St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-10-11
COUNTERFEIT MONEY.

GUUNIEHEh1E MUAEYe
interesting Facts Learned iH Visit to the
Secret Service BureAu-NOted and Skill
ful Engravcrs Engaged In the Business
The Rogucs GRlIery-SoBae OF the DIfi-
cuItics Experienced by the photographer
In Taking Picture
On the third floor of the Treasury
Building is room 35. 1t is the head
quarters OF the Secret Service A per-
pson with an eye for the curious will see
much there that will interest and en-
tertain him. It is presided over by >
very bald and very benign old gentle
snan who knows everything the in
.quirer wants to know, and will tell the
most of it. Occasionally you may ask
a question which may cause him to
shake his head and remark in. sly way
that certain things connected with the
soffice must not be told. When you
come to understand it you readily see
that this is correct. The business of
the Secret Service is to trace and arrest
the makers and "ghovers" OF counter
Nett money and revenue stamps. It
takes ''smart" man to be success
full counterfciter. Offenders of this
sclass are very different from the or
thieves and burglars. 1t usually takes
three or four to plan and manage a
trSt-class scheme of counterfeiting, and
they are keen, cunning, shrewd, intelli-
gent nle1, who if their talents were ex-
.ercised in lawful channels would make
their mark in the world. They do as it
is, for that matter, but they make it on
:4he wrong side Of the slate. They
fully reslize their danger and the pun
lshnent that awaits them if caught.
Every avenue of detection is most care
fully guarded. In nearly every case
the utmost skill, diligence and patience
are requisite on the part of the officers
sof the law. OF necessity, the Secret
Service detectives are the most expert
ahat can be found. None others need
@npply, Not infrequcntly months and
even years are spent upon q single case
before the rogueS are secured.
The amount of
COUNTERFEIT PAPER MONEY
now in circulation is said to be less than
at any time in the last twenty years.
The most noted and skillful engrSYers
engaged in the business have been
caught and put where they can not do
amy mischief for a long period. Very
few new counterfeits lave appeared
during the last two or three years, and
nearly all of them are SO poorly execut-
ed as to be easily detected. The danger
eous counteffeits are those which, even
ITO the minutest detail. are so nearly an
exact reproduction of the genuine as to
.deceive the most expert handlers of
money. Such have been produced,
of nd nd
through the hands of q thousand bank
1ellers. They have even successfully
run the gauntlet of the sharp eyes at the
Treasury Department when presented
for redemption, and been promptly
alonored. An iron case in room IS now
contains S1,300,000 Of captured coun-
terfeit bills of all denominations, from
ST to $1,000. Once every few years
this accumulation of money" is de-
Istroyed by burning. The last crema-
ton was in 1877, when 81, 600, 900 was
permanently retired from circulation.
The amount now on hand has been
gathered up since that time. 1t will be
destroyed within month.
Counterfeiters generally give the
preference to bills of the smaller de-
nominations. The care with which
bill is scanned is in some degree pro-
portionate to the number of dollars it
represents. In nine cases out of ten
counterfeit 81, SO, S5, or $40 will pass
unquestioned, while q 800, $500, or
$1,000 bill equally well executed, or
perhaps better, will be carefully soruti-
nized and quite possibly detected. None
but the most skilled engrayers attempt
the large bills, and the number Of them
in circulation is small. Amy bill less.
than. $40 rarely attracts, in the ordinary
course of business, more than passing
glance. With little care and adroit-
ness . good counterfeit may without
difficulty be put in circulation in large
quantities. All business men handle
daily more or less counterfeit money
aR6 are none the wiser.
THE AMOUNT OF BASE COIN
IA circulation has, Notwithstanding the
utmost diligence. increased. while the /!