COIN FACTORY IN GAOL.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9123, 16 April 1908, Page 6

COIN FACTORY IN GAOL.

DISCOVERY IN A GERMAN PRISON. Berlin, February 24, Extraordinary proceedings in the gaol at Rensburg, an important town in iSchleswig-Holstein, h are just come to light, mainly owing to the cleverness of a police detective named Schneider, who was in gaol disguised as a prisoner. It was discovered that an active industry in the way of false coining was being carried on. with the connivance of one of the chief warders. For some time past the police of Rensburg had noticed that in tiieir town a large number of five-mark piece* ware being put in circulation. They were all impressed with the arms of the City of Hamburg, and bore the date 1901. They had, besides, that peculiar fatty feel which silver coins have which are not coined by master craftsmen. After seme time, the police happened on a clue. The mother-in-law of one of the principal warders of a local penitentiary was discovered endeavouring to utter several false picees. The police at once placed the house of her daughter’s husband under observation, but as nothing further came to light, tire detective Schneider voluntarily went to prison, and, of course, had the run of the place. He was not long in making the startling discovery that the false coins were made in the cells of a prisoner who had been sentenced to several years’ penal servitude for this very crime,* and aiding and abetting 'this person was one of the chief warders. The prisoner had told the warder where he had hidden his tools, instruments, dies, etc., which he had formerly used. The warder found all these and helped him to establish a workshop in his cell. All night long Work was carried on, the metal was melted, moulded and stamped, and hammering and filing were conducted as noiselessly as possible. But the detective Schneider had sharp ears, and the hammering in the cell was heard by him. Ic transpired that the coins manufactured in this way were carefully collected by the chief warder, who, with his wife and mother-in-law, put them into circulation. These three worthies were at once arrested. Further revelations are expected implicating other officials in the gaol, as it seems impossible that all this elaborate affair could have been carried out without several other officials being in the plot.