The Counterfeit Gold Caper
A confidence man who passed imitation gold coins in Aberdeen has been tracked down by federal authorities.
Marshal Pearson is in receipt of a letter from United States Marshal Bridges, stating that the man McCune, who succeeded in exchanging about twenty imitation $5 gold pieces for genuine silver, in Aberdeen a few weeks ago, had been arrested, and requesting all the information obtainable regarding his operations while here.
“succeeded in exchanging about twenty imitation $5 gold pieces for genuine silver”
Counterfeiting was a persistent risk in the frontier economy where cash was king and verification was difficult. The incident reflects the vulnerability of small-town merchants to mobile grifters who could quickly move between Washington's growing municipalities.
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