The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-03-27
HE WAS ON THE MAKE.

HE WAS on THE MAKE.
The Millions that Mr.. Printer Charles S.
Acton Piled Up During tho Great Amer
lean Disturbance.
The reported death of Charles S. Ac-
ton, from mining accident in the north
eru part of this State, brings to light an
extraordinary story. Acton was former
ly printer in New York, and during
the war was engaged in counterfeiting
the paper currency of the Confederate
States. In this business he accumulated
fortune, which, according to the state
ment which he made to the writer here
of, must have amounted to more than
million of dollars. This he subsequently
lost in stock speculations, and after the
catastrophe of Black Friday he came to
California and worked as miner. The
story, as told by himself and in his own
handwriting, is as follows: In 1860 aev-
eral Southern States passed an ordinance
of secession, and appointed delegates to
meet on the 4th of February, 1861, at
Montgomery, Ala. At this convention
Jefferson Davis was elected President.
Steps were at once taken to raise money.
On the 21st of May, 1861, the capital Of
the Confederacy was removed to Rich
mond. Bills were adopted authorizing
the issue of Treasury notes Of various de-
nominations (S5, $40, 500, $50, 500,
etc.) So scarce did silver and gold be-
come that corporations and individual
firms were compelled to issue notes.
These were generally printed from types
and on common paper. The city of
Richmond issued notes printed from a
wood-cut. The limited mechanical re-
sources of the Confederacy compelled it
to resort to the use of common litho-
graphic printing, and it printed its notes
and bonds from photographic stones,
making transfers from old bank-note dies
hands of seine photographic establishment
in the South. So primitive was the ap-
pearance Of these notes that they were
eagerly sought for in the various North
ern cities as curiosities. Some of them
reached Washington shortly after the
first emission, and an enterprising news
dealer, named Haney, from New York,
who supplied the soldiers and officers
stationed in and around the Capital with
Northern publications, conceived the idea
of printing fac-similes Of these notes and
selling them as curiosities. With az
many different kinds as he could procure
he hastened to New York and gave
printer (Acton) an order to set up in
type and eDgrave on wood limitations of
FIVE or six notes OF denominations from
one dollar to ten.
THE FIRST ORDER
was for about six or seven thousand
notes. The demard became so great that
the plates were electrotyped, and twenty
or thirty thousand copies per day were
turned out. These were sold in all the
cities at the North by newsboys and
newsdealers. AS the rebellion progress
ed the soldiers in the army found these
notes, poorly printed as they were, moro
potent in procuring supplies of farm pro.
duce, chickens, etc., from the colored
people than our own currency. In fact,
there were many persons in the South
who would not take any other. A gen.
tleman, professor of music, George Fl.
Briggs, living at Atlanta, Georgia, while
passing through New York on his way
home, procured from the newsboys sup-
ply of the facsimile notes, with view
Of getting up better limitations. On his
arrival at Atlanta he made arrangements
with w. Fl. Teller formerly of Hardfort,
Conn.,, paying teller or officer in the
bank of Fulton, at Atlanta, to procure q
better imitation of the large notes, which
were autographed and printed at Rich
mond and used by all the banks in the
South. This bank officer, having n
knowledge of what notes were used, had
no difficulty in making selection, and
supplying the Professor, as he was usually
called, with the necessary funds he sent
him to New York to procure limitations
of the most desirable kinds. The pro-
fessor was quite sociable person, who
could adapt himself to almost any cir
cumstances, and feigning to be North
ern-born man, be sought out printer
(Acton) and made q contract with him
for engraving and printing $40, 500, $50
and 800 notes and bonds. A deposit
Of $500 secured the commencement of
the work. In q few weeks the fac-similes
were ready, and arrangements made to
pay for the balance Of the printing on
the delivery Of the work. The Professor
procured large trunk, with false bot
tom, and packed what represented nearly
two millions Of dollars in this money,
and left New York about the latter part
Of September, 1862. He passed through
our lines at Paducah, KY, and succeeded
in reaching home in about two weeks
time; safely conveying these fac-similes
into the hands OF his friend (Teller) in
the bank at Atlanta. 4 few months
afterward considerable activity was man.
ifested by one of the prominent banks in
Charleston, S. c., (Bank Of Charleston or
Bank of South Carolina,) to discover
from which bank at Atlanta, Georgia,
they had received something over q
quarter of q. million dollars in
WORTHLESS CONFEDERATE NOTES.
The act could not be directly traced
and the guilty party escaped. This will
probably be the first intimation to any of
those parties who were directly interested
in this transaction of the true source
whence they received their bad money.
From that time forward there was large
amount of those fac-similes used. They
were advertised in the Northern papers
to be sold at three cents on the dollar,
and millions of these we're printed and
sold. The next spring, 1863, the Pro-
fessor again appeared in New York sup
piled with an abundance of funds. After
he had been in the city some three weeks
Acton met him and compelled q settle
ment of the balance of his unpaid claim.
Briggs was very reluctant to settle, but,
under the circumstances, he deemed it
best to do 20. At about this period per-
sons were frequently sent to Fort Lafay-
elite and other prisons for expressing any
disloyal sentiment, and an enemy at that