The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 11, 1898, Page 1

SAN FRANCISCO, JRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1898. BOGUS MONEY IS MADE RIGHT IN FOLSOM PRISON Guards Surprise Convicts Busily En- gaged in Coining Nickels in the Engine-Room. CONVICT HARRY L. ._—_—-a—————_—_-—_—___—- THE FOLSOM COUNTERFEITERS. SACRAMENTO, March 10.—A coun- ter's layout has been discovered isom within the State prison he last spot on earth where one would look for the illegal minting of {incle Sam’s coin. If there is a place in the broad universe where neither v war Aomiand for’ the useiof s within the walls of at least such is the sion of people who are nce with criminals. To had dealings with men to long terms of imprison- n of crime it is money arises the State general impre without exper: those who have ced t for the commis: known that there is no passion or de- nger than the predilection of a to carry upon his person some mount of money. On the part of it becomes a mania, and they will resort to all sorts of devices and kind of a subterfuge to withhold a w pleces of coin from the Warden upon entering the prison. Secretary th, in speaking of this peculiarity r the part of prisoners, once said to 1l correspondent: would be surprised to know difficulty we have in securing from the ' prisoners who are brought here. No second termer ever comes without an endeavor to conceal | on his person some bit of money. I| e known them to have five-dollar | pleces covered with cloth and sewed upon their vests as buttons. They con- ceal money in their hair and in their ears, and we are not always successful in obtaining possession of it. Not long ago I brought $75 worth of books for our library with money found around the prison grounds—money that had been hidden by convicts or carried in, notwithstanding the precaution we | take to relieve all - the prisoners of | every cent they have upon their per- son when entering for registration.” But while it may not be astonish- | ing to find this overwhelming desire on | the part of convicts to conceal their spare change, there is probably no prison in the United States where the criminals successfully operated and circulated bogus coin, manufactured | within the prison walls under the very eyes of the officers. For some time past Officer Charles | Jally, whose station is at the rock crushing plant, has had his suspicions | aroused by the peculiar conduct of | some of the prisoners under his con- trol. At first he thought these whisper- ings and signals were carried on in the | planning of some scheme to smuggle in | opium. This is a very common mat-; ter at the prison, and only last week | Guard Lamphry burned ten pounds of the drug which had been surreptitious- ly brought within the confines. After three or four days of watching Jally informed Superintendent Taylor, and both became convinced that some deeper plot was being laid, and they sme more determined than ever to certain the cause of so much sup- ressed excitement among the convicts. terday they were rewarded. Some time during the morning Jally in- formed Taylor that there was some- thing wreng in the engine room. Tay- lor gathered about him Guards Jally | and Silak, and the three made a rush for the engine room. Convicts Cayne and Brown were encountered, and as the officers rushed in both convicts leaped through a window in the engine rcom and ran to the tank of the ca- nal, which was within a short distance of the engine house. One of the guards followed them, while the others pro- ceeded to inspect the engine room. As the convicts reached the edge of ' the canal there was a splash of muddy water. The crucible and dies they had used were forever beyond the posses- glon of those in pursuit. The quick- sire stro be ¥ guard who entered the These nickels were splendid specimens of workinaushkip. which they were made | babbiting, which is.a white soft metal box found on a locomotive. COYNE sands and murky waters of the Ameri- can River were safe custodians of their freely circulated. The cigarette paper guilt. There were other evidences, how- ever, and they consisted of a pile of | thing to obtain a package of it. nickels which were captured by the engine room. consisted of which forms the insjde rim of the axle This sub- stance was taken from the engine which runs through the prison grounds and hauls the trains of crushed rock which are shipped from the prison rock crusher. The nickels are seemingly as perfect and cc )lete as any ever made by Uncle Sam. Many of them have been given circulation and The Call corres- pondent found no difficulty in procur- ing one of them in the town of Folsom. How the dies and crucibles were ever made will perhaps remain a mystery. Plaster of paris molds Wwere used, and in the engine room were found many fragments of this material. Captain Murphy was rather reticent when asked about the affair. “It amounts to nothing,” the captain said, “and if it did I would not talk about it in the absence of