The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-10
COUNTERFEIT PLATES.
What Bills They Represented-The
Defects.

Defects.
New York, June 9-"You would be
surprised if should tell you that there
were only two, or perhaps three really
dangerous plates of counterfeit notes still
uncaptured," said secret service officer
to your representative, while chatting about
the different showers of ''the queer"
"What are the two or three plates you
speak OFF, We inquired.
"Well, one Is the plate from which Go
| bills of tina Manufacturers National bank
of Amsterdam, New York, and the Fort
Stanwix National bank of Rome, New
York, were printed The other uncap-
tured plate is the one from which the new
So counterfeit silver certificate has been
printed. There are also the plates of the
$500 and $1,000 United States treasury
notes, The engraving on these plates was
almost Or quite equal to the original, so
much So, that nearly all the genuine notes
of these denominations have been retired
by the treasury. A great many banks only
take these notes as bills for collection. 1t
IS rule with the treasury department that
whenever counterfeit, other than a pho
tograph, Autograph, or peu-made bill of
any national bank bill appears, to retire
the genuine as fast as possible from circula-
| tion.n
SIS there any good way to distinguish the
late IS silver certificate counterfeit from
the genuine"
Eyes, lhere is one very good way to tell
the counterfeit, and that is, to look at the
paper and at the portrait. The paper in the
counterfeit is much thinner, and together
with the brownish- ink does not stand
much wear You want to look closely at
the vignette The portrait of Gen. Grant
on the counterfeit lacks entirely the stern
look and life-lilxe expression of the genuine.
There is, as you will see on this counter
felt, different set and look in his eyes
The mole on the right cheek, and the stud
on the shirt front are both missing. Look
here and you will see how the of 1886 looks
like anon
"Who was the counterfeiter of these two
plates"
81 wish could tell you. We think the
plate of the silver certificate is now in
Canada. The plates of the IS bills of the
Amsterdam bank and the Rome bank have
never been located"
"Is there as much counterfeiting done as
formerlyW
mo. don't think there is. You see
after the war the government established
the branch Of the secret service with the
express purpose of breaking up the differ
emit gangs of counterfeiters who flooded the
states with evidence of their skill. The
service has captured many millions OF dol
lars of queer money. destroyed hundreds
of plates, and sent thousands of counter
feiters to the peDitentiary. Since we cap
tured the series of plates engraved in
Brooklyn by Charles H. smith for William
Brockway, and the series of plates en-
graved by Charles +. Ulrich, no really dan
gerous plates of counterfeit notes have APP
peard except the bank bill and the IS silver
certificate which l have told you about. A
fa KDaalrc "a numha1 of nna-6Ollor hills
raised to $50 by painting Fl cure fifty over
the one were circulated in New Orleans,
and for some time it was hard to find out
the fraud"
''Who was the counterfeiterp
"Pete Mccartney, and clever one, who,
together with such experts as Miles Ogle,
Fred Biebusch, and Ben Boyd formed one
of the sharpest gangs of counterfeiters.
They gave the secret service good deal of
trouble but most all of them are now serv-
ing time. Mccartney was released from
the Michigan City, Ind, penitentiary few
months ago, after having served eleven
years for his last attempt to show his skill.
He seems to have drifted down to New
Orleans where he was known as John Will
son. A secret service officer Swallowed Will
son, and finally caught him passing the
queer The New Orleans people were IN
doubt about their man. After being ar
shaving off his heavy beard and moustache,
but some photographs and descriptions in
possession of the service soon settled his
Identity"
WHO is this McCartneyr'
"Well, out West he is called The King of
the Koniackers. l suppose he deserves the
title for he began raising notes when he was
only 1S, and he is now about 81 years
old, you see that he has had time enough to
Ia ipfo
Of counterfeters named Alderman, whose
members from the father down to his sons-in-
law have served terms in the penitentiaries
for counterfeiting. Ben Boyd, by the way,
was his brother-in-law. | should say that
half of McCartney's life has been spent in
the different jails. As far back as 1854 he
made a reputation for daring when he
jumped from the rear platform OF Penn
sylvania Central train while going at the
rate of thirty miles an hour, and made his
escape. His most noted exploit was in 1874
when in company with five other prison
ers he escaped from the St. Louis Jail by
knocking down aud binding the guards and
thea cutting his way through the outer
brick wall His adventures with the
United States marshal and secret service
officers would form an interesting book. |
suppose Mccartney has given the secret
service more trouble than any other single
counterfeter When he was caught the
other week in New Orleans for raising
money no was doing the very same thing
for which he was arrested over forty years
ago.
Before going will tell you one clever
trick Mccartney played some years back In
the seventies Tie Travelled for few months
through Indiana iecturing on How TO De
tect Counterfeit Money Now, the strange
thing about it was that the tricky lecturer
showed the queer on his own audience at
the ticket cffice ] guess a good many
learned trick or two about counterfeit