The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-10-25
COUNTERFEIT BANK NOTES.
Tho Fate Of RnRravers who weFe Consid-
ered Experts.-InformRtion Not Generally
Known to tho Public-- Bogus Notes.

DANA NVxGSs
The Fate Of RnRravers who were Consid.
cred Experts--Information Not Generally
Known to tho Public--BoEus Notes.
An impression prevails that thereis on
enormous quantity of counterfeit money
in circulation. The truth is there is
little. The only engravers working, who
were considered experts, Tom Ballard,
Ben Boyd, and George White, have been
sent to the penitentiary since October l,
1874, the first for thirty years, and the
last two for ten years each. There is an
other engraver at liberty, an inferio,
workman, he whocut the Richmond Ind.
ten-dollar plate, and the title plate fol
the Lafayette (Ind.) ten.dollar note, the
latter the last counterfeit note issued,
both being printed evidently from the
same plate. The capture of this fellow
is only a matter of time. It took three
years to get Ballard, eight months tc
reach Boyd, and seven months to cap.
ture White. Not only were they cap.
tured, but all their tools and the plates,
thus effectually stopping this imitation
Of the currency. Previous to their ar
rest Ballard, who acted for himself, Mel.
son briggs. who was Boyd's hacker,
and Tom Congdon, who made the most
from Whites work, put out large quan-
titles of their bills.
The number OF counterfeits in circu-
lation is reduced every month by the ap-
prehension of dealers and showers, but
it is impossible to gather in the whole
issue, since thousands of dollars may re-
main buried for years. In 1867, Nat
Kiuzie, who engraved the $40 plate for
the First National bank of Philadelphia,
and was sent to "Oherry Hill" there.
for, buried $50. 900 in these notes. They
remained in the ground five or six years,
and many of them are fnow in circula-
ton. The same is true of what are
known as the "Illinois fves," embrac-
ing the First National banks Of Aurora,
Canton, Galena, Paxton, Peru and Chi
cago, and the Traders and the Mer-
chants of Chicago. Ben Boyd cut all
these plates, or rather one plate for the
diverse, another for the border, and an
other for the center Of the reverse, for
the title was left blank and the names
printed in from other plates. They were
all captured from Nelson briggs, at
Centralia, Ill.,, in October, 1875. There
were very few notes of the Merchants
and Galena put out, there being no such
bank as the First National of Galena;
and there were none at all on the First
of Peoria, though that is usually in
lists of counterfeit notes. There were
$117, 900 in these fves found in briggs
possession, but he had sold to customers
all over the country previous to his ar
rest, and many of the notes thus put
out are in circulation still.
The plates for the Massachusetts, fves
the First OF Northampton, the Mer-
chants of New Bedford, and the Hamp-
den OF Westfeld-it will be remembered
were captured with White and Oongdon
in Brooklyn last June. Nearly 800, 900
of their issue was found in the "mill. I"
They had gotten rid of about $40, 900 Of
New Bedfords, $4,000 of Northamp-
tons, and $15, 900 of Hampdens. Other
parties were arrested subsequently with
about 0,000 of this stuff in their pos
session, so there remains afoat about
$4,000 of the issue. There never was
q counterfeit IS on the First, of Louis
vile, Ky. One was reported, but the
statement was never verified. All told,
there are, perhaps, $3.50, 900 in counter
felt fives now out.
There has not been counterfeit 500
note printed in six years, the plates
from which the Merchants, Shoe and
Leather of New York, and the National
bank of Utica, N. T., were printed, hav-
ing been captured by Col. Whitley,
when he was chief of the secret service.
OF the $40 notes, several sets of electro
plates for the Farmers and Manufactur.
ers', the First, and the City of Pough-
keepsie, N. Y, have been secured. The
original steel plates were the handiwork
of Ballard. They were cut several years
ago, and have rusted out long since, and
are now worthless. The First of Red
Hook is a very old issue, and the plate
is not in existence. The 81 plates for
the st. Nicholas and Ninth National Of
New York, and the Westchester County
of Peekskill, were also cut by Ballard,
and electroplates have been captured by
Washburn. The originals are believed
to be in the same condition as Ballard's
tens. No notes, however, have been
printed from them for several years.
On the first of January last there were
but two plates for government notes out
One for the $50 Hamilton head, and
the other $500. The former was &C.
cured by Washburn in Cincinnati some
time in February. The other is still out,
but under cover, and no notes have
been printed from it for long time.