Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-12
BAsK-TELLERs DECEIVED.
Chicago Flooded with Coupterfeits $40
silver Certificates.

4 Chicago telegram says: The first day
after II was announced that the new so
silver certificates were ready for circulation
A man appeared at one OF the big banks in
Washington and exchanged 300 bill for
ten OF the new certificates. \ few
DAYS later this man, accompanied by
half dozen companions, boarded
a tr..ln at the Baltimore and Ohio depot
and came to Chic. 90. Their baggage con-
sisted Of three yalisCs and long brown
trunk. They left the train at the lake
front. and mystcriou,ly disappeared. Al
most Immediately after their arrival large
numbers Of the new certificates made their
appearance in the bu,ineSs-house' and
banks OF the city. They were crisp and
clean, and fully q pretty as the newspa-
pcrs had cracked them up 10 be. Bank
tcllers, always cautious about taking bills
OF a new issue, subjected the certiti.
cafes TO rigid examination, and
pronounced them genuine. In this
the were mistaken, for in nearly If not
every instance the bill was bogus. The
fraud was not discovered until the town
had become pretty well papered with the
stuff. Sccrct.seTyice officers came on from
Washington and took up the trail Of the
strange men who had preceded them. II
were sowing the bills, and by careful work
incy managed to catch one Of them while he
was in tie act 81 sWindliDg businessman.
He j. now under arrest, and kept in close
confinement somewhere about town. His
capture is being kept q secret, 20 that his
companions will not take fright and slip
away.
cit is one OF the best jobs | have heard
Of during all my experiences a detective"
said a detective to-day. You see the
counterieiters were fully aware that the
pcople ont here had not seen any Of the
now certificate, and consequently were
unable TO tell bogus bill fromthe genuine.
Then, besides, they knew. A. the certiti-
cafes were a good deal Of a novelty, that
men who would come In possession Of them
would bold them for some time a. sort OF
curiosity. ana thereby give them ample op-
pOrtunlty 10 shove the stun TO a large
amount before the fraud was detected"
"Is there much OF the stuff in the city,"
Undoubtedly: but the full extent Of The
swindle will not be known for day or two
vet. Ii is possible that the bad certificates
have been spread all over the Northwest,
but | understand that all OF the banks have
been warned by telegraph to look ont for
them. The secret-servicc men are hard at
work on the case, and propose to capture
the entire gang without the assistance Of
private detective agenci or the city police
force. The bogus certificate i a magnit-
cent piece Of work, and were il not for
slight flaw on the back ,oi the bill |
doubt much il it would not be taken
~ good money at any Of the minis.
OF course | don't know whether
the counterieiters brought their plates
md dies with them, but | understand that
the secret-scryice men would deem IL
greater triumph TO capture those things
than they would the mere arrest OF the
gang. They say that the paraphernalla OF
the men i so complete and dangerous that
unless the stuff i, taken the entire issue OF
certificates will have to be called in by the
Goyernmcn. and destroyed. This story
was told me Eya Government officer, aud
j. unques.ionably the truth. When |
asked him how he knew that the man who
exchanged the 800 bill for genuine certid-
Gates at tie Washington bank was the man
VINO was mixed up with the gang showing
the bogus stuff in thi, city, he replied that
be had already said more than be ought to-