, 1885-05-15
a COUNTERFEIT OErecroa


Tells what He Knows About Spurious
Money-stories of the Queer"
Louisville Courier ~Journall
Meeting Edwin Cushman, the coun-
terfoit detector, at Balmer's hotel, re-
Gently, a reporter asked him for a few
points concerning his business
"How long have you been in your
business, where have you been, and
with whom have yon had business
was asked.
Il STATED out teaching how to detect
counterfeit money in August, 1873. I
have been in twenty states, Indian ter
ritory, and Canada, and have registered
in nearly 1000 different hotels. l have
taught the governors of four states,
state, county, and city officers, preach
ers, lawyers, doctors, editors, bankers,
and business men OF all kinds by the
thousands, have taught men Of nearly
all nationalities except Chinese.
who are the best judges of money!
They are not, as most people sup
pose, bank tellers. The latter, / have
found, are generally young men, who
start out in life with a good stock OF
self conceit. Some of them get over it
in time, and are willing to learn all they
can, while others carry their conceit
with them to the grave, and, for aught
know, into the mex world. Telegraph
operators and dry goods men become
good judges Of money. Some men are
natural-Dor judges; others could never
become judges by any system of instruc-
ton nor by any amount of experience.
While good Judges of money are plenti-
full, 1t is only occasionally that you
meet an expert. An expert has to know
a thousand things about money that q
mere judge never dreamed Of"
How many different c%ounterfeits
have been detectedf' b.
There are 116 counterfeit bank bills,
33 greenback and treasury notes, 0 silver
certificates, 4 compound interest notes,
8 United States bonds, and gold and sill
yer coins by the bushel. One gold piece
is so fine that it was at first pronounced
genuine by the United States mint at
San Francisco. All denominations,
from 81 to 81, 900, have been counter
feited. The largest number Of any one
counterfeit was Oh the Traders bank Of
Chicago-$25O, 900 in - bills. | have
found them in every town I have Wis.
tied. The old s., $40 and $50 green
back counterfeits were found by the
thousand. Richmond, Ind, and Pough-
keepsie, n Y, $40 had an immense
run"
(which are the finestf'
"a 50 bill on the Merchants National
bank of New Bedford, Mass. a 800 bill
on the Pittsburg National Bank of Com
merce, the old $50 greenback, and q $40
treasury note, series of 1875. Counter
feiting in America has been reduced 10
a practical science, and is the most
completely organized system Of ras-
cality on earth. Its members include
both sexes, all ages, classes and nation
alities. The secret service is at present
n fine and efficient body of men, who
have n competent chief, but tho force is
too small for the work there is to do.
If it were increased threefold, there
would 500 be n p%e-ceptible decrease in
the manufacture and passing Of counter
felt money. Counterfeit money fire..
quently passes current for years, but In
the end some one has to lose IL, and IL
generally falls on those who are least
able to bear the loss"
Mr.. Cushman has in his possession u
large amount Of "the queer" in notes
OF all denominations, and coins from u
cent to $50 in value. Besides these he
has many bills and coins that would
make numismatists turn green with
envy, some Of them rare as gems, and
worth from ten TO a hundred times their
face value. wildcat" bills, old state
and continental money, and Confederate
money OF all sorts abound, and his col
lection is one that any man can study
with increasing interest for hours.