the warden. I do not deem it to be best for the prison discipline to take such matters up and give them undue publicity in the papers.” When shown one of the spurious coins the captain admitted that he had seen them, but beyond the admission he preferred to say nothing. It is not supposed that Cayne and Brown are the prisoners who made the molds, but as there are several coun- terfeiters doing time in Folsom, it is CONVICT UAS.BRowaA The materfal out of yere being made for the purpose of tained the money which had been so among the convicts 1s a very choice article, and they will give almost any- On the other hand. there has been a great quantity of opium smuggled in lately, and there is no doubt that these coins paying those who sent it in from the outside, as well as exchanging them for cigarette papers. It is a matter of some regret that the entire layout was not captured, as it no doubt would have given the officers some clew as tc the means employed in obtaining it. Some of the officers think that the dies were smuggled in from the outside, while others hold that the entire apparatus was made within the prison walls. As there are many tools and furnaces available around the quarries, It is very probable that the latter theory is the correct one. | The ladle used appeared similar to | those used around assaying establish- | ments, while the crucible was crude in | form, and appeared as though it | had been melted into shape from rail- | road couplings. | There are many cars arriving every | day in the yard, and it is from these | that the prisoners are supplied with opium from the outside. The most won- derful devices are employed in this prohibited traffic. Opium has been found in the axle boxes of the cars, or fastened to the inside of a brake beam; in fact there is no place about a flat car that has not been used in concealing the drug. The impression prevalls among the officers that it was the intention of the convicts to coin a great quantity of nickels and then ship them out on the probable that the devices used Were | freight cars, where their friends on the made by some of them, and the coining | sutside : ” could receive th of the counterfeit left to Cayne and | for oplum. S e | Brown. It is probable that nothing but nick- A very extemsive traffic has for a | els were attempted to be made for the | long time been going on among the reason that the convicts could not ob- priscners, and the officers have been at | tain the metal necessary to manufac- a loss to know where the convicts ob- ture silver’coins. R MAY TURN SOLELY UPON SPAIN'S WILLINGNESS TO PAY HEAVY DAMAGES THE UNITED STATES ARMORY AT SPRINGFIELD, MASS. | There Are Half a Million Army Rifles in Stock and Workmen Are Engaged Night and Day in Turning Out Guns of the Latest Approved Pattern. THE PRESIDENT WILL INTERVENE FOR THE CUBANS It Is Only a Question Now of the Best Method of Accom- plishing His Pur- pose- Call Office, Riggs House, Washington, March 10. The administration has re- ceived, through - Secretary Gage, most positive and re- liable information to the effect that the Spanish Government is unable to borrow a dollar from European financiers with which to carry on a war, for although three hundred mil- jon of Spanish bonds are held by French and English capi- talists, the interests of French and English financiers in American securities are very much greater. Ko H KK KKK XX KK KKK KKK KKK B XK KKK KB KX KK XK XK KKK It seems certain, therefore, that A COUNTERFEITING PLANT RUN BY CONVICTS. 0000000000000 0606000 ® SPAIN’S TORPEDO FLEET. Copyrighted, 188, by James Gordon Bennett. MADRID, March 10.—The tor- pedo squadron, unless plans are altered, will start to-morrow for the Canaries, while two torpedo destroyers leave England direct for Cuba. A strong sentiment is growing_ that peace of war should come without delay. People are ask- ing here how the Reuter Agency could have given. circulation to the statement that Senor Gullon had asked the recall of General Lee, when every one with the slightest pretensions to being was well informed knew such not the case. Ugly comments are made, In which financial Bourse maneuvers are insinu- ated. PPPPPPPPPPVPPOPP9 99990090 O R RCR R RN R R ORCROR RORCROR R R RCRR R X OGOOQ@Q@OOOOOQOO@OO poverty-stricken Spain must yield to any just demand made by the United States. This will certainly include a demand for indemnity, and it is be- | Jieved such indemnity will be paid by European capitalists, but now that the President is strongly fortified in his position, with Congress unani- mously at his back and the powerful European nations in sympathy, he will not be content with a mere de- mand for indemnity, but will take steps to intervene in Cuban affairs. The report that President McKin- ley has prepared a rough draft of his message to Congress recommending intervention is premature. The Presi- dent is advising with men in Con- gress, in whose disinterested judg- ment he has most faith, on the ques- tion whether he