FORGERY OF BANK NOTES

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4927, 18 January 1926, Page 2

FORGERY OF BANK NOTES

MONARCHIST RISING PLANNED.

PLOTS IN HUNGARY.

LONDON, January 15

The Budapest correspondent of the Central News Agency reports that the police who were searching the castle of Prince Windiscligraetz are alleged to have found a complete plan for Monarchist rising in Hungarji The object was .to establish the Archduke Albrecht on the throne.

The papers discovered included a list of politicians who are supposed to have been sounded as to their acceptance of office. The French Minister to Hungary has demanded the arrest of M.M. Groemboes and Ulain, members of the Hungarian Chamber of Deputies,. He alleges that they acted as go-betweens in the banknote fra.udA Although a. communique which was received from Budapest on Saturday announced the conclusion of the police investigations into .the note forgeries it appeal*? that .the Hungarian authorities have resumed their inquiries. SECRETS OF THE CASTLE. The belated discovery at Prince Windiscligraetz’s castle was probably due to a combination of pressure from France and the extraordinary nature of the structure of the castle. The latter contains innumerable appartments and secret hiding-places, as well as subterranean passages. French newspapers comment o,n the fact tha,t when the Hungarian police were searching the castle no incriminating discoveries were made until French detectives insisted upon a more extensive investigation. The printing press was then found. i The British attitude is that the forgeries, cape is a domestic affair, as to which the Hungarian Premier, Count Bethlen, is discharging his duty. It is considered, however, that tire arrest of Bartha, whJ wap not only the principal private secretary of the Regent, Admiral Horthy, but was related to the latter by marriage, is bound to create fresh suspicions. TONS AND TONS OF PAPER, The French view of the affair is that the conspirators had a double object. The first was the acquisition of large sums of money for the purpose of financing the Monarchist manoeuvres. The second was to- discredit France’s currency, particularly among the nations of the Little Entente!.

It is believed that the face value of the forged banknotes, it was intended to circulate was £1,20'0',000,000. It was hoped they would pass unnoticed in consequence of the increased note circulation of the Bank of France..

“Le Ma.tin” publishes details from Holland and from Germany of statements made by the arrested men, Markovics, Marsovs,ky, Jankovics, and Olchvary. According to Jankovics Prince Windischgraetz had been engaged for a year in experimenting in forgeries. On November 30 the Prince showed Jankovics a pile of forged notes hidden in a wardrobe. FALSE BOTTOM TRUNKS. These notes were subsequently sealed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.. Emissaries-, including Jankovics, then set out to circulate the notes' in Holland, Sweden, Denmark, and Italy.

Olchvary, when lie was| arrested at Hamburg, had among his luggage trunks with false bottoms. Ln these were 10 envelopes belonging to French banks filled with bogus, notes.

The Hamburg polibe also intercepted a telegram from Budapest informing Olchvary of the arrest of the other conspirators at Amsterdam. Tiie message was in prearranged words, namely, “Jankovics failed in stock exchange.” The police at Budapest have been reinforced, especially in the vicinity of the prisons. The city is being patrolled by mounted guards. There are rumours that the Fascists have planned the liberation of Prince Windischgraetz and the ex-chief of police, Nadossy.