The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-09-19

fair sex has large number of delegates
maidens and matrons, 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 thai
do not have one or more among theil
numbers. Hundreds of these portrait:
adorn the walls of the room, and the
remainder fill dozen large albums
They afford rare opportunity to one
who may wish to study character as II
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 of coarseness and brutality. The
majority of them are not actual makers
of spurious currency, but are largely oil
the class known as "shovers. Their
| part of the business is to get the stun
| into circulation after it is made. A
great deal of caution is necessary TO do
shis ssfully. 1t would be extreme
| ly hazardous for enc or two persons to
| undertake the starting of large quaint.
| ties upon its travels. Detection would
be almost certain. The "queer" is dis
tribrited among a 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-
pl0y various methods to give the bills
the appearance of age and much ham
ding. Sometimes they are dipped in
weak coffee to give them brownish
tins; 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 'doctored' may
generally be passed upon unsuspecting
pei sons in the ordinary course of Dusi-
ness without the slightest trouble. when
the same bill, if new and crisp, espe-
ciaily if the person should be seen to
hare number of them in his possession,
might excite suspicion. In the case of
cola, it is customary to remove by SIM
pie methods the bright luster which is
an infallible sign that it hasn't passed
through many hands. Years ago there
We're wretched attempts to makes bo-
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 tho
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 alb
solutely worthless, even as counter
felt. 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 very large amounts of this misera-
BILE stuff are in this way worked OF by
the makers. One can not repress a
feeling akin to admiration for the skill;
that produced really flrst class coun-
terieit, 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 subter-
fuge is resorted to in the mailing and
receiving of letters. 1t is impossible to
avoid sending the seductive proposals
to many who are ''rot that kind of
men," and who often place them in the
hands of Government officers. A large
number of detectives, aided by the Post
office authorities, are constantly at work
upon this class of cases. Sooner or later
they almost always succeed in breaking
up the scheme.
The addresses to which ''orders" are
to be sent are always myth. Great
ingenuity is necessary to elude the vigil
lance of those who endeavor to exclude
all such illicit correspondence from
the mails. Addresses are frequently
changed, but in spite of all these efforts
the officers generally continue to "run
them down." A large number of the
pictures in the gallery are contributed
by this class of offenders. This branch
of the business has within the last few
years been almost entirely broken up.
1t has become fraught with danger of
detection that few are willing to take
the risk of engaging in it.
THEY DON'T LIKE IT.
Much difficulty is sometimes expert
enced in securing a satisfactory irter-
view between the rogue and the pho
tographer The consent of the subject
to be photographed is quite essential
as factor in the case. When, like the
proverbial woman, he saws he won't
and that's the end of it, there is likely
to be trouble. In one of the albums
there is unique picture of tough
looking citizen, who was held PROSTATE
upon the floor by four athletes while the
artist was endeavoring to do his duty.
Three men partly concealed by screen
kept his body and legs quiet. while the
fourth had his knees planted upon the
offenders head, which he held with the
face turned toward the camera Next
to this spirited picture is one which
was the result of the first effort with
him. He takes his seat in the chair ap-
parently quiet and submissive, but at
the instant the operator removed the
cap he turned his head quickly around.
the effect being an excellent photograph
of his back hair. Then the attendants
proceed to force, but under a suspen-
sion of the rules. with the result as al
ready given. Friction of this kind is
not unusual. Sometimes the photog-
rapher is completely baffied by the
facial contortions of the unwilling SUBJ
ject By this means he "gets the
bulge" on them in way that no law
or exercise of physical force can pre-