The Flower Seller's Valise Held a Counterfeiter's Die

Z. M. Hawkins, the old man who was arrested last Thursday on a charge of counterfeiting and passing counterfeit dollars, was given a hearing before United States Commissioner Emery yesterday afternoon, and was held in $3,500 bonds for hearing before Judge Hanford in the United States court some time next month. There is an air of mystery about the arrest, and all the facts in the case did not come out. It is evident that the government officers have held back a good deal of what they have found out. It is believed that there are others interested in the counterfeiting, and that the officers are hot on the trail, and that other arrests are likely to follow. It will be remembered that some time since several persons in this city complained that they had come in possession of counterfeit silver dollars, and that they were at a loss to know where the coins came from. At some of the banks the coins were tested with acids and found to be pure metal, and then they were weighed and found a little light, but their bright, new and smooth appearance gave out the impression that they had been 'sweated.' Sweating coin—rubbing money or shaking it with other coins in a sack until the metal was reduced and worn off as dust—was one suspected method, but it was ascertained that there was a gang of counterfeiters in the city, and that they were making American silver dollars from Mexican dollars, which are worth about 50 cents each; thus there was a clear profit of 50 cents on each coin passed. Warrants were issued by Commissioner Emery a month ago, but the first was not served until last Thursday. At the hearing yesterday the prisoner did not offer any testimony, and his attorneys confined their defense to cross-examining the witnesses for the prosecution. The evidence brought out the fact that Hawkins has lived in this city for several years, and has been making a living for some time by selling flowers for the florist who has a place on Second street, corner of University. He was arrested by Deputy Marshal Quilter, and on his person was found a counterfeit dollar, which he is said to have endeavored to conceal, and in his valise was found a die for making the spurious money. Several witnesses testified that the prisoner had passed the bad money off on them. One of the officers testified that among the prisoner's effects were found correspondence and letters showing that he had been in correspondence with a firm in San Francisco known as the Mexican Dollar Exchange. From the testimony the case looked pretty black for the old man, but whether he is made the stool pigeon for a clever gang of operators could not be ascertained, for he would not tell his story, and nothing could be ascertained from the officers. The arrest of the old man and the story that he has been making money from Mexican dollars recalls the incident of the creation of the American trade dollar by this country about fifteen years ago. It is a well-known fact that Mexican dollars are good in China, and are in general circulation there, on a basis of value recognized as standard in trade circles, and no questions are asked, while American dollars are not wanted and are accepted only at a discount. Every year a large amount of Mexican dollars and other moneys are sent out from Japan to the Orient. About fifteen years ago this government coined several millions of the tabooed trade dollars and made them heavier than the Mexican dollars for the purpose of capturing some of the Oriental trade in the money. But the Chinese would not accept the money; they were afraid of it, and some time afterward the government bought up the trade dollars and melted them over into other coin.