Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-03-27
REBEL SECURITIES.
The Death OF a Man who COun-
terfeited Them by Millions
A Secret Chapter of the War.
From the San rrancIsco Chronicle.

AAO ACPbi leu ucdtu VI SudAA -.
Acton, from mining accident in
the northern part of this State, brings
TO light an extraordinary story. Ac-
ton was formerly printer in New.
York, and during the war was engag-
ed in counterfeiting the paper cur
rency OF the Confederate States. In
this business he accumulated a for
tune, which, according to the state
ment which he made to the writer
hereof, must have amounted to more
than $1,000, 900. This he subse-
quently lost in stock speculations,
and after the catastrophe of Black
Friday he came to California and
worked as miner The story was
told BY himself and in his own hand
writing is as follows:
In 1860 several Southern States.
passed an ordinance of secession.
and appointed delegates to meet on
the 4th of February, 1861, a. Mont
gomery, Ala. AT this Convention
Jefferson Davis was elected Presi-
dent. Steps were at once taken to
raise money. On the 21st of May,
1861, the Capitol of the Confederacy
was removed to Richmond. Bills
were adopted authorizing the issue
of treasury notes of various denomi
nations (S5, $40, $40, $50, 500,
etc.3 So scarce did silver and gold
become that corporations and indi-
vidual firms were compelled to issue
notes. These were generally printed
from type and on common paper.
The city of Richmond issued notes
printed from wood cut. The limit.
ed mechanical resources of the Con
federacy compelled it to resort to the
use of common photographic printing,
and it printed its notes and bonds
from liihographic stones, making
transfers from old bauk-note dies
which had found their way into the
hands of some photographic establish
ment in the South. So primitive WAS
the appearance Of these notes that
I they were eagerly sought for in the
various Northern States as curiositIes.
Some of them reached Washington
shortly after the first emission, and
an enterprising news-dealer, named
Haney, from New York, who sup
piled the soldiers and officers sta
toned in and around the Capitol with
Northern publications., conceived the
idea of printing fac SMILES of these
notes and selling them as curiosities.
With as many different kinds as he
could procure he hastened to New
York and gave printer (Acton) an
order to set Up in type and engravc
on wood limitations of five or six notes
of denominations from 81 to $40.
THE FIRST ORDER
was for about 5000 or 1000 notes.
The demand became so great that
the plates were electrotyped, and 20,-
900 or $4,000 copies per day were
turned out These were sold in all
the cities at the North by newsboys
and ncwsdcalers. AS the, rebellion
progressed the soldiers in the army
found these notes, poorly printed as
they were, more potent in procuring
supplies of farm produce, chickens,
ETC., from the colored people than
our own currency. liz fact, there
were many persons in the South who
would not take any other. A gentle
man, professor of music, George Fl
Briggs, living at At anita, Georgia.
while passing through New York on
his way home, procured from the
newsboys supply of the fac-simile
notes, with view of getting up bet
ter limitations. On his arrival at AT
lanta he made arrangements with w.
II. Teller (fOrmerly from Hartford,
Conn. }, a paying teller or 0tlicer in
the Bank OF Fulton, at Atlaistl, to
procure better imitation OF tie large
notes, which were Autographed aud
painted ut Richmond and used by all
Ihe banks in the South. This bank
officer. having knowledge of what
HOtt 5 were used, Lad no difficulty in
making Il selection, and supp lying the
professor, as lie was usually called,
with tile necessary funds. ii sent
him to New York to procure imita-
tons of the most desirable kinds.
The professor was quite q sociable
person, who could adapt himself to
almost any circumstances, and feign-
ing TO be a Northern-born man, he
sought = out a printer (Acton) and
made a contract with him for engrav-
ing and printing $40, $40, $50 and
SlOO notes and bonds. A deposit Of
$500 secured the commencement of
the work. In q few weeks the fac.
SMILES were ready, and arrangements
maze to pay for the balance OF the
printing on the delivery of the work
The Professor procured a large trunk,
with false bottom, and packed what
represented nearly $4,000, 600 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 nfabout two weeks time, safely con-
veying these fae-similes into the
hands of his friend (Teller) in the
bank at Atlanta. "A few months aft
erward considerable activity was
manifested by one cf the prominent
banks in Charlie ton, s. c., (Bank of
Charleston or Bank ofSouth Carolina)
to discover from which bank at At
lanta, Ca, they had received some
thing over $3.50, 900 in @e~a
WORTHLESS CONFEDERATE NOTES.
The act could not be directly trac-
ed, and the guilty party escaped.
This will probably be the FIRST intl-
nation to any of those parties who
were directly interested in this trans
action of the true source whence they
received their bad money. From that
time forward there was a large amount
of those fac-aimiles used They were
advertised IN the Northern papers to
be sold at 8 cents on dollar, ant
millions of these were printed and
sold. The next spring, 1868, the
Professor again appeared in New
York, supplied with an abundance OF
funds. 8 After he had been in the city
acme three weeks Acton met him,
and compelled d settlement or the
balance of his unpaid claim. Briggs
.sv. u III n