Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-03-10
Sub-Trcasury COunting--Ea,se
Coin.


ing account of a visit to the United States
! Sub-Treasury in New York, and what is
seen and done there. The money, as re-
ceived, goes into the Sub-Treasury, and
passes through the hands of Messrs. Birds
all and Cisco to be counted and tested
so much of the gold and silver coin in cir
culation, mas been sweated, or filed or bored,
or disemboweled, that it requires more than
common tact and skill to detect many of
the impositions. We quote from the Week
ly as follows:
The gentlemen who do the counting for
the Sub-Treasury, count with both hands.
When a $4,000 bag is emptied before them
they plunge both hands simultaneously in
to the glittefing mass, and withdraw each
with coin between the thumb and fore
finger. Their sense of hearing is so acute
that if, in pouring out the contents of a
bag, spurious coin happens to strike the
counter, they will detect and denounce it,
though they may be many yards distant.
For the proportion of alloy, they rely in
some degree on the eve, which is so train
ed, that the least imperfection is at once
discovered. 1t is the sense of touch which
ssrves to detect sweated or filled coins
Latterly, spurious gold coins have general
ly belonged to one of two kinds They
have either been sweated BY new process
or they have been disemboweled. The
new sweating process consists of filing off
the edges of the coin, and then remilling
it. The old sweating plan was simply to
rub the face of a coin on file until it was
smooth; this method is now obsolete, as
even the banks will not take a sweated
piece. But by taking an eagle and filing
off the milled edge carefully, a rogue may
ifhe be careful, get 81 so worth of gold
from a $50 dollar gold piece, and, by re-
milling 1t with care, may leave it so per-
feet that it is impossible for a person not
trained TO the business to detect the fraud.
These coins are instantly detected at the
Sub-Trcasury and rejected. The disem-
boweling process is different. A short
time since some ingenious counterfeiters
undertook to make money by saving dol
lar coins in two, scoopiDg out the inside,
filling the hollows with base metal, and
rejoining the pieces with so much skill that
no trace of the operation is outwardly visi-
bic. This was done with the small thick
dollar issued by the mint to very great
extent. Sixty cents of gold was taken
from each Dollar, and many thousand dol
lars were objected 10 the process. Many |
of these disemboweled dollars are in eireu- |
lation at the present moment. At the
Su5-Treasury, the skilled ear and eye of
Mr.. Birdsdall and his assistant, quickly |
detect them. Larger coins are not split.
BY an ingenious contrivance hole is bored
into their edge, and The inside is scooped
out without abraiding the milling. After
a third or so of the gold is distracted, the
cavity is filled with base metal, the open
ing is galvanized with gold, and the piece
is set in circulation. These coins are so
difficult TO distinguish from coins fresh from
the mint that there are not half dozen
persons in the United States who can dis
,ern that they have been tampered with.
Mr. Birdsall, We are told singles them out
with unerring accuracy; and, 10 the amaze
nent Of the Bank from which they came,
ELECTS them.
A few weeks since, the police was set on
he track of woman who was engaged in
passing coins altered in this manner. One
If the most acute detectives was set on
Ter track, and every license was afforded
Ter, in order, if possible, to discover the
actory where the nice operation of boring
ind filling these coins was performed. Un-
ortunately, some Jealous but thick headed
policeman got wind of the lady's perform
noes, and by arresting her prematurely,
efeated the aims Of his superior officer
lessrs. Birdsdall and Cisco, Jun, count
everal hundred thousand dollars every day.
'hen they have gone through bag, they y
hovel the coins into funnel and transfer d
hem to bag, which is instantly ted and
ealed, not to be opened till its contents O
re required for disbursement. Q