Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-07-29
COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
Increase or Initiated Currency-some
Facts About Counterfeiting and Coun-
terfeiters.

Increase OF Initiated Currency-some
Facts About Counterfeiting and Coun-
terfoiterss
"When you want TO know whether
ock can be broken, you don't want TO
90 TO the maker of that lock to find 1t
out. The burglars the man you must
go to. You ask him: See here; can
this lock be brokenP and he tells you ut
once: why, certainly it cam And
then you get from him its weak points.
If want TO find out whether n notes
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 n glance. If
man comes in and offers me counter
felt, then l know it at once. WhyP
Because it is not like the otker notes."
Thus spoke John Dye, of Dyes govern
ment Counterfeit Detector. Mr.. Dye
sat in his Office. Around him was n
curious collection. The fruits of forty
years counterfeiting Mt least looked
down from the walls, or out from the
cases, or reposed beneath lock and key
in numerous small drawers. Thousands
of dollars artistically punched together
in neat wooden frames behind glass
work told of the days of wildcat band,
and State scrip; thousands of dollars
more told of the after period of silver
and gold, the trade dollar, the half dol
lar and the quarter. Look ut those
trade dollars as they appear through the
glass cases. What is the matter
with them? There is no shine about
them they are all dim and black, cop
per-colored and brass. A man laughs
10 L. q In .E l..
being deceived by such base limitations.
Yet men have been deceived by them in
their better days, and now that they are
like old shoddy garments, worn thread
bare, their true nature stands revealed
and, as a warning, they have come here
to serve a moral purpose.
Here" said Mr.. Dye, reaching his
hand into his pocket, "are the most
dangerous pieces that Lave been seen.'
He drew out two IS gold pieces-one
of date 1914, the other of date 1869.
THE great trouble" said the old ex-
counterfeit detective, "in counterfeiting
gold pieces is to get the counterfeit to
the right weight. | only want to feel
gold piece anywhere to tell whether it's
good or not. / can tell 'em in the dark
by the heft. Here" said the old man,
gazing with his sharp gray eye on one of
the gold pieces as he danced it in the
palm of his hand, "this is n piece |
would have been deceived on any day.
It's just the right weight. Joe, bring
me the scales
The young man addressed brought
forth a queer small steel scales, such as
is used in the mint for weighing coins.
There were apertures in it for placing
coins of all denominations. In one of
these marked Five ID" he placed the
gold piece. The beam tilted up; il
balanced exactly; it was to all appear
ances genuine coin.
"See that" said the old man. Its
the exact weight of IS gold piece"
But around the edges was noticed sov-
eral little blotches of white metal pro-
truding through the gold. The piece
was nothing more than platinum body
with gold plating. 1t was worth about
81 so, that being the value of the plati-
mum in it. The cost of plating it was
about fifty cents, making its entire worth
SO. Old Mr.. Dye impaired this infor-
nation with professional gravity as he
took the coin out, and, having restored
it to his pocket, told of the mischief it
had already done.
About two years ago n man, travel
ing in the isthmus to California, traded
about ! 800 Of these pieces to the captain
Of a schooner for English sovereigns.
The counterfeit was not discovered until
the captain reached San Francisco
when, having got into circulation. in
was detected by the authorities OF the
San Francisco mint"
Counterfeiting has increased to such
an extent that it is claimed the govern
ment will shortly have 10 take some
more vigorous measures than 1t has
ever taken yet toward checking it. The
one drawback the officers of the secret
service have 10 encounter Is the small
ness of the appropriation which Con.
gress allows for this particular work.
a less sum is appropriated for this
purpose now, 10 is said, than has been
allowed heretofore, despite the fact that
counterfeiting has increased just as the
resources and capital and population of
the country have increased. The sum
granted amounts to about $4,000 an
nuaily. Persons who are familiar with
the extent To which counterfeiting is
carried on in this country ana have
had long experience In trying to break
it up, declare that $3.50 900 year would
not be any too much to pay for secur-
ing more perfect means and facilities for
protecting the national currency. Coun-
terfeiting. by all accounts, was never
carried on with such perfect system as
it is now. The work the countcrfeiters
| turn out in many instances surpasses
the work produced by the gov
ernment, and so perfectly have the
counterfeit notes been executed that
they have been taken by experts for
good money. The latest counterfeit out
is a 800 bill upon the National Ex-
change Bank of Baltimore. printed from
a retouched plate of the National Bank
of Commerce, OF PIttsburg. The only
way in which this bill differs FROM the
genuine is in the superiority of the
workmanship. Although this counter
felt was originally on the Bank Of Pitts
burg, as above mentioned, the plate can
be easily moCified so rs to counterfeit
the issue of any national bank. Not
only is the engraving of n superior char
acter, but the hill is printed on IN ex-
cellent quality ofcounterfeit fiber paper
There is not the slightest clue as to the