The true Democrat., 1856-01-29
The way to Detect Spurious Bank
 Notes.

Mir. John. $. Dye, the we'll known editor of the "Bank Note Delineator," gave an inte. resting lecture Christmas night, at the Broad way Tabernacle, on counterleiting. The night was very stormy, and in consequence only about one hundred persons were present.
 Between the pulpit and organ, a stage was tastefully fitted up with curtains and side scenes for panoramic display of bank notes on an enlarged scale, and in front of the pull pit was arranged an orchestra, consisting of eight musicians.
 Mir. Dye said his object in these lectures was to explain the mode of detecting all classes of bad bills The idea of describing counterfeit notes originated with acounterfeiter in Philadei- phia, and 1t has ever since been turned to the advantage of this class of rogues.
 There had been suspicion, he said, that bank note engravers were the makers of counterfeit money. But this is not so. There never was but one engraver who turned counterfeiter- The counterfeiters are not so plenty now as for merly. On account of the great lfficulty they have to contend with ill the excellent work man. ship of genuine bills, they have turned their at tention to making spurious and altered bills. For these they can use one plate for all demo- mlnations of bills of every bank in America This is done by erasing the title of the bank and names of the State and town, and leaving blank in the places of the figures and let ters.
 The true way to detect counterfeit is not always by the signatures, but by the workman- ship, which is generally coarse and rough When man takes a bill in his hand, he should look at every part of it. particularly at the i'm print of the engravers. It is well to look at the letters, to see that they are well formed- Most all counterfeiters can be detected by the imprint alone
 The panorama now moved, and on canvas, ten by fourteen feet, was exhibited fac-simile ofa genuine five dollar bill of the Ocean Bank Mir. Dye pointed out the beauties of the work manship of the note, and said that by the shad- ing of the letters in ninety-nine cases out of a hSndred person could tell a good bill from bad one. A counterfeit five on the Ocean Bank was also exhibited on the panorama, and the difference could be easily seen, even by an un- practiced eye.
 The lecturer then explained the manner in which counterfeiters make plates and bills- The last new mode is to transfer by means of white wax. Even by the fold of the dress of the figures on the vignette the work is seen to be imperfect. Counterfeiters are generally sa- tisfied if they can produce the general features of bill.
 The best counterfeit bill that was ever made was fifty on the State Bank of Missouri. But it was imperfect in the shading, and was de- tected. A counterfeit note is the hardest thing in the world to make, because it must be per- feet
 A five dollar bill on the Farmers and Me- chanics' Bank of Hartford, altered from Pon- tiac, Michigan, was next shown on the panora- ma. It was calculated to deceive all outside of the bark. It was the note of broken bank, but the plate was good one, and was engrav- ed by Rawdon, Wright & Hatch, of New York
 The next shown on the canvas was a five on the Weyboset Bank of Providence, Rhode Island. It was Michigan bill, with the title of genuine bank inserted. By looking close at the shading around the lettering, it appear ed broken. Everything is complete on the bill, except that the counterfeiter altered it.
 The most dangerous of all, spurious note, was then exhibited. It was three on the Mercantile Bank, Salem, Mass. Where coun- terfeiiera have got hold of the genuine dies, they might alter that bill to every bank in North America, without altering the title.
 The lecturer said that, some years ago a cer- tain captain got plate engraved in New York for the Planters Bank of Alabama. He brought good recommendations, and as it was customa. " in those days to allow the banks to carry away the plates, the customer obtained posses sion of the plate. He went to Lexington, Ky, and there joined a gang of counterfeiters. As there was no Planters Bank of Alabama, they went to St. Louis, had Alabama" beaten out of the plate and "Tennessee' inserted. It then read "Planters' Bank of Tennessee" and thousands of dollars were made and circulated by the villains.
 Mr. Dye related some of the tricks of the fraternity to circulate their vile.trash. A coun.