Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-10
THOSE FORGED BONDS.
SECRETARY FOLGER'S STATE
MENT.
None OF the Spurious Securities Yes
offered for Payment-A Chapter
on Treasury methOds-The Alleged
stolen PIate-AdmIEsed By Experts
10 be Bogus

70 be Bogus.
WASHINGTON, July S.-Secretsry FolgeI
has furnished for publication statement OF
the origin and results of the investigation
concerning the so-calIe1 Doyle bond plates.
Inc Secretary says so much has been said
IN the public prints about "the Doyle
oonos," that 1t is well to make an explicit
statement In regard sthereto. aTThev are
counterfeits of United States bonds known
as six per cents. of 1881 and onlv NJ
the 1000 denomination of that
issue. or genuine bonds there
were issued in all $llO. .650,0O ia amount,
which were separately numbered from to
1lO,650 inclusive. When they were issued a
record was made OF all of them in book,
wherein the number of each bond was en-
tered, and the number OF all the bonds were
shown. All Of the genuine bonds have been
redeemed and cancelled, except $27S 900,
and interest ceased to run on all of them In
1881. When any of these bonds have been
offered for redemption, the number 1t bore
has been noticed, and the record book has
been referred to to see If bond of that
number had ever been offered before. 1t
has then been scrutinized in other respects,
and when accepted and redeemed an
book that shows that the bond of that
number has been paid of and cancelled.
1t is the fact that there has never been
offered for redemption a duplicate of q
bond heretofore redeemed that Is to say,
never have two bonds of the same number
been offered. 1t is also a fact that there
has never been offered for redemption a
bond with no higher than or different from
some genuine number recorded in that
SiOntflpQnao nf W
be seen farther on.
"The existence of the counterfeit bonds
the Doyle bonds-was not known to any
branch of this department until In October,
1880, when Doyle was arres ted in Chicago
and spurious bonds were found In his pos
session. 1t afterwards appeared that three
OF the spurious bonds had been before that
pledged as collateral with bank in Peoria,
Illinois. There were then taken from him
in all two hundred and four of the spurious
bonds, with one $50 coupon attached to
each bond and fourteen detached coupons
of the same kind and denomination,
and the three bonds that had been
thus pledged were after that
surrendered to the officers OF the Secret
Service force Of the government, making in
all 2O7 bonds. 1t has been stated In the
public prints that $22 100000 in nominal
amount of spurious bonds were struck off
them have been put In circulation. Here is
where the significance is to be felt of the
fact as above stated. Surely If that amount
of bonds or tithe OF It had Eeen placed In
the hands of innocent holders, long ago
would some of the bonds have been
offered for redemption, for 1t is not
to be supposed that with the whole amount
OF the genuine bonds outstanding reduced
to $27S, 600, and with interest no longer rum
ming on them, that there would be innocent
holders Of the spurious bonds believing
them to be genuine, so wealthy or so care
less as not to bring them forward for
redemption. Had they been offered a
comparison Of the number of them with the
book of record Of the genuine bonds would
have disclosed the fact that duplicate or
higher numbers existed. That fact never
having appeared, it is thought to be con-
elusive that the story Is baseless of q large
amount being printed and put IN circula-
tion.
''It has also been stated In the same way
that more than 204 of the spurious bonds
we're found on Doyle, and that by the act or
connivance Of some officer or officers of the
Secret Service some of the excess over that
number have been set afloat. Promising that
the 204 found on Doyle, and the three
pledged with the Illinois bank and coupons
attached to them and the fourteen detached
coupons, are now In the custody of the
officers OF the government, and by actual
count lately made are shown to be there, It
is further to be said that the belief that no
more exists than as above stated rests upon
the official reports Of the officers of the
Secret Service, made on official oath aud
upon investigations lately had.
"When it was stated that more were cap
tured with Doyle, and some rumors to the
same effect having show Of truth came to
the hearing OF this department, q special
agent of the Treasury and detective from
the Assistant Treasurer's Office, at New
York, neither of them In any wise con-
nected with the Secret Service of the govern
ment, and acting without the knowledge of
that service, were detailed to ferret out thF
matter. They have reported to this depart
ment that nothing has yet been found tn
give the color Of truth to the rumor. l.
is almost certain that no more were ever in
the possession of Doyle than the 204 ab owe
spoken Of.
"Quite as important matter is the state
ment that the plate from which the spuri-
riOus bonds were struck was either itself
genuine or was reproduced from the genu-
ine dies and mark, and that the means of
doing SO were furnished from within the
department. l am thoroughly satisfied that
these allegations are entirely unfounded.
The Secretary then relates how he has be-
come satisfied that the bonds are counter
felt. The plate brought here by detective
Felker, OF Chicago, acting in behalf of
Doyle, from which the Doyle bonds were
printed, was submitted 20 three experts,
who, after long and careful examination,
each submitted q report to the Secretary.
Neither Of these experts knew what were
the conclusions Of his associates, and their
reports were prepared entirely independent
of each other. Each arrived at the con-
clusion that no part of the bonds
were printed from the genuine plate,
or from a plate which had been copied
from the genuine plate. These experts
We're Homer Lee, President of the Homer
Lee Bank Note Company of New York, an
expert engraver; J. s. Rhodes, Secretary of
New York Photo. Electretype Company, an
expert mettallurgist who analyzed portions
of the plate In question, and G.. N. MarlOe,
Chief Clerk In the sub-Treasury In New
York, chosen for his known skill in recog-
nizing genuine and detecting counterfeit
issues Of bonds and notes of the United
States.
Moreover, Secretary Folger points out the
fact that the genuine bonds of the issue
which was counterfeited were printed by a
bank note company before the work of en-
craving and printing was undertaken by
the Treasury Department. Record exists In
the department that, with 8 single excep-
ton, all the plates used in printing these
Donos were destroyed at the washington
navy yard under the supervision of a com
mission appointed for that purpose. The |
exception is a die which Is now In the
Treasury Department, and which served an
important part in settling the fact of the |
Of the bonds. The impression
on the Doyle bonds purporting to CORE
spond with this die showed that the coun-
terfeiter was not in possession of this onlv
remaining portion Of the genuine plate.
The Secretary has exhausted every means
OF setting at rest the many disputed ques-
tions involved, has taken much time. and
rests satisfied that the charges that the
counterfeiters had confederates in the en-
ploy Of the Bureau of EDgraviug and Print
Ing OF the Treasury Department are false,
equally with the bonds themselves.
The Freight HandlerA' Strlkes
NEW YORK, July S-Some of the italian