The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-29
splendid Conn,erreil..
oNh'aosnRED-DoLLAR NOTES winch ARE Elk
CEI.LsNr INVITATIONS.

Nnhh'Ni LIMITATIONS.
WAsniN0ToN, June q. Very cxaooeratea
rumors have been circulated OF late regard.
ing tue amount OF counterfeit money now
outstanding. Inquiry at the Secrct-Serylce
bureau OF the Treasury Department. how.
ever, discloses the fact that the recent s10o
counterIelts are the osiy ones that the De-
partment has not yet been able 10 ferret out
All tue other counterfeit-p plates, Including
s1e'eton-p'ates. from which so many differ.
ent coun'erfeits could be made, have been
selzeu oy tue Secret-Seryice detectives, and
counterfeit circulation OF notes printed
from them entirely suppressed. The sI00
counterfeits which are now troubling The
Department so much embrace counterfeits
on at least six hanks--the Merchants M.
tional Bank OF New Bedford; the Second
National Bank Of Wilkesbarrc, Pa: the
National Revere Bank OF Boston: the Pitts.
field National Bank Of Pit,sieId, Mass. I:
the Pittsburgh National Bank OF Commerce,
Pittsburgh, Pa, and the National Exchange
Bank oi Baltimore. The nrst four were cir
culated first, and the Government detec.
tivcs think they have secured all the notes
(about twenty that have been tbrs far put
into circulation. Only eight coupierfeits
on the Pittsburgh Bank and one on the Bal
timore Bank have been thus far discovered.
The last two counterfeis are made from the
same plate, and ale regarded by the De-
partment TO be as dangerous IS any coun-
teIfeiiS ever in circulation. That on the
Pittsburgh bank is more dangerous than
any Of the others from the fact that il is the
only counterfeit uron localized fore paper,
the kind made solely by the Government at
lis mills In West Chester county, Pa. This
localized fibre paper was supposed TO be di-
hcult to initiate, and the fact that the Pitts
burgh counterfeiis are engraved upon 1t in.
dicstes that large capital must be invested
in the counterfeit industry. The Depart
ment Is confident that the paper was not
stolen from the Government mills. because,
while il is a magnificent imitation, the rot
tenness OF the tbre and the narrOwness OF
the localizatiQn leave no doubt as TO its be-
ing counterfeit.
Colonel Brooks, CHIEF OF the Secret-Ser-
vice division. SAYS that while his men have
been very successful in detecting counter
feiteIs and capturing counterfeit plates, the
rewards fixed by law are generally too small
10 induce coDfederatcs to tell on their ac-
complies. He says that the national-ba
note and legal-tenGer engraving was so
poorly executed that couDtelfeiters fire.
quenlly excel II. as in the case OF the border
engraving on the 500 counterfets. This
engraving was done by outside bank-no,e
companies, and its inierorty. therefore.
can in no way reflect upon The Bureau OF
Engraving aud Printing. The engraved
work on the new silver certificates, executed
ut the Bureau, is much superior to that Of
any other paper money in circulation, and
no attempt has yet been made TO counter
felt it. Colonel Brooks approves of tne
geomelrical lafhe-work on the back OF
the Silyer.ceriitcate, and The red c0lOring
on line face, two excellent safeguards
against counterfeiing. The geometrical
athe-work Is almost impossible TO counter
felt, although it would be possible TO take
Photographic negatives and then finish
them bv the carbon printing process so
Us TO almost defy detection, if 1t were
not for the red coloring, which. Of course
also takes black in the Photograph. This
cOlOring being over the black cannot be re-
moved by acid without also removing the
black, so that Photographic cOunterfeiting
is rendered practically impossible. The
new paper adopted by the Government can
De more easily counterfeilcd than the fibre
paper. The only popularity about il is that
il is plain, with TWO Sllken lines running
parallel At the top and bottom. The Secret
Service people are confident that they will
gather in The 500 counterfeit-plates within
Il very short time.