The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-08-04
The Shill and Cunning Of the
Makers Of Bad Money.

the present month:
! 'Of late the arts of the counterfeitcr
have been turned to comparatively y
new branch of the profession. The coun-
tcrfeiter, the educated in his calling, and
prince among the rascals of his clique,
still finds his trade full of danger and
difficulty. The most ingenious Of the
race, in many cases, find their work, if
not themselves detected, long before a
good circulation is obtained. Their
work often prepared with great care and
with expensive tools, is frequently de-
tected aud announced before enough is
issued to well pay the printer. The part
of their trade therefore, known as the
alteration of bank bills presents them
with unequalled attractions. With no
necessity for tools nor any of the imple-
ments of the old fashioned counterfeiter,
requiring only few easily obtained
chemical substances, fine quality of
glue, and pair Of scissors to complete
their Kit, few hours will transform
many an insignificant one, to tens and
twenties, apparently as good as ever isu
ed. In these alterations, the engraver,
instead of being hindrance, is frequently
Of decided service to the counterfeiter.-
In many instances, using the same die
and vignette indiscriminately for the small
denomination Of one bank and the large
denomination Of others, the engraver has
already destroyed much of the aid associ-
alton might furnish in the detection Of
altered bills. The counterfeiter, taking
advantage of this fact, and clipping, at
pleasure, die or a word from one bill,
with little ingenuity can change the de-
nomination of another. To these altera-
tions the notes ofall banks are subject, and
no art of the engraver has yet proved
barrier to such tricks Not only is the
prominent die that denotes the denomin-
alton entirely distracted, and new one
replaced, but even the fine lettering Of
the border and center, with equal facility
are exchanged. If the engraver uses
large letters, these disciples of Lucifer
either extract the impression entirely or
themselves use similar letter for bills
not provided with preventive. Black
ink, red ink, large letters, borders and
stripes, although at first of good service,
in the end, seem to facilitate rather than
retard them in the profession they so
perseveringly continue to practice, and
the work goes on, filing their pockets,
and fleeing many an honest laborer or
tradesman. Yet there seems to be, compar-
atiyely, little effort to prevent such trans
astions.
A thorough organization among bank
crs, and fund provided for the purpose
of detecting the countefeiter, an effort to
use but ore, and the best kind of bank
note paper, to increase the number and
variety of engravings so that the same Wig
nette shall not appear upon the issues
of different banks, or at least upon notes
Of different denomination; then lessen the
number, and make more uniform the reg
isters' signatures at the State department;
these things, and others that may here
after be suggested, would do much to-
make the business of counterfeiter more
difficult, and assist in his detection. To
prevent the alteration of bank notes a
simple remedy exists, yet untried, and
which we have the confidence to believe
might, if thoroughly tested, prove a per-
feet preventive The bank teller detects
the worst alterations from association, and
if the prominent engraving of note is
we'll remembered, he vii! not be deceived
though the pasting process be done with
the greatest degree of nicely. If, for in
stance, the vegnettc of some one dollar
bill is known to be blacksmith, the first
glance of the engraving will convey to
the mind its value, let the apparent de-
nomination be what it may. If, then, the
engraver, in making up the plate for
one dollar note, uniformly compose the
vignette of one, and only one prominent
object; the two, three and five in like
manner, always of two, three and five
prominent objects; the ten always of more
than five, and the twenty of more than
ten, no matter what these objects may be,
the poorest judge of money cannot be de-
ccived with regard to their value. The
fifty, the hundred, and the thousand dol
lar note DO not circulate so generally, and
are always received with more caution,
SO that alterations of the kind are com
parativcly uncommon. In order to make
still more secure, every engraving, large
or small. at the end or between the sig
nature, should also denote the denomina-
ton, until to alter bill will be to dofacG
its whole appearance. In engraving the
different denominations Of a bank, the
vignette of the one should always be
smallest in size, the two, three and five
gradually increasing, the ten covering
one half of the length of the BILL and the
fifty and hundred the whole extent. BY
this arrangement the engraver may add
much to the beauty of a set of engraying5
and need use neither the large red letters
nor the heavy border, which so mar the
general appearance of the bank note.--
We believe that thus, by the help of as
sociation, preventive against all bank
note alterations may be obtained, and we
hope yet to see the plan tested by en-
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