Confession of A Counterfeit Company
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky
10 Mar 1837, Fri • Page 2
To the Editors of the Louisville Journal.
Columbus, (Ky.) March 3rd. 1837.
Gentlemen. About ten days or two weeks since a young man stopped at our village, (Columbus, or Iron Banks,) in Hickman County, on the Mississippi river, who called his name Jason Hanly.
He was an orderly and apparently a well-behaved and decent young man; he boarded with a Mrs. Walker, a widow lady, who had a small dry goods store.
On the 25th, ult., he committed burglary by breaking openly said store and taking from there about $100 worth of ready-made clothing. He was pursued by Capt. C. M. Doughty, and others, on the 26th, were overtaken in what is called the New-Madrid bend and brought back, and this day tried before an examining Court and committed for further trial; the goods having been found in his possession. After his examination and committal, he stated that he wished to make a confession, which here follows to wit:
“The statement of Jason Hanly made and sworn to before J. P. Edington, Thomas Winn, and William Robinson, Justices of the Peace in and for the county of Hickman, State of Ky., on the 3rd of March 1837; – that there was formed a company in the town of Miami, on the big Miami River, in the State of Ohio, for the purpose of counterfeiting Bank notes and silver and stealing and running horses to some other market:
The names of the persons forming the company are in part, Samuel Pottinger living just above the town of Miami, and Jesse Jones, Sr. living in said town, principal managers; Jesse Jones, Jr. Enoch Jones, George Collins, James Bell, alias Johnson, and Franklin Shaddock, of Lawrence County Ohio, now of Vicksburg, (with many others not recollected having lost the list of names) runners of the property stolen and distributors of the counterfeit money.
Jesse Jones, Sr. has in his possession the plates and molds for counterfeiting. James Bell alias Johnson is now on his way to Louisville, with a large quantity of counterfeit money and gave this deponent $1,500 after his apprehension being on the boat with said deponent, which he burnt this morning which money was counterfeited on the bank of the United States, the Commercial Bank of Cincinnati, and the Miami Exporting Company, at Miami the bills are from 50 to $1000 on each bank, and he stated that he was persuaded by the two principal characters, Pottinger and Jones, to embark in the circulation of said counterfeit notes and that he has been engaged in the business about six months.
JASON HANLY
X his mark.
The foregoing statement was voluntarily made before us, after being sentenced for further trial. Given under our hands as Justices of the peace, this 3rd of March 1837.
J.P. EDRINGTON, J. P.
THOMAS WINN, J. P.
WILLIAM ROBINSON, J. P.
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