The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-05
a TREASURY SKETCH.
TH f q u r r E N @ Y.
BY a. D. RICHARDSON.

WASHINGTON, aug. OO.--Ihe Treasury En-
craving and Printing Bureau preserves every
Known counterfeit thus far. There are thirty
on ereenbacks; fifty on fractional currency
none on gold notes or bonds. Most are
wretohed: but two or three so perfect that they
Iocoiva the very eleCt--if needless cashiers
come within that category. The ingenious
d. fobrioators make their new notes look sOiled,
~orn. and old before circulating them.
=, - easv to protect experts against counter
,.;tS The masses find no safeguards infalible
s;nonlv because they will not study them The
snast most elaborate engraving, and many
5ieicTlt processes of printing on each note are
Lie The former requires time and skill;
tba latter costly machinery, ample room, and
therefore publicity. The minute little Trea-
sury seal upon our currency, with its key,
scales, and mason's square, has never been
successfully initiated.
The most dangerous means of counterfeiting
is photography. Itreproduces every line with
absolute exactness. In the early days of the
Bureau, DR.. Gwynn, an old, ingenious in
Ventor. originated an exceedingly valuable
paper to obviate this difficulty. In the midst
Of his experimenting he was suddenly arrested
bv Baker. and thrown into Old Capitol Prison.
He was kept there thirty days, without being
allowed to see his accusers, or know the
charges against him, and then Internationally
released He never obtained any redress.
Afterwards, James Brooks, on the floor of
4be House. alleged that the Treasury of the
United States had become "a house for orgies
and bacchanals." A Congressional committee
after two months investigation, reported ex-
plicitly that the charge was utterly false; that
it originated partly in the desire of 'some" to
break up the Bureau, and partly in conspi-
racy between Baker and "the female prosti-
tutes associated with him" to destroy Clark's
character, and thus shield Baker from the
Odium of Gywnn's arrest.
Gwynn's paper was a sure protection against
photography. It's water-mark of faint, sprawl
ing lines, known as ''spider-leg," nobody else
had the secret of making. No known chemical
substance obiterated it without destroying
the paper. One could barely detect its dim
yellow lines by holding the genuine note up
to a strong light But all over the photo
graphed counterfeit they stood boldly out, a
coarse, revealing, jet-black network of spider
legs.
Moreover, the paper would wash! Scrub
bing one of those 50-cent pieces with soap and
water and then drying it with towel did not
injure it in the least. It's body remained firm,
its print clear, its bronze undimmed. Hence
B. f. Taylor's extravagantly droll conceit of
man putting off a dun with the excuse that
his money has not come back from the laun-
dry, or making out list for his washerwoman
thus
Handkerchiefs ,........,......
Fivedollar
Fractional eurrency-pieces... es..............".."..4O
Return on Friday.
For six months our small change was
printed on this wonderful paper. McCulloch,
on taking the helm, discontinued it, holding
somewhat obscurely that to make its use the
test of genuineness discredited the millions of
former issue, upon ordinary paper, already in
circulation. The inventor alleges that he has
lost $3.50, 600 upon it, but sooner or later it
must be adopted. The last novelty proposed
is to print notes upon peculiar linen, bear
ing new and indelible mark, corresponding
to the water mark of paper. 1t can only be
woven on a jacquard loom, which costs
100000. 1t would puzzle counterfeiters either
to initiate the mark or make the fabric; for
inventing brains and timid capital cOmpre-
hend that in the long run dishonesty pays
poor dividends.
Altered notes, more common than counter
feits, are readily detected by looking through
them at bright light. Adopts are Incredibly
skilful at producing them. In Salisbury
prison, with nothing but pen, ink, mucilage
knife, and bits of old notes, captives altered
81 greenbacks and passed them to Rebe
guards as $20s and $50s. In Charleston, with
only writing materials and blank paper, Z
Yankee officer initiated Confederate fractional
currency so cleverly that its genuineness was
not questioned. He had only coarse models
to copy. But our $5 greenback, with all it
delicate shades and involved ornamental tion
was similarly duplicated by an officer in Libb,
Prison with so much exactness that at frs
glance it was difficult to distinguish the spu
rious from the original.
According to Frank Moore's 'War Anec
dOtes,' early during the Rebellion, notes of
Pennsylvania bank bearing Buchanan's like
ness became so disfgured by "traitor," an
other epithets written under the portrait, tina
the bank was compelled to call them all il
and make new issue, emitting the obnoXiou
head.
Chase gleefully relates that in the ranks
a lOng-unpaid regiment in the field he foun
an old acquaintance, who did not recogniz
him until he introduced himself Then tn
witty soldier responded, 80 yes-Mr. Chase
1t is so long since we have seen your pictur
that l had nearly forgotten youl" Better sti
was the exclamation of the old darkey at Ke
West. After studying long and perplexedl
the features of the great Ohioian, a sudden in
telligence cleaned over his sooty face, and h
calculated, "Lor, mas'r, knows you; you
old Greenbacks 20
Clark suggested the engravings on tn
backs Of our National Bank notes. cones
exhibit the Landing of the Pilgrims, from a
original drawing by White. "Twos" shol
Sir Walter Raleigh introducing tobacco, fror
an engraving owned by the Bank Note Com
panies. The rest are from historical painting
in the great rotunda of the Capitol. Olives
Landing of Columbus, by Vanderlyr
''Tens''-De Soto Discovering the Mississippi
by Powell. "Twenties' Baptism of Poe,
l., II