The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-15
HIDING MONEY.
DEVICES IMMIGRANTS EMPLOY
TO CONCEAL THEIR FUNDS.
Each Nationality Has Its Own Way
Of Packing Away Currency
A Curious Feature of
Castle Garden.

The peculiarities Of the people of diff
fercnt nat;onalities in their way of carry
ing money, says reporter for the New
York CommerciG Adcertiser, formed 8
topic OF conversation at Castle Garden
the other day. 49,.
"Most of the English immigrants"
said one of the money changers, "carry
their coin in small case in which their
sovereign or shillipgs fit snugly, and
have the case attached to chain which
they keep in pocket as they would
watch. An Irisbman always has his
little canvas bag in which he keeps gold,
silver and notes all together. But
great many of the Irish girls have their
soverelgns rolled up and sewed on the
inside of their dress, very frequently,
too, inside of their coTsets, and often
have to borrow my penknife to cut
them out when they come to get them
changed.
II have seen some old Germans who
would pull off from around their body q
belt that am sure must have cost forty
or fifty marks, aud fish from, it three or
four marks in silver to have changed.
The French mostly carry small tube in
which they can place forty or fifty twen-
ty-franc pieces. and remove them very
handily one at time,, and only one at
time: There are very few Italians who
don't own large tin tube, sometimes q
foot long, which they have hung around
their neck by small chain or cord, and
in which.they keep their paper money or
silver coins. Swedes and Norwegians
are sure'to have an immense pocketbook
that has been generally used by their
fathers and grandfathers before them,
and which will have enough leathev in it
to make pair of boots. The Slavonians
or Hungarians generally do not carry
pocketbooks, but they iud more ways of
concealing:what money they may have
than any class of people I know OF.
Their long boots seem'to be'the favoIite
place, and in the legs of them they also
carry the knife, and. fork and spoon with
which they have eaten. on their way
across. But have sc en- them take money
from between the lining and outside
of their coats which they would
get at by cutting into button
hole. Some of them use their caps
and very many use their: prayer books.
placing the paper money on the inside OF
the cover, and pasting the fy-leaf OF the
book over it,"
81 suppose you get rather curious col
lection of foreign coin!''
'sThat's what q. great many people
think" was the reply, "but it is not ac-
tually the case. None of the people who
come here bring any but the commonest
kinds of coin, and, in fact, the broker.
age has extended so much in Europe OF
late and also on the transatlantic steam
ships, that great many of the imml-
grants have their money already changed
when they arrived here. If we had been
permitted to do an exchange here and
buy up paper, there might have been
more money it, but we are not allowed
to handle anything but cash."
The money changer, however, had
amassed quite an extensive private col
lection of coins of the day. Included
among them were English penny, lid,
and I'd pieces, all of silver and very
diminutive, measuring less than half an
inch in diameter; also complete
collection of the English jubilee coins
issued last year, the six-penny piece OF
which was very soon called from circu-
lation, as it was found that some of
them had been galvanized and passed for
half sovereigns owing to their exact SINH
larity in size and design. A silver franc
of the Roman states, which bears date
1862, is said to be worth 81. A United
States silver dollar of the special coinage
of 1896 is now valued at $50. A num-
Der of collegiate advertisements in the
shape of bank notes, which immigrants
said had been foisted upon them as genu-
inc money in Europe, were also among
collection.
"Do you get much paper money and
ever get cheated in it 2"
"There is a great deal of European
paper money now. Austrian, French,
Russian and Belgian paper Is common.
And every one of the different German
states give different issues of notes.
About year ago q man came to our
Office with 600 Bank of. England note
to get changed; but, when we sent it
around to one of the banks to make sure
of its genuineness, the man disappeared.
The note was counterfeit and we have