The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-08-20
every year.

money they pay for it, but they are not objects
of sympathy on that account. One cannot re-
press feeling akin to admiration for the skill
that can produce really good counterfeit note
but the miserable bungers who make the sort
of money" above alluded to deserve only exc
Grafton and contempt.
But the mail il-advertising system has its weak
points. Even with the utmost care and secrecy
there is great danger of detection. The bust.
ness is always conducted under fictitious names,
aud every possible subterfuge is resorted to in
the mailing and receiving of letters 1t is i'm
possible to avoid sending the seductive pro-
posals to many who are mot that kind OF
men," and who often place the letters directly
into the hands of Government officers. De-
tectives aided by the Post Office authorities are
constantly at work upon this class of cases
They generally succeed, sooner or later, in
breaking up the scheme. Great ingenuity is
exercised in trying to elude the vigilance of
those who endeav0r to exclude all such illicit
correspondence from the mails Addresses are
frequently changed, but in spite of all efforts
the officers usually contrive by means of de-
coy letters and other methods, to run them
down." During the past few years there has been
a great falling off in this branch of the business
The use of the mails has become so fraught
with danger that few are now willing to take
the risk. They prefer to be guided by Jim
Fisk's motto: Send word don't write"
The urbane old gentleman in charge shows
the visitors large and interesting collection
of plates, presses, dies, molds. and implements
of various kinds used by counterfeiters, curious
samples of their work in Initiating both coin
and paper money, together with q lot of viii
demonstrating knives revolyers, "billies, 4"
and other weapons captured in the raids upon
the rogues. Some OF the plates for bank notes
are of excellent workmanship, fully equal in
l. Al
gravers employed ut the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing. There are always some minor
points Of difference by which the impressions
from these plates are detected although their
general appearance is such rs to give them a
very close resemblance to the genuine, and will
deceive any but the most praeticed eye. 1t
may be but the turn of limb ia one of the
human figures, the shading of letter, or some
trifing irregularity in the delicate tracery of
the border, that can only be observed by the
aid of glass. These plates, when captured,
are SO mutt lated by channels plowed across
their face as to make it impossible for them
ever to be used again. They are destroyed
from time to time, as they accumulate, but
enough Of them are retained to satisfy the de-
mauds of curiosity. There is press somewhat
rude in construction, but which in its opera
tion is not inferior to those at the Government
money mandatory. There are many contri-
vances for making bogus silver coin of ali de-
nominations Some of these are hardened steel
dies by which the coins are pressed, the process
being similar to that employed at the United
States Mints Others are molds of iron copper
or plaster, IN which the coins are made by the
casting process, with molten metal. There are
a few dies for gold coin-the eagle, half eagle,
and quartereagle. There is so little gold in gen.
eral circulation at this time, however, that but
few attempts are made to produce counterfeits
HE MADE IT WITH PEN.
"Look at that" says the man in charge, as
he takes from a drawer and hands US what ap-
pears to be $50 greenback. Ii is somewhat
worn, but does not differ in appearance from
thousands of Others "If man owed you $50
and offered you that bill in payment. you
would take it, and perhaps be glad to get it,
wouldn't you? That bill is counterfeit aud
good one, too. What makes it the greatest
curiosity we have here. perhaps: is the fact that
it was made entirely with a pen."
1t is, indeed, masterpiece of ingenuity and
skill. Every line and dot, with all the vary
ing shades Of black. green and red are repro
duced with marvellous fidelity. 1t bears the
familiar signature, apparently genuine, of John
&. New.
was in circulation for years, defyng the scru-
tiny of bank cashiers and tellers. 1t was sent
to the Treasury a while ago for redemption,
and there detected as a counterfeit. Whoever
made that was a smart fellow, and deserves a
credit mark. There are several similar bills in
circulation all, SO far as we have discovered, of
the same denomination, and made in the same
way. The fellow seems to be making a life
business of it: although, of course, the number
of bills he can produce by snch tedious pro-
cess is comparatively small Two of them
have been detected in the Treasury during the
past year. But j cannot see where the mans
profit comes in. 1t seems impossible for him to
make one OF these bills without many days,
perhaps weeks of patient labor, and when it is
done it is only $50. He might make 500 or
$500 bill in the same time; but suppose he
thinks he would be less likely to pass it and
more liable TO detection 1t is pretty hard to
work of counterfeit of one of those large de-
nominations. A bill like this one will pass
anywhere. Our experts have concluded that
they are all the work of the same hand. In
deed, people are extremely rare who have the
skill and patience to do such a job. We have
tried hard to catch the fellow but have never
yet been able to get the slightest clew. In my
opinion he earns all he gets out Of it, Ipresume
the Treasury people are ashamed of it, but it is
a fact that when the first of these pen made
bills was presented at the Treasury for redemp-
ton, it passed inspection and was actually
REDEEMED IN GOLD.
1t was afterward discovered to bo a counter
felt. l say again, that's a smart chap!
This bill may interest you. 1t is Il So National
Bank note raised to $l00. You SEQ the figures
and words are just as plain as though they
were originally printed there The raising
of bills is very common. Here you see 81
raised to $40 and So to $50. The process is to
erase entirely from the bill, by means of acids,
whatever may be necessary for making the
change, and then TO put in the new amounts by
careful printing. or, perhaps, with pen. Such
bills do not often deceive men who arc accus-
toned to handle money, because the body of the
engraving, on both face and back, is entirely
different for the various denominations. One
has O scene Of the discovery of America by
Columbus, another has the landing of the Pill
grims, etc. Any person who knows these facts
can tell the size of bill from its engraving
without seeing the figures at all. You can See
at glance that this 800 is simply o S. bill 1t
is good for that amount mt the bank of issue, OF
the Treasury would issne the bank new SIS
bill in its place. 1t is not q counterfeit. In
the same way this $40 bill is good for 81, and
this $40 bill for 81. Such bills can only be
passed upon persons who are not familiar with
the forms of our currency. 1t was Longfellow.
wasn't it, who wrote things are not what they
seem2' That is true about these bills. Raised