shiould write in one message his remarks on the verdict of the Board of Inquiry of the Maine wisaster and his commentary on the reports of our Consuls in Cuba, re- viewing the situation on the island and urging the desirability of peace- ful intervention, or whether he should make separate presentations of the two subjects. In case he decided upon the latter course, it is possible that he might put off the presentation of the Con- sular reports until after the effect ot the report on the Maine disaster, whstever it might be, should have - Continued on Second Page. AN ULTIMATUM "~ MAY BE SENT | | & NEW YORK, March 10—The & | & Herald's Washington correspond- & | % ent telegraphs: At the White bl | & House and the State Department, where they are getting ready to * make representations to Spain in | 2 connection with the Maine disas- ter and-the general Cuban ques- . tion, they are talking peace. In the Military and Naval De- g partment, where they are prepar- & ing for war, they are talking & peace. £ f= The average Senator and Repre- & sentative is talking war. With them war is inevitable. g Administration officials, while & o talking peace, admit that war is o | g possible, if not probable. This 5 | 5 briefly sums up the state of opinion ¥ & here to-night. f=3 Peace or war, President McKinley 60010006 0 0 8 O O | he purposes making representations to Spain for the purpose of obtaining | reparation for the blowing up of the | Maine afid for the speedy restoration of | peace in the island of Cuba. All of this is with the understanding that the re- port of the court of inguiry will show that the Maine was blown up by an out- side explosion, which is now accepted by everybody here as definitely deter- mined. It is going too far to say. as some papers have said, that the President has determined upon forcible intervention and that he proposes to send a special message to Congress at an early date on the subject. If forcible intervention comes it will be caused by Spain refus- ing to consider intermediary proposi- tions looking to the independence of the island through peaceful means. When the report of the court of in- quiry has been received showing, as it undoubtedly will, that the vessel was blown up by some cxterior cause, the President will proceed to make out a case against Spain in a deliberate, judi- cial way. In the presentation of the case to Spain he will be careful not to use unnecessarily harsh words. He will assume at the start that the Spanish Government could not possibly be sus- pected of being participant in such a dastardly act as the destruction of the Maine and the slaughter of her men. Her failure, however, to prevent crime. he will insist, renders her liable for l | EE A L) { has a fixed purpose in view. He will |8 | treat the Maine disaster -and the real & | Cuban question as kindred subjects, and % | TO THE SPANISH ‘While the President Hopes for | Peace. He Would Take That Course in Certain Con- tingencies. nRNRUN s FLEET SAILS 8 FOR MANILA. 2 B LONDON, March 11.—A dis- & patch to the Daily Mail from & Singapore says it is reported -& from Hongkong that the Amer- & E ican squadron has sailed for Ma- & nila. The Hongkong correspondent of the Daily Mail says it is re- ported that the Philippine rebels have captured Bolini, near Ma- nila. The land telegraph lines connecting Manila with the ca- ble at Bolini have been cut. According to the same corres-. pondent, the British cruiser Ed- gar will sail for Manila this (Friday) morning. The New York correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says: “I have it on the highest author- ity that a triple allilance between Great Britain, the United States and Japan is pending.” MADRID, March 10.—The re- port of a Tising at Bolini, near Manila, Philippine Islands, is confirmed officially. A portion of the garrison hasheen besieged, but there has been no one killed. = 2 RUUBREBIRRREBRVERER heavy indemnity. This will be demand- ed in language kept well within the bounds of diplomacy, and the represen- tation’ will be at the same time made that the United States now insists that sreTeserescss et asa s st = % s % 8 % % 5 | the condition of affairs in Cuba which makes such catastrophes possible must be speedily brought to a close. There will be a concise review of all that has occurred in Cuba since the war began, of our commercial interests with the island and existing conditions which show that autonomy is a failure and there is no end in sight to the intense suffering of the people. Then will come the proposition that Spain shall accept the good offices of the United States to procure peace and the independence of Cuba through the medium of purchase. It will be shown that the United States has no desire to annex the island. Its chief concern is the restoration of peace, and this through peaceful means if possible. As a means of settlement it will be proposed that independence be given the Cubans on condition that they share a portion of the war debt—probably,