OCR Text |
Show UTAH'S QUEER INDUSTRY. A I'en liilcreMinj; IIciiin. 1; is not generally tmden-tixl that, among her many varieties of the professional pro-fessional villain, Salt Lake harbors a gang of counterfeiters. But it is nevertheless never-theless (he fact that for two years this city and its vicinity hnsj been thus j blessed. Five years ago h a very convenient time to date from, since I that i the time when MeKean's last j grand jury, precixling the present j one, operated. An interview, lately had by a Heki.h rejiorter, with an Individual who posted, revealed the I following items, of gen and informa-j informa-j tti n : AUmt a year ago one of the fraternity exhibited a hat full of counterfeit coun-terfeit live anl ten dollar notes, and i olli-red to -how where they were made, and who the parties making them ' were. The District Attorney was notitud. but aid there was no way to get at the gang, and, although warrant-, were issued for two of them, the matter finally went by default. The department at W ashington was noti-tii-d several times, but paid no attention atten-tion to the matter. It is estimated that -",itKt or So0,000 of twguf bills have since then been put in circulation circula-tion from this point. The men employed em-ployed in this business came from New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Francis-co. They arc tine looking gentlemen, are high-toned, wear boiled shirts, and put on any amount of style. Some of them engage in 'business' and, hang out jewelry signs, or practise thrcc-eanl thrcc-eanl inonto and poker, just for amusement, and as a blind. When these trades, or shoving counterfeit money, grow dull, these gentry engage en-gage in other little speculations. For instance, the Blaek Kocjc, Idaho, stage robbery of last summer, during which the driver w;is shot and killed, was talked over here, and the participants partic-ipants are all well known by the gen-: gen-: llemeu of the profession in Salt Lake. The plaa in that affair was to have confederates in the coach containing the gold dust, and at the eating stations sta-tions to have outside parties on hand supplied with bogus gold dust, manufactured manu-factured down on the Jordan, which was to le exchanged for the genuine, the similarity of weight and color preventing detection during the trip. Fortunately the highwaymen failed in securing the dust, and since then ' they have been following various , other little industries. Among other j noted characters here arc a couple of , Michigan bank robbers for each of ! whom ."',000 reward is offered. But they are perfectly safe in this Territory. Terri-tory. If arrested they couldn't be punched, and as there U no profit in hunting them up nobody pays any particular attention to the mat-icr. mat-icr. All these little allairs are well understood by government oilicers and detectives, but as they arc likely to get their trouble for their pains if they undertake to work them up, their recital merely secures a wise shake of the head, and nothing more. Yesterday a gentleman walking walk-ing down East Temple street was surprised at the number of persons of elegant leisure, Hereafter this gentleman and others will be able to imagine how many such individuals manage to survive. Hard times never allect them. Business stagnation stagna-tion is only a Utile joke. And they intend to continue their various little games as long as federal judges encourage en-courage them to expect clear swing and no punishment. But for tlus morning this glance at Utah's "ijueer" industries will suffice. |