Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-08-11
COUNTERFEIT COIN.
How tho Spurious Money Is
Made in New York.
Devices for Passing it Unleteoted by Itali-
ans, Who Ate the Principal Offenders.

Devices for Passing 1t Unletected by ltall-
ans, Who Ate the Principal Offenders.
Counterfeiting United States coins and
bills is SAID to be carried on now us
much as formerly, but there have been
many changes in its methods and the
manner of getting rid of the "qucer"
when made. The days of the hidden
nook in the mountain, where, in hut,
the expert maker of base coins carried
on his nefarious trade with door care
fully barricadcd and rifles and rcvolvers
lying about within easy reach, arc over.
Now the coin is made mostly
in cities, and that too in crowded neigh
borhoods.
In the making OF bad coins in this
city the Italians have monopoly and it
is against tho italian workmcn that
Chief Drummond, Of the secret service
bureau in this city, is kept busy procur-
ing evidence and bringing them to court.
Almost without exception, every Italian
counterfetcr arrested in this city during
the last three ycars-and there have
been many of them capturcd-has said
that he came from Sicily. They are, as
a rule, dull looking, ignorant fellows,
Notwithstanding their skill in furnishing
and manufacturing the coins. Most fire.
qucntly they have a little knowledge of
the jcwclry trade, and apparently they
take as naturally to counterfciting as fish
to water A number of Italians in this
city who are not makers Of bad coins are
always ready to pass those made by 9th
ers, and the skilled dcviscr
of illcgitimatc money is to them a
hero.
The workman hires flat in tcne-
mcnt, into which he moves his family,
reserving one room as workshop lie
lays in stock Of antimony, plaster of
paris, moulds, lathe and other appli-
ances, and is ready for business. Rarely
do his ncighbors suspect that anything
is wrong. lie takes good coin for
pattern and soon has the room filed with
the coins in various stages of construc-
tion. Never does the maker attempt to
pass the money himself. lie either sells
it to the passcr, or, more frequently, to
middle man. For this reason it is iili-
cult to get at the makers, and the secret
service detectives are always happy when
they find a workshop with kit of tools
and good supply of stock. The mid
die men sell to the man who does the
passing Bad coin can be bought at the
rate Of 81 for ten bad dollars, though
higher prices are usually charged at first.
When the passer gets the coin he usually
frequents the side streets, where in small
cigar stores and confectionery shops he
passes off his spurious dollars, etc, in
payment for small articles, thus rccciv-
ing good money in change.
The law requires that "intcnt to dc
ccive" must be proven against the Of
fender, and for this reason the counter
felt moncy-passers go often in pairs. One
man carries the coin; he deals it out one
coin at time to his companion, who
enters the shop, while the other remains
outside. Thus, if the passcr is arrested,
no other bad coins are found on his per-
son, and he can assert that he did not
know that the coin he offered in pay
ment was bad. Many escape conviction
by this method.
The fruit stand Italians arc usually
INSCRIPTIONS in working off bad money,
though they seldom have stock of any
thing of larger denomination than dimes
and quarters. More than half of the
small coin that is bad works its way into
circulation through these fellows. You
tell the vcndcr that the coin is bad, and
he will Immediately cry OUT "Mc no
tell bada money; me just come from
Italy," Comparatively few arrests are
made on complaint of the police. When
bad money is received unwittingly, few
hesitate to pass it on. There is a cheap
restaurant keeper on the old Chatham
street who, every few weeks, brings all
the bad coins he has taken in down to
the secret service bureau in the post
office building. Very few take this
trouble.
There is an erroneous idea abroad that |
the government makes good the bad |
money received. This is mistake. The
government conIiscatcs all bad coins, and |
the only relief of the person imposed
upon is a civil suit in one of the district |
courts against the passcr for the value of
the money lost.
The passer of counterfeit money, when |
convicted, may receive as heavya SEN
tencc as ten years in state prison and
fine of $1,000. Apparently there is an
attractivencss about making the coin,
and when discharged from prison the
manufacturer almost invariably goes
back to the old business. -Nclo York |