The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-04-03
A Strange StOfy-The Currency
as a COrrupter Counterfeit
Money and Duplicate Bonds,

as a COrrupter r-COup terfeit
Money and Duplicate Bonds,
rG. A. Townsend's Washington Correspond
Chicago Tribune.1
You have probably met amongst
your acquaintances this kind of a man
An agreeable, decorous, thrifty, well.
to-do gentleman, who will talk to you
intelligently about the growing evils
of the country and of the general cor.
ruption of politics, but will, at the
same time, inflexibly pursue his pri-
vate purposes against the government
under the belief that, iii the destruc'
ton imminent over everybody, the
best way to anticipate it is to make
ones stake and share so big that il
can bear one, up above the common
calamity. The, country is tull of peo,
pie who deprecate corruption, but dc
not arrest their personal scheme
which is part of it.
The gentleman in the ease referred
to was taken with a communicative
mood. He knew perfectly well tha,
he could tell me nothing OF conse-
quence which would not print, bui
1t is queer that very many carefnl
men have somewhere concealed about
them a hidden desire to give points
against their class TO newspaper peo,
pie. Said this gentleman :iasiIe.i. $
si"I am one OF the oldest 5eIgravers
in this country. There is an investi-
cation one day TO be be made into the
currency of the country, which will
startle you, and your newspapers and
all their readers. There is a $40 bill
Take it-look at it! DO you see any
thing notable abeut it :?
j looked the bill over, and then the
man all over, and saw nothing to ex-
cite a remark in either. t'There is
nothing particular about that; BILL
he said. Except it is counterfeit
There are eighteen distinct counter
feits on the $40 Bill, and, as an engra-
yer, / knowithat they represent eigh-
teen different counterfeiting gangs,
1agot this bill f.om u street car con-
ductor in New York. L got into his
car as he came along, said, My
friend, l am sorry to ask you for SO
much change, but really L have MOTH
ing less than $2OIio tOl,S said he, "Pll
ioblige You, and, in a smiling way he
gave me this bill and q quantity OF
so cent fractional currency. put the
whole away in my pocket. and being
an engraver, get to looking at the
amber 81 on the lantern window OF
the carr Thought to IN nyself, That's
n remarkably handsome z for com
mon painter to make.i You know
that an engraver notices such things.
Welt that evening went into the
Ast0r House, and going up to the
fine, old. white-haired man who sells
cigars there, and is known TO every
body in New York, 1 rendered him
one of the so cent pieces. Old Jim-
my looked at itland said to me, x am
sorry, Mr.. Robinson, but that stamp
is cOunterfeit. It's u very well exe-
euted one, but ! have nothing better
to do in my leisure time than to look
over such things. u AT this, Jimmy
handed me the stamp, and i looked
at it, and then at the Others, and, sure
enough, they were all counterfeit. l
quietly. stepped Q outside the Astor
House and looked for No. 81 among
the cars. 1 found that the conduc-
tors ran eight hours of and on, and
that my man would not come on till
next morning. There l found, at the
appointed time, my conductor, and
stepped up to him and said in a low
tone, oung man you changed bill
for me, yesterday, and gave me a
quantity OF counterfeit money. Now
l. want you to take it back without
any noise He affected to grow indig-
liant, but 1 said, Stop! stop! Do you
see that policeman? IT you don't re-
turn in good money the amount you
changed for me, l will have you un-
der arrest in two minutesf Well, it
was interesting to see the promptness
with which shower of the queer gave
me all of my money, and forgot to ask
for his own. ~. ~'
"Mr. Gath, you newspaper men
know nothing whatever about the du-
plication of United States bonds, and
about the quantity counterfeit scrip
afoat. Ii you, as newspaper man,
were to go to General Spinner, and
to the heads of the Treasury, and ask
how much counterfeit currency was
in circulation they would probably
tell you ten per cent; but tell you
as an engraver, that they have admit
ted to me that there is twenty-five per
cent, Or one-quarter tho whole
amount of the stamps current in this
country, which are fraudulent,Do
you know, sir, that the postal curFen-
cy is rene we'd six times every year !?
That is the case, and see the posslbili-
ties for its increased duplic iIion and
We could better af-
ford to pay 50 per cent. premium, and
use gold, than have to deal as we do
with a lot of paper which is beyond
Government officials. Extravagantly
i,rh ae7 ,,ts< T.
politics and life, hinge upon the cur
rency. The duplication of the United
States bonds will some day be found
such an alarming matter that it will
bring the Whele country to its feet.
That crime began in the Treasury so
far back as, Chase's time. John Co.
yode. and others iii Congress made
strenuous efforts to expose it, but they
were gagged by the gavel and party
majority. An official, who at that
time was connected with the printing
had, in some way, gota grip upon the
Secretary, and could not be budged
from his place by any power III the
country. His accounts were short
one year $63, 600, and he could not tell
where the money had gone. They
kept after him, however, and, on one
OCCASION, he appeared before the ex-
aminers with his arms full of bonds,
and, throwing them down, said,
There are your $63,000P Now, there
was press used tor printing, and it
ran repeatedly in the night. ni =
s.The official himself was seen to
emerge after dark, on two occasions,
with great tin box in his hand, which
he put into his buggy and carried
away. Now, how much duplication
of bonds do you suppose it required
TO make $4,000 worth of coupons so
as TO equalize that account?"
"Several hundred thousand, 1 sup
pose." a. Ha'i.t ta'siaste7 %
mo sir; it took between S1S,0O0,-
900 and $l9,00O,000 of bonds; aud
about that time happened the first du-
plicatiou."
1 looked suddenly into the old gen.
tleman's eyes, and was In great doubt
whether was speaking to an intelli-
gent lunatic or great reformer.
The President has nominated w.
II r. (. n