The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-04-01
% The currency a Corrnpter.
Counlerfeit Money and DuplIca-
ted R0ndss
fG. A. Townsend in Chicago Trisnnle.l

III ~
Counierfeit Money and DuplIca-
ted Bonds.
re-. A. Townsend in Chicago TT5nne.]
You have probably met among your
acqualntances this kind OF u man An
agreeable, decorous, thrifty, well-toldo
pgentleman, who will talk with you in
llelligently about the growing evils of
Ithe country and of the general corrup-
lfion of politics, but will, at the same
ftime, infexibly pursue his private pur-
poses against the Government, under
lthe belief that, in the destruction immi-
Inent over every body, the best way to
i auticipate it Is to make ones stake and
I share SO Zig that it can hear one UP
soye the comm ealaality TIE ceun-
Try IS fnii OF people who deprecate cor
trupticn, but do not arrest their personal
lscheme which is part OF it.
The gentleman in this case referred
to was taken with communicative
mood He knew perfectly well that he
could tell me nothing CT consequence
which l would not print, but it is queer
that very many careful men have some
where concealed about them a hidden
desire to give points against their class
to newspaper people. Said this gentle
man:
81 AM ONE OF THE OLDEST ENGRAvERs
In this country. There is an investiga-
ton one day to be made into the cur.
rency 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 anything no.
table about ii p
looked the bill all over, and then
the man all over, and saw nothing to
excite remark in either. "There is
nothing particular about the bill" he
said, "eXcept that it is counterfeit
There are eighteen distinct counterfeits
on the SO bill, and, as an engraver,
know that they represent eighteen diff.
crent eounterfei,irg gangs 1 got this
bill from street-car conductor in New
York. | got into his car, and as he
came along ] said, "My friend, / am
sorry to ask you for so much change,
out really have nothing less than 500
Oh, said he I'll obige you,' and in a
smiling way, he gave me this bill and a
Quantity of fifty cent fractional curren-
Icy. / put the whole away in my pock-
ct, and being an engraver. got to look
ling at the number 81 on The lantern
window of the car Thought l to N.Y.
self, That's remarkably handsome Z
Ifor common painter to make You
know that an engraver notices such
things. Well, that evening | went into
the Astor House, and going up to the
fine old whlte-haired man who sells ci.
gars there, and is known to every body
in New York, / rendered him one Of the
I5Q cent papers. Old Jimmy looked at
.titssand said to me, Il am sorry, Mr. Rob
inson, but that stamp is counterfeit It's
/ very well executed one; but have moth
ling better TO do in my leisure time than
Ito look over such things At this jim
Imy handed me the stamp, aid looked
at it, and then at the others, and sure
enough they were all counterfeit /
quietly stepped outside the Astor House,
and looked for No. 81 among the cars,
found that the conductors ran eight
hours off and ON, and that my man
would not come on till next morning =
There found. at the appointed time,
my conductor, and stepped up to him
and said in low tone; young man,
you changed a bill for me yesterday,
and gave me quantity of counterfeit
money. Now l want you to take it
back without sny noise" He affected
to grow indignant, but / said, ''Stop,
stop! Do you see that policeman? If
you don't return me in good money the
amount which you changed for me, ]
will have you under arrest in two min
utes" We'll, it was interesting to see
the promptness with which that "shover
of the queer gave me all my money,
and forgot to ask for his own.
"Mr Gath, you newspaper men know
nothing whatever about the
DUPLICATION OF UNITED STATES BONDS,
And about the quantity OF counterfeit
scrip afoat If you, as newspaper
mar, we're to 60 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 admitted to
me that there is 25 per cent, or one
quarter of the whole amount of the
stamps current in this country, which
are fraudulent Do you know, sir, that
the postal currency is
RENEWED SIX TIMES EVERY YEAR?
That is the case, and see the possibili-
ties for its increased duplication and
counterfeitihg. We could better afford
to pay Fifty per cent. premium, and use
gold, than have to deal as we do with
a lot of paper which is beyond the con
trol, to great extent, of the Govern.
ment officials The extravagantly high
: prices, and the corruption in our poll
, tics and life, hinge upon the currency
The duplication of the United States
: bonds will some day be found such an
alarming matter that it will bring the
whole country to its feet. That crime
began in the Treasury as far back as
Chase's time. John Covode and Others
in 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, got grip
upon the Secretary, and could not be
budged from his place by any power in
the country. His accounts were short
one year S63 ,000, and he could net tel
where the money had gone. They KEEP
after him, however, and on one occa
: sion he appeared before the examiners
with his arms full of bonds, and, throw
ING them down, said, There are you
: 500, ,000r Now, there was a press uset
for printing at that time, and it ran re
peatedly
a IN THE NIGHT,
The official himself was seen to emerge
k after dark, on two occasions, with a til
box in his hand, which he put into hi
It buggy and carried away. Now, how
t much duplication of bonds do you sup
pose it required to make Ss3 600 wortl
of coupons so as TO cqualize that &C
l. count?"