The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-09-04
Counterfeit Coin.

Gently gave reporter of the New York
Times the following interesting informa-
ton respecting filled" coins:
Referring to the practice of counterfeit
ing, Mr.. Ashley remarked that there were
"flled" coins of the denomination of $50,
and then added: II suppose you don't
know what filed coin is?" On receiv-
ing an affirmative response to his query,
MIR. Ashley took from small drawer
double-eagle, which, to all appearance,
was perfectly genuine. The minutest ex-
animation Of the surface and of the milled
edge failed to disclose any marks of fraud
rect to the decimal of grain, and when
struck on the counter the coin gave a
loud, clear ring, true as any which were
taken from a neighboring pile of the gen.
uinc article. Nothing seemed wanting in
this skillful counterfeit; but it was a
counterfeit, nevertheless.
"This is filed CON-" continued Mr..
Ashley, as he balanced it on the tips of
his fingers. 1.-THE weight is correct, it ap-
pears good, the acid test would fail on it,
and the sound is true. 1t is one of the
most dangerous counterfeits ever made.
Here Is another, cut through the center to
show the filling. You see that the inside
of the coin is filled with a composition of
platina. To fill in this, the milled edge
has been carefully removed, the coin
sliced in two, and the inside of it pared
away, leaving the two faces intact. An
amount of the composition of the same
weight has been substituted for the more
valuable metal removed, and the several
parts of the coin have been skillfully
joined together again, and none but an
expert can detect the signs of the work.
From double-eagle the amount of gold
thus removed amounts to $14; so you see
a man could make living if lie only
made one of these filled coins day"
In response to an inquiry how these
fraudulent coins were detected, Mr.. Ash
ley stated that there was clerk in the
building who could pick every one out of
mother would pick her children out
of a schoolful of others. You shall see,"
he continued, and, taking the filled piece,
he placed it edgewise among some forty
or more pure ones. Then laying the pile
down, he called from his place, some dis
lance off, one of the clerks, and said:
Mr. Tandy, will you please separate the
good from the bad in these coins?" The
gentleman thus addressed scrutinized the
uptured edges of the coins, and threw out
the counterfeit in an instant. Mr.. Ashley
then spread them out on the counter, and
thoroughly mixed them up. Again the
counterfeit was detected at a glance.
Twice the experiment was made, and
with the same result. Some one diverted
Mr.. Tandy's attention for an instant, and
Mr.. Ashley quietly removed the counter
felt coin, and once more asked the expert
to search the mass. He did so, but was
not deceived, though for a moment puz-
Zled. He pronounced all the coins to be
genuine, and Mr.. Ashley triumphantly
threw down the counterfeit Mr.. Tandy
could not explain how he detected the
false pieces, further than that "they did
not look right" and Mr.. Ashley frankly
confessed he could not himself tell how
it was done; neither could he do
it. Some of the filled pieces were
shown, which seemed absolutely per-
feet, particularly one five-dollar piece,
which was pronounced ''marvel Of
workmanship" To successfully fill
coin so small and thin as this, is natu-
rally a more delicate operation than filling
the thick and heavy double-eagles; but
the perverse ingenuity of the counterfeit
ers IS equal to it, and only the eye of so
skillful an expert as the gentleman who
admiringly displayed the coin to the re-
porter Is competent to detect the fraud.
Of course an assistant possessing such ex.
ceptional skill is too valuable to be
parted with. 1t need scarcely be said that
political changes do not effect the posi-
tions of such as he. Mr.. Ashley stated,
however, that he had q standing offer of
a situation at one of the principal banks
at much higher salary than the Govern
ment paid-which was not munificent-
and he remained in the service only be-
cause the Sub-Treasurer and he (NIr. Ash
ley) had personally agreed that his sala-
ry should be the same as that offered by
the bank. 1t may be mentioned that En-
glish sovereigns have been subjected to
the "filling" process, which the we'll
known automatic weighing machine of
the bank is totally useless to detect. The
attention Of the British authorities has
doubtless been called to this new fraud by
this time, as when the English detectives
were over here looking after the bank
forgers, they were shown several sover-
eigns which had come to the Sub Treas
ury filled" It was q new revelation to
the officers Of the law, and doubtless
proved to be so to their EMPLOYERS,