Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-05-29
Counterfeiting.

To be successful counterfeiter re-
quires rare mechanical skill, an utter
contempt for the law, and reckless
disregard for the results which unless
the criminal is fortunate enough, TO
10 have powerful friends and plenty
OF money! are almost sure TO follow de-
lection in committing what is looked
upon by government authorities (f
they are honesty as the objectionable
sin. The business of counterfeiting has
had, in years gone by, some of the ablest
men in the country in their particular
line as its exponents, and their methods
of doing business have been almost past
finding out; but, thanks TO the United
States secret service department, cou-
pied with those of local detective
officers all over the country, the busi-
ness of manufacturing, dealing in and
showing the " queer" has been made so
dangerous that but few dare run the
risk. Then, again, the abolition OF
State banks has done much toward put
ting a check to the business. For the
purpose of giving the reader an insight
into the modHS operdRdi of counterfeiters,
the following explanation is given.
When genuine notes are made, one
plate contains four transfers from the
same dies, and when printed every set
of impressions makes four bills. These
four bills are distinguished by different
letters: A, B, c, d. The counterfeiter
selects bill representing one of the
above letters. from which TO engrave a
bill. 1t may be the letter "a" This
plate represents only one single letter
or note; while the genuine represents
four, differing only in letters. A, then,
is the ouly letter of that denomination,
of that particular bank or treasury note,
that has been counterfeited. B, c, and
ID, of the same denomination, are all
genuine, and, if the plate has been cap
tured, may at all times be taken without
risk. When a letter of plate has been
counterfeited, genuine notes of that
particular letter are always retired by
the bank, through the redemption
agency, and by this means taken out of
circulation. SdppOslng, however, a let
ter of any particular plate has been sue
cessfully counterfeited, and the bills
printed, the next thing is to get them
into circulation, and this is done in the
following manner: Between the manu-
facturers anG dealers there is class
of men called the "boodle carriers"
These men, who in every instance, are
men who have been weighed in the
balance and not found wanting, take a
large quantity of the "queer" money
and start off upon a trip for the purpose
of supplying the dealers, who, in nine
eases out of ten, are prominent business
men. This package of money is called
the "bOodle." The dealers or agents,
one of whom can generally be found in
nearly every city and town of any i'm
portance in the country, having been
supplied, they in their turn sell il to the
''shovers," with the understanding that
it shall not be put into circulation until
a Nt4 AdAll y pun lAlab II Aht
dealers" and ''shovers" have kept
faith, very large quantities are put in
circulation, and before the community
tan be warned by the authorities or
through the newspapers that such bill
or coin is ''queer," the counterfeiters
have made good haul and stepped out.
The "shovers" who are sometimes men,
and oftentimes women, purchase the
money from the dealer, single bill or
coin at time, so that, if they are ar
rested while attempting to pass it, there
is nothing found upon them by which
their peculiar calling can be ascertained,
and it is a very difficult matter 10 con-
Wet one of the gentry, who, in slang
parlance, is at all "hy."
Gold coins, checks and bonds are
eOunterfeited in various ways, but only
the most expert operators are in posses
sion of skill and daring enough to at
tempt the last mentioned feat. Such
men as "Spenee" Pettis, George and
Byron Bidwell and Geo. Mcdonald
were adopts in this particular line of
business. All four are now "doing'
time, the first mentioned in the Massa-
chusetts State prison, and the last thre
in England, where they are serving
out a life sentence for one of the most
daring counterfeiting schemes in the
criminal calendar of the world. When
counterfeiters desire to enter into
speculation on gold coin, they take, we
will say for the sake of illustration,
$50 gold piece and saw il into three
pieces taking the reverse and head por-
tions of the coin, they will fill them in
with platinum, or any other substance
of sufficient weight, solder and refill
them, and they are again ready for cir
culation.
The value of the metal extracted out
of a $40 piece is generally about SIS, so
it will be seen that the business is quite
profitable. Coins of smaller denomi-
nation are doctored in the same way,
and when silver is the metal counter
feited, it is generally so clumsily done
that almost anybody can readily detect
the difference between the genuine and
the base coins.
She Danced i'm her Shroud.