with some of the most desperate counterfeiters of the 

 period: although both he and Mr. Biddle have 

 passed away, reasons still exist why he must remain 

 nameless. It was through his machinations that the 

 most expert engraver and counterfeiter this country 

 had ever produced was arrested with all his tools and 

 machinery, including a simple and most ingenious 

 eccentric lathe with which he reproduced the work 

 of Spencer's mole lathe, that had never before been 

 done by counterfeiters. The man was convicted and 

 sentenced to the Eastern Pennsylvania penitentiary for 

 a term that, at his age, amounted to a life sentence. 



The judge in passing sentence, in my judgment, 

 committed a most unpardonable vandalism in order- 

 ing the destruction of the unique eccentric lathe and 

 other ingenious appliances, and in seeing the order 

 carried out with the exception of a few burins and 

 other small tools, which Samuel R. Wood, the then 

 Warden of the Eastern Penitentiary, preserved. 



Mr. Wood was a Quaker, and a most kindly dis- 

 posed man; he became interested in his prisoner and 

 had wormed out something of the early history of this 

 ingenious mechanic who had gone astray — "through 

 force of circumstances that should be taken into con- 

 sideration when judging the man." These were Mr. 

 Wood's own words when expressing to Mr. Biddle his 

 belief that if by promises of shortening his term by 

 procuring a pardon, his confidence could be gained, 

 much valuable information tending towards the sup- 

 pression of counterfeiting would result from it, but 

 without some such course he was satisfied the im- 

 prisonment would be of short duration; for labor the 

 man was listlessly picking oakum, and physically 

 rapidly sinking. Mr. Biddle thought the experiment 

 worth a trial. Soon after Mr. Wood reported that 

 he had made no progress; he had tried kindness, but 

 the man had become more reticent; to all his advances 

 he only received muttered monosyllabic replies. 



I suggested that he might probably be reached by 

 giving him more congenial employment than oakum 

 picking, and proposed substituting die sinking such as 

 was then coming into use for stamping the corner of 

 note and letter papers. Provided with samples and 

 such tools of his as Mr. Wood had preserved, with him 

 I had my first interview with the man in his solitary 

 cell; he was sitting on the side of his cot, his fingers 

 locked together clasping his knees, a bundle of partly 

 picked oakum lay by him; as we entered the cell he 

 glared at us; his high narrow receding forehead, 

 aquiline nose, thin tightly-compressed lips, deep set 



136 



piercing eyes gave him more the appearance of a 

 caged eagle than a human being. 



Mr. Wood explained that I had proposed work that 

 he might find relief from oakum picking. He wanted 

 none of it, nothing could kill time; at first he refused 

 to listen to me; when he saw the kind of work he 

 denied having the ability to do it; he had never done 

 it or seen it done. 



Then looking at me he burst forth in a perfect 

 torrent. "Can you tell me what became of that red- 

 haired fellow who was taken with me; he fought the 

 officers like a very devil, and yet, though I know he 

 was secured and ironed, he was not brought to trial 

 with me; I see it all now, he was a fraud, it was a trick 

 to trap me; if I was only free for a day, and could get 

 my hands on him, his life should pay for it, and I 

 would die contented." 



Mr. Wood, to quiet him, said the man had a sepa- 

 rate trial, and had been sentenced to a long term. 



His reply was: "I don't believe a word of it, he was 

 too smart for that; he was a splendid fellow with his 

 pen; he never had his equal and never will again; he 

 could raise a note that would defy detection." 



I took from my pocket and held towards him his old 

 burins and other small tools; he seized them with 

 trembling hands, he fondled them as if they were 

 living; their touch seemed to have totally changed the 

 man — for when Mr. Wood took them from him, ex- 

 plaining that they could not be left with him, he at 

 once agreed to try his hand at the work I proposed. 

 In addition to his little tools he would require a light 

 hammer, a small oil stone, a bench or stool with clamp 

 or vise to work on. It was arranged that the dies and 

 designs should be prepared. 



His sentence, in accordance with the Pennsylvania 

 system, was solitary confinement with labor. Hours 

 for this new work were arranged, during which a 

 guard was to be with him, who was to deliver to him 

 the tools and work, taking them away at the expira- 

 tion of the time. After leaving the cell, Mr. Wood 

 said it was necessary for him to have the consent 

 of the prison inspectors for this change of labor; as to 

 that, he had no doubt they would meet the evening 

 before the time fixed on to initiate the man at his new- 

 work. 



When I went to the penitentiary with the dies and 

 designs, Mr. Wood informed me that he had been 

 unsuccessful in obtaining the concurrence of the 

 inspectors, who believed the kind of work would keep 

 the man in practice, and that on the expiration of his 

 sentence he would resume his old business. Mr. Wood 



