Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-05-26
A NEW SENSATION.
Is There a Conspiracy to Manufac-
ture Spurious Money
Among Government Officials at the National
Capital2- An Investigation to be
Made that May Reveal Start
ling Facts.
GENERAL NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS.

WASHINGTON May 25.-For two or three
weeks past Secretary Folger has had before
him a very perplexing question relating to
the alleged duplication OF large sums Of
paper money. The release of Doyle, the
counterfeiter, in Chicago last Saturday was
part Of a plan adopted by by treasury
officials to obtain, if possible, additional in.
formation on the subject. Charges and
counter-eharges are made in relation to the
counterfeiting of United States notes. On
one hand it is alleged that certain govern
ment officials have ,entered- into a con,
spiracy to manufacture spurious money.
II this charge is not sustained in tinH, the
fact will be revealed that gang Of counter
feiters have entered into one OF the most
daring operations ever undertaken to en-
rich themselves and swindle the govern.
ment. Several weeks ago Samuel Felker,
a Chicago detective, came to Washington
and secured an interview with Secretary
Folger, after some labor, in relation to the
counterfeit bond business. Felker was en-
dorsed to the Secretary by Congressman
Farwell and other reputable men OF Chicago
He said he had in his possession plate
which was an electrotype transfer from one
of the government bond plates. IL make
no charges against anybody" said Felker.
81 will leave this plate with you under GER
tain conditions, and you can pass upon its
genuiness. If you think it is worth while
to surrender Doyle and give him his free
dom will exchange the plate for that"
Secretary Folger desired experts from the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing sum-
moned to examine the plate. NO, sir"
said Felker. II cannot allow one OF them
10 see it. You may call in all the outside
experts you want 10 examine it but yop
must remember that if this is a transfer
from the dies that go 10 make up the
original plate it is reflection upon the
bureau Of engraving and printing. They
are interested in il and they are the last
ones to be permitted to see it," The secre-
tary saw the force Of the remark and sub.
mitted the plate only 10 outside experts,
several having come from New York TO ex-
anime it. All Of them have reported that
in part. AT least, il is a transfer from the
original. On the basis of this report the
order for Doyle's temporary release, under
a suspension of sentence, was given. The
en-. barrassiDg condition of the officers of
the bureau OF engraving and printing can
we'll be imagined. They are confronted
with the proven fact of duplicated work
of the government. An investigation will
of course be ordered to discover il possible
the guilty parties. The government ex-
perts stili maintain, as was as
serted at noyle's trial, that the
bonds i'll his possession were printed
from an electrotype reproduction OF
a counterfeit plate He seemed to sustain
this assertion by showing the difference
between the bonds in Doyle's possession
and the bonds of the same issue in posses
sion OF the government. At the treasury
it is claimed that the plate presented by
Felker is q reproduction of government
work. None OF the bonds or notes issued
by the government are printed from en-.
graved plates, and different parts Of bill
plate, for instance, are engraved separately
Oh small pieces of steel called dies. The
engraving on the dies is transferred to
cylinder of softened steel by pressure.
This cylinder is hardened, and the mpres.
sion is transferred again by pressure to
fiat plate of softened steel which is again
hardened for use. In this way forty or
fifty dies might be used in trans.
ferring or in reality printing OH the face of
q steel bond plate In the issue OF 1880
there were four plates made from the dies
and in the making Of them there are
slight differences between all, so that it was
easy for the government experts at Doyle's
trial to show differences between the bonds
in his possession. and those printed from
other plates in the same bond issue. Since
Secretary Folger begun his investigation it
is shown that one OF the four plates used in
printing the issue of 1880 is an exact dupli.
cate OF the issne. found in DOyle's posses.
sion. The information elected was of
sufficient importance to lay before the Cab.
met last week, and Secretary Folger was
authorized to conduct an investigation rs
he saw fit. Doyle has promised TO tell how
the plates were obtained.