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


the coin counterfciterS, and they are
not tardy in occupying it Their in
genuity has produced combination of
base metals, the 'ring" of which de-
ceives the most practical ear. With
dies or molds coins are made which,
when heavily washed with silver, almost
defy detection by the usual superficial
tests.
Silver coins Of all denominations are
successfully countelfeited. Even the
five-cent nickel does not escape base
imitation. To make 3 fair article of
spurious coin requires far less skill than
paper money. Often an engraver spends
from one to two years on , single set OF
plates tor bank note, while but few
days at most are required to produce
the apparatus for making coin.
THE ROGUEs' GALLERY
Of the Secret Services embraces . most
elaborate collection Of portraits, There
are over 5000 photographs OF counter
felt makers and 'sshoVers. These per-
sons are of all ages, from the child of
fourteen to tho gray-headed sinner of
seventy. They represent every nation
atty, even to the African aud heather
Chinee. The latter, Indeed. are much
more numerous than might be expected.
Those thrifty pagSns are perhaps the
most expert itnitators in the world. and
they stand at the head of the class in the
production of base coin. They do not
aspire to the higher walks of art-the
engraving Of plates for bank notes. The
fair sex has large number OF delegates.
mSidens and matrSRs. many Of whom
are certainly old enough to know better.
Shrewd women are often more successful
than men in getting rid of counterfeit
money, and there are few gangs" that
do not have one or more among their
numbers. Hundreds of these portraits
adorn the walls of the roen, and the
remainder fill dozen large albums.
They afford q rare opportunity to one
who may wish to study character as it
is revealed in the human face divine.
They run from the highest types Of de-
PRAYED intelligence through all the in
termediate grades down to the lowest
phase ef coarseness and brutality. The
majority of them are not actual makers
of spurious currency, but are largely of
the class known as "ShoVers. Their
part of the business is 10 get the stuff
into circulation after it is made. A
great deal OF caution is necessary to do
this successfully. 1t would be extreme
~ hazardous for enc or two persons to
undertake the starting of large quanti-
ties upon its travels. Detection would
be almost certain. The "queer' is dis
tributad among considerable number
of persons. and if the counterfeit be a
good one they are able to work off the
issue without much difficulty or danger.
To facilitate this it is common to en-
ploy various methods to give the bills
the appearance of age and much han
ding Sometimes they are dipped in
weak coffee to give them q broWnish
tint; oil is used to produce the effect of
finger marks; this also softens the fiber
of the paper. so that the bills may be
crumpled, which adds to the appear
ance Of age. These processes greatly
assist in the concealment of defects
which always exist in the engraving or
printing. A bill thus 'tdoctored' may
generally be passed upon unsuspecting
persons in the ordinary course OF Dusi-.
ness without the slightest trouble, when
the same bill, if new and crisp, espc-
cialIy if the person should be seen to
lave number of them in his possession,
might excite suspicion. In the case OF
coin, it is customary to remove by SIM
pie methods the bright luster which is
an iufallible sign that it hasn't passed
through many hands. Years ago there
were wretched attempts to makes DO
gus coin, They rarely deceived any
intelligent person, and now they are
not often seen. Scientific improvement
in this branch Of industry has kept
pace with our progress in other fields OF
labor. A well-knoWn scheme for the
diffusion of counterfeit money is the
sending of confidential letters to
persons who it is thought might "bite"
in all parts of the country, offering to
sell current money at prices varying
from twenty-five to fifty cents on the
dollar. Most of the stuff advertised in
this way is of the poorest quality, and
the foolish buyer whose cupidity has
not been appealed to in vain, finds HIM
self in the possession of something abb
worthless, even as q counter
teit. If he attempts to pass it the
chances are that he will plump himself
into the penitentiary. So avaricious
and guilible is the average man, and
SO eager to grasp at anything which
gives promise of making money easily,
that sery large amounts of this misers-
bic stuff are in this way worked off by
The makers. One can not repress a
feeling akin to admiration for the skill
that produced a really first class coun-
terGeit, while for the awkward bungler
he feels only execrat;on and contempt.
The mail advertising system has its
weak points. Even with the utmost
care and secrecy there is great danger
Of detection. Every possible suhfer.