FORGED NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 19 May 1928, Page 4

FORGED NOTES

Ait REST OF TWO RUSSIANS

SYDNEY, May 3. A remarkable story is associated with the arrest near Melbourne of two Russians, and the discovery at the house where they were found of 10,0C0 forged £5 notes. The man, Stefan Karasiciwicz, is 4.7 years of age and. was horn at Warsaw. A process engraver all his life, ho showed sue!) skill that lie was employed in Russia during the regime of the Czar by the Government note printing department. Then came the revolution. The Romanoffs were swept aside, Karasiciwicz Was thrown out of employment, the savings of his life-time were confiscated. and in a few months he was starving. According to his own story he was aide to leave Russia six years ago and arrived in Sydney. He secured intermittent employment as a printer, and towards the end of last year went to Melbourne. In the meantime lie bad saved some money, and two years lie sent for 'the other figure in the drama. Sima Marchenko, aged 23 years, a tailoress and a native of Vlnd-ivost-ck. Now the man, who talks perfect English, and the woman, whoso knowledge of the English language is very limited, are in custody charged with attempting to defraud the Commonwealth Rank, They are also charged with having been in possession of a printing press, inks, dies and other articles, which might he used to forgo £5 note-.

It was really the attempts by the police to trace the makers of the forged £lO notes which wore passed on Sydney and Melbourne rneemurses recent’y that made them suspicious oT t)ie house in the.scrub, which, it turns out, was occupied by the two foreigners. Tireless investigations had shown the police that an up-to-date printing press had been landed at Geelong. There the trail ended, hut strange stories comtilined to drift in from the Geelong district. A milkman told of how he called daily to a little house hidden among the scrub. He had been ordered never Mb go to the door, but to wait at the fence until a woman came out to him. / Passer.s-by also told of two tinge savage dogs which guarded the front and hack doors day and night. PRINTING PRESS AMD WOLFHOUNDS. Armed with revolvers and batons the petite when they called at the house soon disposed of the two huge wolfhounds chained at each door, and completely surprised the Russian, who was quickly handcuffed, while the printing press was still running. Detectives found within reach of where the man had been working a single barrelled shot gun loaded and cocked. Following the arrest a half-dozen of the forgeries were submitted to exports 'who declared that they were a,s near perfect as possible. The police believe that an organised gang of Russians and Australians was concerned with the printing of the forgeries, and that arrangements bad been made to circulate the notes in every State. The notes seized seem to the ordinary observer to he flnwle's in design and colouring, and when a forged note and a genuine note were placed alongside •one another at a Melbourne police station, not one of the detectives could decide which was the imitation. T, is considered that no difficulty would have been experience:! in passing the forged notes anywhere, and u> such a largo number had lean printed it was evident that a big coup had boon planned, and that the discovery wa-U a tiiiKi’y one. Although it. was at first suspected that- the passing r ,pf of the £lO forgeries recently miglit be connected with the discovery, this theory has since hern discounted l.v the t.u t th"i, while the notes seize 1 in the Melbourne raid were almost perfect, the r minterfeit £.lO notes recovered by thc or ’ire, were obvicod.v ueierove. The accused have appeared bffg.ro ! he C ourt, but it will probably he sonic time before the police will comp'tto their enquiries, which are likely to he extensive and somewhat delicate. Tn the meantime., three, other men, all Australians have been arrested.