Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1880-07-29
COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
sOme Facts About CounterfeitiaE and Coal


AAotnf II Ncts aNhoMl AhnunterfHlNlMH ana AONu=
terfeIters.
"WIEN you want to know whether n
lock can be broken, you don't want to
go TO the maker OF that lock 20 find out.
The burglars the mau you must 30 to.
You ask him: See here; can this lock
bo broken?' and he tells YOU at once:
why, certainly IL can And then
you get from him its weak points. II
want to find ont whether notes n
counterfeit or not, don't ask To know
anything about counterfeit notes;
want TO know about good notes; | want
To be familiar with every detail of them,
so ! may know them at a glance. II q
man comes in and offers me counter
felt, then know il ut olce. Why? Be-
cause il Is not like the other notes"
Thus spoke John Dye, of Dyes Gov
crument CoRHtfrtca Detcctor, on Satur-
day. Mr.. Dye sat in his office. Around
him was curious collection. The
fruits of forty years counterieiting at
least looked down from the walls, or
out from the cases. or reposed beneath
lock and key In numerous small draw
crs. Thousands of dollars artistically
punched together in neat wooden
frames behind glass-work told of the
days OF wildcat banks and State scrip;
thousands of dollars more told of the
alter-periOd of bank notes and green
backs; thousands of dollars more told
of the after.period of silver and gold,
the trade dollar, the half dollar aud the
quarter. LOOK Mt these trade dollars
rs they appear through the glass cases.
What is the matter with them? There
q chime allGrrf tharet. D. n
and black, cOppeT-colored and brass a
man laughs as he looks at them at the
idea OF his being deceived by such base
limitations. Yet men have been deceived
by them in their better days, ard now
that they are like old shoddy garments,
worn throadbare, their true nature
stands reYealed and, as a warning they
have come here to serve moral pur-
pose.
DANGEROUS GOLD PIECES.
" Here said Mr.. Dye, reaching his
hand into his pocket, "are the most
dangerous pieces that have been seen. y
He drew out two five-dollar gold
pieces -one Of date of 1874, the other
OF date 1869
1.-THE great trouble" said the old
cx-counterfeit detective, "in counter
feiting gold pieces is to get the coun-
terteit % the right weight. | only want
TO feel u gold piece anywhere 10 tell
whether il good or not. | can tell 'em
in the dark by the hoft. Here" said
the old man, gazing with his sharp gray
eve ON one OF the gold pieces as he
danced it in the palm Of his hand,
this IS piece | would have been de-
ceiyed on any day. It's Just the right
weight Joe, bring me the scales.
The Young man addressed brought
forth q queer small steel scales, such as
is used in the Mint for weighing coins.
There wcro apertures in II for placing
coins of all deaominat ons. In one OF
these, marked Five d." he placed
the gold piece, The beam tilted up; il
balanced exactly; it was to all appear.
ances agenuine coin.
"See that" said the old man. sits
the exact weight of tlye-dollar gold
piece"
But around the edges was noticed
several little blOtches OF white metal
protruding through the gold. The
piece was nothing more than plati
mum body with gold plating. IL was
worth about two dollars and half,
that being the value of the platinum in
it. The cost Of plating II was about
half dollar, making its entire worth
three dollars, Old Mr.. Dye impaired
this information with professional grav,
ity as he took the coin out and, hav.
ing restored Il 10 his pocket, told of the
mischief It had already done.
About two years ago man, travel
ing in the Isthmus OF California, tradec
about one thousand live hundred o.
these pieces to the Captain OF schoon
, erfor English sovereigns. The counter
felt was not discovered until the Cap
tain reached San Francisco, when, hay
ING cot into circulation, Il was detect