The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-27

SOME INTERESTING TuISGs ABOUT COUNTER
FELT MoSEY.-" Gath" the Chicago I1Sbune's
versatile correspondent, has hecu amusing
himself lately by interviewing. an engruver
on the subject OF counterfeit money. Said
| this gentleman: 81 am one of the oldest
| engraverS in the country. There is an in
vestigation 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 SO bill. Take it-look at it. Do
you see anything notable about it," I
| looked the bill all over, and then the man all
| over, and saw nothing to excite remark in
either. "Thcre is nothing particular about that
bill, he said, "eXccpt that it is counterfeit
There are eighteen distinct counterteitS on
| I he $40 bill. and, rs an engraver, know
that they repl resent eighteen different coun.
terfciting gangs. People generally know
| nothing whatever about the duplication of
United States bonds, and about the quantity
OF counterfeit scrip atloat. If you, as IL
newspaper man, were to 20 TO General Spin
ner, and to the heads OF the Treasury, and
ask how much counterfeit currency was in
| circulation, they would probably tell you
Ten l'cr cent; but tell you, is an engravcr,
| that they have admitted to me that there is
twenty-five per ccut., or oue-qlarter 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 sec the possibilities for
| lis increased duplication and countcrtrting.
We could better afford to pay fifty per cent.
premium, and Use gold, than have to deal as
we do with Il lot OF paper which is beyond
the control. to a great extent, of the Govern
hA ti,t, a ,r, nj hitrh
prices. aud the corruption in our politics
and life, hinge upon the currency. The du-
pcaton of the United States bonds will
some day lie found such an alarming mat
ter that it will bring the whole country to
lis feet. That crime began in the Treas
ury as far back is ChaSc's time.
John CoyoGc and others III Congress
made strenuous efforts to expose it, but
they were gagged by the gavcl and the
party majority. An official, who at that tire
was connected with the printing. had in
some way got Il grip upon the Secretary, and
could pot be budscd from his place by any
power in the country. His accounts were
short one ycar $4,000, and he could not tell
where the money had gone. They kept at
ter him, however, and on one occasion he
appeared before the examiners with his sarms
full Of bonds. and, throwing them down, said,
There are your $G3, ,o00!' Now, there was a
press used Tor printing at that time, and it ran
repeatedly in the night. The official himsefwas
! seen to emerge after dark. on two occasions,
with Il great tin box in his hand, which he
put into his buggy and carried away. Now,
how much duplication of bonds do you sup
pose it required to make $4,000 worth of
coupons, SO as to cQnlize that account?"
"Srvcral hundred thousand, suppose"
"No, sir; it took between S1S,Q00,0O0 and
81. 2.oGo,0G0 of bonds; and about that time
happened the first duplication." l looked
suddenly into the old Scnticman's eyes, and
was in great doubt whether | WAS speaking
10 an intelligent lunaic or Il great retorner.