The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-09
GRAND HAUL OF oOUETERFEITBRs
Eleven Presses sstiKed-Immense Amount
OF COunterfeit Money Found-An the
Plates Captured-The whole Gang sent
tn Irons 90 NasbinEton.

| teriet notes, on several Of the most important
Taoks OF the country and the United States
Treasury, principally of the twenty dollar issues
and OF the hity-cent postal currency.
Several attempts have been heretofore made
| TO get possession OF the plates and arrest the
| counterieiters, hut without success. LARGE sums
| dih, rent paymastefs' departments many Of them
| so we'll executed that it was impossible 10 dis
tiDRuish them from the genuine bills; still no
clue could be obtained us TO where they were
manufactured.
The immense quantity Of the bogus currepcv
which flooded the country at length drew the
attention Of the authorities at Washington, and
Colonel l.. G. Baker, so widely known as A sk a.
ful det' ctive, and who is now Chief Of tho Ma.
tional Detective Police, was invested with full
power 20 examine the matter, arrest commit. or
make such disposal Of prisoners as in his judg-
ment should seem best, aud also 10 call 10 IL
aid, IN addition 70 his own force such assistance
as might be necessary in any department TO
which the interest of the service might call him.
With this authority from headquarters, Colonel
Baker, who had been in the Government service
over three years, summoned his efficient force
aud Immediately set about ferretiug out the coun-
terieiiers Believing, from the vast amount of
spurious money in circulation In the West that
the manufactures were located in some of the
principal cities Of this department. he len Wash
ington, accompanied by his well-tried men, 10
commence operations here. Arriving In this eli v
on Friday last, be was not long in obtaining such
information as enabled him to mako a succeasfuI
effort, by which he secured a variety of plates In
the cities of Sc. Louis, Indianapolis and kauvoo.
at all of which places the business was found 10
have been extensively carried on the larger share
of II being done in this CITY, whore the princinal
manutactory and machinery were located
DESCRIPTION or THE PLATBs.
Ike first plate shown us was a dye-dollar plato
on the State Bank Of Iowa.
The second was q three-dollar plate on the City
Treasury Warrant of st. Louis which was A we'll
executed and produced work, which in many
inc fYa1 t0HgfW a..Ea
unable TO detect. For this plate a large reward
had been offered, but no clue could be obtained
as to who was the possossor Of it.
The third seized was two-dollar plate on the
Bank of Rutland, Vermont, which was also we'll
executed, but did not bear the mark of as fne
workmanship as the City Treasury plate of ST
Louis, yet was sufficiently well executed 10 de-
ceive even those who professed to be good judges
of money.
The fourth and most important of all the plates
captured was the United States twertv-dollar
greenback series, which has perhaps produced
nearly as many bills as the genuine plates. The
proctss of working this note was somewhat dif-
ferent from the others, as TO complete the bill
requires four different plates the first of which
works the whole face Of the note except the red
star and figures two and cipher near the centre
of the bill, bat which are somewhat separAted
from each other. The first Of these plates Is re-
marlaby well engraved, and with proper paper
and ink would produce even q 6ner appearance
on the face of the bill than the genuine Plae.
tans much less work, and is designed to ill in
in the large two and cypher near the centre of the
bill, and also tome other smaller work. The last
plate necessary to complete the face Of the note
is the red star upon the right of the BILL which is
also well executed, and is worked last, with req
ink The face Yf the bill having been completed,
fourth plate is used, to finish the work on the
back of the bill after which, If there be no defect
in the presS.work, or what is usually termed
"workiug off. the bill is put through another
process, called the Sweating process, to modify
the color OF she ink, soften the paper, and other
wise prepare the bill for market
At the time the plates of the twenty were cap
tured, the force were busily engaged in printing.
and, unfortunately, one of the gang had to be
shot before a complete arrest could be made
They were at this time working on the press at
indianapolis.
The fifth of the regular series OF plates WAS one
on the Pttsfeld Bank State of New Hampshire,
OF the denomination of two dollars, and viii .h
was well executed, and bad ar extensive success
The sixth and most important plate Of the lot
except the twenty and fifty-dollar plates, was
that OF the finy-cent postal currency, which has
been source of so much annoyance. La this
series only two plates were used-Ono to work
the face of tie check and the other the back.
Both plates bear marks of having been used very
extensively, as In one or two places the engraving
and solid work are literally worn down, having
as has been admitted by one of the prisoners
been In use day aud night.
At the time Ofthe capture OF the plate, q whole
ing TO probably fifty or sixty thousand dollars
was found in one place, and one OF the prisoners
Acknowledges that he not unusually came into
the city of Saturday morning with two or three
thousand dollars worth Of postal currency, and
always got rid of il before night
Seventh plate. This was comparatively new
one, and was splenddy executed, and is, per-
baps one OF the most beautiful counterfeit plates
that has ever been executed I'm America. Ii is a
ten dollar, new issue, Treasury plate, had only
been used 20 print about thirty tbolsand dollars
worth, and at the time iC was discovered was
waxed over and burled-as was supposcd-in
secure place. For printing the back of the ten
a different plate was used, but one which was
equally well executed.
The eighth plate was of the demon nation Of
twenty dollars, on the Citizens Bank Of Loui.
siana, also toleraby we'll executed Plate No. ten
was Of the denomination Of twenty dollars, on
the Bank of New Orleans. Plate No. twelve was
twenty. dollar blIl on the State Bank Of len
nessee. Plate No. thirteen was ofthe denomination
of ten dollars ON the Bank of Louisville. The
fourteenth and last plate discovered aud seized
was splendidly executed plate for printing the
new issue OF hity-dOliGr Treasury notes and
which had evidently not yet been used much
CAPTURE OF DIEs.
In addition to the wholesale capture Of plates
on the different banks above described, several
important dies were also taken possession o. the
first Of which was II twenty five Ceut die h md
somely executed and well calculated 70 deceive.
A second one was dc used for making tive
uOllhI Bblu pieces anu lNo last anu most lIn-
poltant was the ole Used in making twenty dollar
gold pieces. This had been the most extensively
used Of any of the dies.
THE PRESSES, INE, rAPEB, ETC.
The number of presses taken were eleven IN
all, the largest If which weighed thirty six hun
dred pounds, and was used for working Oft the
weitits, AID waS taken at the mauufactUry some
seven miles from the city. Another wa, a small
die IToss, which bore marks of hlying been CON
sidelabJ used.
Among lie hBest OF the presses was a itho-
graphic pr,ss very beautifully finished ana used
for LIintng he c,uuterftit postal curreucy. Tue
second liIhographic press WAS much heavier, cyi.
IDENTITY intended for printing tens and twentlcs
In addition 10 these was m Old-fa,huued press,
probably used bCfury the business had attained
iis present fourishDg condition. The resi- of
the presses we're all we'll finished aud perfectly
adapttd 10 the work for which they were IN
tended.
Not only were there plenty Of presses of the
very best quality, but there were also found some
twenty-five or thirty cans Of ink of tho different
tolots used in printing hank bills, and of a good
quality. II was evident from the five large boxes
full OF material, consisting Of PAPER ink, pallet
stones, mullers, engrayers Tools and all the
various implements used by professional printers
in such work, that there was nothing wanting 10
successfully carry on their business.
Several large rolls Of bank-no;e paper of a very
good quality we're also found on the premises,
but good care was taken to have little either OF
material or implements eN posed 20 view rs they