The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-02
COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
Paper Money Easily Countcrfeited and
Easily Detected.

Easily Detected.
When the exigencics of the war caus-
ed the old State banks to 80 out of exis..
tence and the new notes Of the national
banks and the greenbacks took their
place, q general relief was experienced
by the absence of counterfeit, spurious,
and altered notes. The forms of fraudu-
lent money had become so numerous that
the counterfeit detector had got to be
almost as large as the family Bible. A
long period elapsed after the issue of the
new notes before the counterieits made
their appearance, and so great was the
relief in this respect that the new notes
found few opponents.
But the security against counterfeits
was short lived. The enormous quautl-
ties of each denomination of the new
issues proved an irresistible temptation
to the counterfeiters, so that now the
annoyance from fraudulent notes is al
most rs great as it was during the issue
of tho old State bank money. This is
signally illustrated by the growth of the
counterfeit detectors. For short time
these publications almost went out of e1.
isteuce, but now they are flourishing, and
present an appalling exhibit Of the ex-
tent of counterfeiiing. In Underwood's
Counterfeit Detector for December a
table appears showing that 562 different
kinds of counterfeit money have been
received. Every State in the Union is
represented in this list, and so great have
been the numbers of counteriets OH some
banks that in some cases the issue has
been entirely called in and further issue
of ike denomination has been suppress
ed. Some idea of the extent of these
counterieits may be obtained by the fact
that the same counterfeit is found in cir
cuIation in many places. Thus the
counterfeit fves on the Merchants Ma
tional Bank of New Bedford we're sent
to the Bureau of Redemption from l4l
places. The counterfeit fives on the
Hampden National Bank of Westfield,
Mass, appeared at III places, including
places in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota,
Iowa, Florida, Oregon, South Carolina,
Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and
Maine-in short, all over the United
States. Under the old State bank system
counterfcits we're somewhat circumscrib-
ed in circulation, but now they go un-
suspected from one end of the country
to the other. The similarity of so many
good notes makes it profitable for the
counterfeiters to pay enormous sums TO
procure one good plate, knowing that
when once Obtained they may use this
one plate, with but slight alterations, for
many counterfeits. The fortunate fact
that the counterleiterS have omitted to
notice the slight variations in the gcnu-
inc notes.-the different styles of num-
bers and check letters-has been the
principal means for the detection Of
counterfeits. Thus the counterfeiters
often put on the name of United States
Register or Treasurer who was not in
office when the note was issued.
Underwood publishes curious list of
about 2S0 notes of various denomina-
tions that we're stolen from banks before
they were signed by the bank officers.
In such cases, the notes would be proper
ly numbered, and would defy detection.
But, in the case of most counterfeit
notes, the chances of getting the right
numbers and check letters are very re-
mote. One method of detecting fraudu-
lent United States notes is very simple.
1t is as follows:
Omitted States notes are printed i'll
sheets of four notes Of one denomina-
tion on each sheet. Those notes are let.
tered, respectively, in the upper and
lower corners diagonally opposite, A, B,
c, and D. Each United States note has
distinct number, and the notes are al
ways numbered in their order on the
sheets; thus all notes of letter A will be
!, or o number, which, if divided by 4,
would leave remainder; B, 2; c, 3, and
D, 4, or the number will be divided by
four without remainder. This test,
while not by any means certain, will en-
able any one to detect one.third of the
counterfeits in circulation. Any United
States note, upon which the number eau
not be divided by four, without showing
the above result, is counterfeit. Bear
in mind that all genuine notes with let
ters a and C. will have odd numbers,
and with B and D, even numbers"
If note will not stand this test, it
should be rejected. Nevertheless, it is
possible that o note that would stand
the test may be counterfeit. But it is
hardly safe for any one to receive sus-
pected money without strict comparison
with the detailed description of known
counterfeits.-Me,o York San.