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Show THE COUNTERFEITERS Arraignment of the Gang Who Deluged the Tills With Their Gilded Idols. The Jeweler in the Job Walks Up to the Scratch and Confesses His Guilt. SPRAGUE'S BOLD BLUFF, He Faces the Damning Proof of Guilt and Declares Himself Innocent. "DENVER BILL'S" DEFENSE Toliiver .Says He t'aased the Twenty Bat in, in'; Know It Lucked Weight ami the Ring - Mark King Stand Pat on H ;s Plea. The clinkless clink of the coin that never clinks was recalled again thi morning, at which time the gang of counterfeiters were arraigned. The arraignment took place in the pres. ence of a full house that had gathered soon after the arrival of the caravan from the penitentiary, that was rilled to its utmost. Jesse Gagnon ejtni Olof Neilson was the iirst to plead. Gognan, up to the hour of his arrest, was an ohscure tiuker in an obscure ob-scure part of the city. He was taken on the stall of the counterfeiters, where he found his knowledge of the art of watchmaking, amalgams, plaster of Paris casts, end gold solutions, which had hitherto been principally princi-pally ornamental, decidedly useful. Thera was more Profit la Coining 5s, 10s, and twenty dollar gold pieces, even though they lacked the joyous ring of the genuine, than in doing odd jobs, and he fell into his new labors like a natural born counterfeiter. Ex-Marshal Young and his police finally got into his den, however, and before he had time to concoct a defense, was whirled out to the penitentiary. Then Commissioner Greentuan put his jus- tice shop on wheels, and going out to the prison held a session. Crestfallen, and seeing every avenue of escape blocked before him Gagnon pleaded guilty and was hold to the action of the grand jury. The result of its action was revealed in his appearance ap-pearance before Judge Zane this morning. In reply to his name there stepped from the prisoners' bench as haudsonio a specimen speci-men of physical perfection as "Mylady" In Bias but sensual blood ever laid eyes. "What do you plead to the indictment?" demanded the clerk in his mechanical way. "Guilty, sir." "Have you an attorney ?" interposed the court with dry judicial solicitude. "No, air." "Do you want one?" "I don't 3ee any need of one," replied Gagnon resignedly. "I've got some lettelS that will show my former good ehararteff and would like you to Bee them before passing pass-ing sentence." For the first time Gagnon'e voice began to falter and his lip to quiver. The dreams of ambitious youth lay crushed before him and notified that he would be sentenced on Sat. urday he dropped again into his place on the prisoner's bench. Bernard C. Toliiver was the. next counter feiter called and A Tall, Kaw-Ituned Fellow with his shoulders thrown back defiantly, came forward. Listening with faultless composure to the reading of the Indictment which charged him with passing a twenty-dollar twenty-dollar counterfeit on his unwary landlady, Mrs. Thomas J. Smith, he v is asked to plead. "Well," replied Toliiver, serving notice on the throng that he was not to die without a stiuggle, "I am guilty of giving her the piece of money unknowingly that is I didn't know it was a counterfeit when I gave it to her. Toliiver had provided himself wtih an attorney at-torney and stepped back to his seat to give way to William Krouk, alias "Denver Bill." Bill, who prides himself on having out- witted the sleuths ot a ball dozen commonwealths common-wealths and who is slimy as an eel, was tha first of tue gang To Open the Campaign in Zion and with a twenty-dollar counterfeit, on Christmas undertook to buy a turkey from J. A. Perry a huckster whom he had picked out as an "easy mark." He mistook his victim however and was landed in the pei-tentiary. pei-tentiary. "What do you plead?" caroled tho clerk. "Not guilty iter replied the prisoner with the inflection and emphasis of a man who had been tbere before. i "Have you an attorney?" asked the ecu t. "No- sir." "Do you want one V" "No sir," was the sullen reply, but as a twitter ran through the bar he reconsidered and exclaimed, "Yes; I guess I'll take one they seem to be plentiful." Mark King, a fellow with black hair and a sallow complexion, was next arraigned. He is the alleged member of the gang who was Bragged frona the Mint over the Singer block, on Second South. He was easily disposed of entered a plea of not guilty aud informed the court with pardonable pardon-able manifestations of pride that he had secured se-cured the services of Hon. Bam Lewis. Then came P. I). Sprasrue, the recognized leader of the gang and coiner ot the mint, in whose gloouiv castle the deu was located. Sprague looked warm. His vest was unbuttoned and thrown wide apart, revealing a shirt that was fresh from the laundry. He had been captured in Denver and at the time had in his room counterfeits in $5's and $10's amounting to $735. In addition ad-dition to this he was in possession of the batteries, bat-teries, the material, etc., with which the chinkless coin was made. Notwithstanding Notwithstand-ing these damning wituesses, the prisoner entered a plea of not guiltv and returned to his seat, annonncing that Judge Powers was his attornev. The gang having each pleaded separately, with the exception of George Tate who is now rooming on bail, they were bunched and Sprague, Krojik, Toliiver aud King piped pip-ed in concert: "Not guilty." Their cases will be set for trial next week. |