The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-06-26
COUNTERFEITING.
UIrtch and BaIIard-The Most Noted
Bogus Money Makers in
AFs1cFfcn.

In the Treasury Department at Wash
ington the visitors can see copies Of all
the counterfeit notes that have been made
since paper money and bonds were first
issued by the Government, as well as pho
tographs of notorious counterfeiters and
some of the tools that have been taken
from them. There Is one note of large de-
nomination in the book OF counterfeitS
which looks like an exceedingly clever i'm
itation which even expert bank tellers
might be deceived by. The whole thing
was executed with a pen. So marvellous
is the delicate workmanship on it and the
drawing of the faces that it is almost i'm
possible 10 believe that one man should
have had the patience to sit down and
copy genuine note so accurately. As
the Treasury men relate the circumstan-
ces of its origin, it was done by an expert
penman as pastime with idea of
making a counterfeit, yet when it was
finished 1t was such a wonderful imita-
tion that he concluded to get the testimo-
ny of others as to the accuracy of his work
by passing it upon them as a genuine
note. 1t was long time in circulation
before the fraud was discovered. The au-
thor of it must have done $3.50 worth of
work upon it, whereas the face value of
the note is not above 500 The Treasury
officials know the histories of all the ia
nous counterfeiters, and speak of them
with degree of admiration such as a po-
liceman feels for a prize fighter. They
will show you the photograph of Char
ley Ulrich, the most expert counterfeit
engraver who ever piled his art in this
country, and who eventually found his
way to the Penitentiary. There is g set OF
plates made by him on exhibition in the
-
for fifteen months. They are for Govern
ment bonds. and at the time of his arrest
he had in his possession nearly 500, 600 in
counterfeits which he had taken from the
plates. The work on the plates Is in some
instances superior to what the Govern
ment engravers have been able to do
Tom Ballard was one OF the great coun-
terfeiters of this country, and man who
caused more trouble to the Treasury of
fcials at Washington than any other indi-
vidual- He was very dangerous man to
be at large, not so much from the excel
lence of his engraving, but from the sue
cess with which he initiated the bank note
paper which the Treasury officials had
been tiattering themselves was not possi-
Bile Of imitation. 1t may be said that Of
all the criminal class the counterfeiter is
the most dangerous to society Security
and stability, the foundations of govern
ment, are undermined by him. What is
the use OF having a government currency
If one man can go to work and upset the
whole thingt The counterfeiter may be
called the king of criminals Indeed
bank robbers, highwaymen and murderers
are mere daosters compared to him, and
he is such a dangerous character that
there is a disposition to class him all by
himself as above the criminal mass He
is sort of an intellectual a high-toned
outlaw, a sort Of modern Claude Duyal
only his power of evil is thousand times
that of such men as Duval Well might
our ancestors issue notes with the legend
- To counterfeit is DEATH" for they know
that no penalty could be too severe for
such a crime. Tom Ballard then, when
he was at large. was one OF the most insid-
fous enemies of society. The paDer on
which the ordinary bank note is printed is
made by the Government, and the secret
OF It's manufacture was regarded rs one OF
the safeguards of our society. A man
might engrave rs well as the Government
engrayers, but where was he to get the
paper to print his spurious notes upon
This was such an obstacle in the way of
the counterfeiter that the Treasury at
Washington was at one time robbed OF a
lot OF this blank paper, which could in no
other way be obtained. Ballard, however
hit upon n plan of making the paper and
ms llrst notes carried CONSERVATION into
the Treasury and the White House. They
caught him at last in his den at Buffalo
through the efforts of ex-Superintendents
of Police Wolfe and Curtin. He is now
serving ont his term in the Albany Peni-
tentiary. Three or four years ago he com
municated with the Secretary of the
Treasury at Washington, and offered to
tell the Government how to make an un-
counterfeitable paper il they would let
him 60 The offer was refused, and he
attempted suicide.