 [ADVERTISEMENT]

The mint offi fials have received word that counterfeits of the World’s Fair souvenir half dollars are in market already, and as they are made of coin silver, they are not easy to detect. It is said that they are a trifle light in weight and a shade smaller in circumference than, the genuine, which however i only appears when they are stacked up together. In the words, “Columbian Half Dollar,” the Dis not quite perfect, and the medallion head of Columbus leans a little to the right. As it takes about 30 cents worth of silver to make one, and their market value is a dollar, their manufacture leaves a good margin of profit. As the coin bears no mint mark it is comparatively easy to counterfeit. On Tuesday Elmer and Jay Dwiggins and a committee from each of the banks at Hebron and Lowell met in Crown Point to try and make some settlement with the depositors, but the deal failed to be consummated and the Dwiggins' were worsted in the day's transaction. It seems they brought with them a satchel in which they had 000 worth of contracts from purchasers of Griffith lots which they wanted to turn over under certain conditions which seemed to give them the long end of the whiffletrees. This the depositors would not do, and Sheriff Friedrich was given a pointer to gobble up the satchel containing the contracts if he had the opportunity. The attachment covered all those papers but they kept them in hiding all day. Finally when the jig w’as up and nothing done they went to the depot and took the evening train—and so did Sheriff Friedrich. There he espied the hand bag which he took without ceremony and got off at Rush and returned home on the dummy with the prize. This haul is supposed to leave the creditors in some better shape for they now have control of all payments of these lots, if the purchasers continue to pay. About $30,000 is due the two banks and if matters go, as believed they will, they will get a considerable of it back. The Dwiggins’ had undoubtedly forgotten the old story the spider • old the fly or they would have left their pa]>ers at home until they had a cinch.—Crown Point Star.