Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-26


OF THE GANG-wHERE AND HOW THEY oPER-
ATE-HOw THEY ARE BAFFIEp-FAIITNs OFF
IN OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES WORK OF THE b.
REAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING
These cOunterfeiters are queer peOpIe i" said
Mr.. George ". Casilear. superintendent ofthe en-
craving division of the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, the other day to the STAR reporter
MIR. CASTELAR, was seated at his desk in a sombre
wing of the new building for the Engraving and
Printing Bureau and his remark was brought
out by leading question from The STAR man.
YES" continued the superintendent, .'these
counterfeiters are queer people. They are
study l have studied them, and pronounce
cheek to be their leading Characteristic Look
here, this, picking up an envelope from the
table in front Of him is letter from E. W.
Spencer, alias Brockway. He is a pre-eminent
i1an Of the queer He, you will remember.
was in
THE BIG CHICAGO BOND BUSINESS
Of some months ago Now. he writes to me.
giving his address in New York and asks that
will assist him in the preparation of a check
for the use of national banks, which he has in
vented or rather gotten up. and which he thinks
1t is impossible TO counterfeit. and will. there
fore, be great safeguard to banks. From his
experience. | should say that he has gotten I'D
q check which he alone could counterfeit But
ne wants me TO assist him. He says that he
would like me. among other things to do some
lathe work for him upon this check. He makes
this request naiyely and evidently with the full
assurance that viii comply He offers to put
forward first-claSs security that he will pay for
all work that do for him. OF course. 1 will
not comply with his request. But it shows the
cheek of the cOunterfeiter.'
q Is there any band of sympathy among
counterfeiters!" the STAR man asked
g.: " There is There is Free Masonry
among the mere expert counterfeters 1t does
not extend however. to the inferior men of the
craft The experts will always help one another
when in trouble to the very extent of their
means. And do not think that the expert
counterfeiter is without influence. He is ND
one day and may be down the next When he
is flush be spends his money freely He makes
friends thereby, and is ShTeWd enough to make
influential friends. If the time comes that he
is up for his crime he has friends at court His
free use of money has made them He even has
friends inside the court. ard sometimes on the
bench. 1t is owing to this shrewd game of the
counterfeiter that there are comparatively so
few convictions where he is given to the law
The cOunterfeter is no mans fool"
ONLY ONE COZ ORED CoUNTERFEITER
STAR: lis counterfeiting confined to the white
race?''
e.: with one exception / believe it is: that
Is where there is any skill in the countcrfeiter
The only eOlored engraver known is Patrick
Peasln- With this exception. / believe. cOun-
terfeiting is strictly confined to the whites
STAR: Have you ever had any cases where en-
pioyes OF your bureau have developed into
cOunterfeiters 2"
DEPARTMENT COUNTERFEITER.
C.: "Only one. Charley Smith, an employe
Of this bureau. got up counterfeit coupon on
U. s. bonds. He made his counterfeit while in
pmnloy bar nd ho; 4
meut- He never did anything with it. however
He was caught before he could enter upon active
operations and realize. He was turned over to
the authorities. but do not think that ANYTHING
was ever done with him. There was circum-
stantal evidence against him. but the deed
could not be nailed to his door sufficiently to
satisfy the law. There was at that time entirely
too much latitude given counterfeiters by the
officers of the secret service who had charge
OF the preparation of evidence against them
Now II Is different. Mr.. Brooks. chief of the
secret service. gives them no quarter whatever
He is down on them. When he gets case if
there can possibly be conviction it is certain to
follow.
DIMINCTION OF COuNTERFEITING
''Toths policy attribute much Ofthe diminu-
ton in the cOunterleitng business although
the improvements in engraving by making the
work of cOunterfeiting more difficult have had
much TO do with the falling off of cOunterfeits
Owing 10 the intricate lathe and other work
now employed in United States notes it is al
most an impOsSibility for good counterfeit to
be put afloat in sections where people are ia
miliar with all the denominations The old
United States legal-teHders were cOunterteited
In all their denominations. AS many as seven
cOunterfeits on one denomination made their
appearance Here are specimens i'm this book
These counterfeits were equally as good as the
genuine. OF the new issue of ieral-tendprs ont
OF nine denominations only two have in any
way been successfully coNnterfeited'
STAR: Are all of the cOunterfeits of the first
issue OF legal-tenders out of existence?"
Superintendent c.: Not by any means They
continue to come i'm freeIy"
STAR: In what sections of the country is
counterfeit money most prevalent?'
. T.: in the more sparsely settled portions of
the country; especially in the west and i'm GER
tam portions OF the south. There money be-
Ing less timiliar-the larger notes partjcu-
lariy-there is greater field for the counter
leter. and ne ayails himself of it. 1t is evident
that the people of such sections are very readily
imposed upon owing to the lack of familiarity
with the notes"
STAR: In what city do you think there Is
the least counterfeit money afoat?''
Z. IN Washington. most certainly. The gov
eminent employees are paid Off by the Treasury
here, and the money is of course genuine The
city people are accustomed to the genuine note
ana are therefore the more capable of Judging
OF the counterfeit Again. when a man in
II.
his flrst inclination is to take it to the Treasury
ana have IT redeemed in a crisp greenback Bv
that means alone is there afforded the best of
opportunities for the detection of counterfeit
notes 1t IL one Of the tricks of the counter
letter TO put out his work i'm a worn and evil
IDENTITY much used form. He will crumple a
note, smoke it. and stain it with tobacco mice
or otherwise, TO show that it has passed chr
rent for some time, and must therefore be a
good note As soon as one of these notes is
taken to the Treasury for redemption its spu-
rious Character is discovered on the spot. The
note is not only not redeemed but is STAMPED
as counterfeit, and handed back to the owner.
it cannot be passed again with such a mark
upon IT, So it is retired from circulation That
Is one of the principal reasons why there is SO
Hitle counterfeit money in circulation in WASH
ingtOn."
STAR: ''But why is such not the case in other
cties:'
u 1T is in more limited measure the case
IN cities where there are sub-treasuries because
the same method of stamping bad money and
handing 1t back TO the man presenting it is pur-
sued But where there are no sub-treas,irjes
there is trouble. A man goes into bank and
puts In bad bill. The clerk tells him it is q had
bill. and Will not take it. The man roas IN bis