Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1899 — ARREST OF COUNTERFEITERS. [ARTICLE]

ARREST OF COUNTERFEITERS.

Capture of Engravers of Famous SIOO Bank Note. The most important arrest by secret service men for years has been made, in the capture of the makers of the famous SIOO counterfeit bank note, which has puzzled the authorities for more than a year. Officers under the direction of Chief John Wilkie procured the arrest of the counterfeiter. He was a. well-known newspaper man in Washington city. When the “Monroe notes,” as they are called, made their appearance about fifteen months ago, the work was so perfect as to be accepted at the subtreasuries, and Secretary Gage decided to cal) in the issue which had been counterfeited. Twenty-three million was then in circulation, and $6,000,000 is still out. The men arrested are: William M. Jacobs and W. L. Kendig, wholesale cigar manufacturers of Lancaster, Pa.; Arthur Taylor and Baldwin S. Bredell, engravers of Philadelphia, and James- Burns, an employe of Jacobs. A clew was found and since that time officers of the secret service have been eating, drinking and sleeping with the men who were suspected. Not until they were sure of their ground did these men place the counterfeiters under arrest. Mr. Wilkie and a number of his men went over to Philadelphia to be present when the arrest was made. The Philadelphians were taken into custody, but the greatest secrecy was maintained for fear of frightening away the culprits at Lancaster. After placing the men at Philadelphia under lock and key, Mr. Wilkie left for Lancaster and paid a visit to the men whq were in league with those in the City of Brotherly Love. About one year ago the first clew was obtained that has led up to the capture of the gang. How that clew was secured, how it was followed up, and the details of the secret service operations during the last twelve months will likely remain hidden in the secret archives of the bureau. The success of the bureau’s operations lies in the fact that its method of work is never made public. As the Secretary of the Treasury said, results are what count, and the arrest of these men, with the telltale plates in their possession, is all that the public need know of the twelve months’ hard and secret work of Chief Wilkie and his assistants.