The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-27
DANGEROUS ooUNTEREEIrs.
Ways of Making Money That are
Easier Than Earning 1t.


counterfeit ring in the voice of the pre-
tender who tried to pass for Esau there has
been no lack of counterfeits in the world.
If the great third patriarch, however, lived
in these latter days, and If he undertook, as
one of his da ing and moral obliquity
doubtless would, TO utter counterfeit coin
as well as counterfeit pretensions, he would
run uE against one of the shrewdest and
ablest branches of private service ever en-
ploved by a human government. He
would not, as would have happened few
generations ago in "Merrie England" be
hanged, but he would languish within
prison walls for considerable time, almost
beyond question, for almost inevitably
counterfelters are caught and punished in
this country.
As long, however, as men think they can
make money more easily than they can
earn it, so long will INSCRIPTIONS men
probably brave the perils of the law and
continue to make spurious coins and bills
There never has been, and probably never
will be, time whep this country, or any
other within civilization, is free from the
curse Of counterfeiting. In the days pre-
cedlug the operation of the national bank
law counterfeit paper money was far more
when common than it is now, but even now,
the numerous safeguards provided make
imitation more difficult and costly, there
are many spurious bills put IN circulation
from time to time. 1t is not possible for
the unskilled person to tell at glance the
difference between them and genuine money,
and some of them are closely enough
initiated from the genuine to deceive ex-
perts until they have been closely scrutin-
lied.
HOW THE PAPER MONEY is INITIATED.
In the counterfeiting of paper money,
however, so much skill and labor and such
ond 1nctlxy tools nd
necessary that considerable "plant" has
to be established before any damage is DONE
and the detection Of the criminals is com.
paratively easy. Nevertheless the counter
fets in actual circulation are numerous
enough to necessitate the publication of
several periodicals like the United States
Treasury Counterfeit Detector and
Bankers and Merchants Journal.
The monthly magazine which exists and
thrives in spite of all this name, is not as
might be supposed, in any sense authorized
or endorsed by the government, but it is
recognized as reliable by the officers of the
secret service of the Treasury department.
William Dickerman, the editor, is an
ex-employe of the treasury. In the current
number of the Detector the question of
counterfeit National bank notes is simpli-
fed as follows:
National bank notes are divided into
three classes, as follows: l. The old series,
bearing the small star-pointed seal, and
signed by F. +. Spinner as treasurer; 2. The
series of 1875, bearing the scalloped seal and
signed by John c. New, A u. Wyman and
James Gilfllan as treasurers; 3. The series
of 1882 bearing the large seal chocolate
color, and signed by James Gilfillan and A.
U. Wyman as treasurers. All of these
series have been counterfeited. All notes
known as the old series (having the star
pointed seaD were printed on plain bank
note paper. The series of 1875 and 1882 are
printed on fiber paper. The series of 1875
have the charter number printed in large.
bold face figures on each end Of note. The
series of 1882 have the charter number
printed in large figures on the note and Gu
graved in small figures surrounding the face
of note; back of note the charter is printed
in large figures in green panel center of
note. All notes have the check letters A,
B, c, D printed on the face of note in upper
and lower corners, diagonally opposite
few banks have been furnished with notes
bearing e, +, G., H, none of which have
notes upon which counterfeit is reported
in circulation may be taken as good, pro-
vided the signatures of register and treas
urer differ from those given in this list; and
all notes may be taken where the signatures
are the same, provided the check letter is
different
Photographic notes are not dangerous, as
no invention has been perfected by which
the various colors on a note can be pro-
duced. When q genuine note is photo
graphed, the colors upon the counterfeit,
originally, appear in black, the numbers
and seals on the note being in red colors
1t has been necessary, in order to initiate
them perfectly, to color by hand i'll various
ways. On the first counterfeits that APP
peared of this class the work was done in
careless manner, the tints produced being
OF bad color, the black underneath show
ing through. On the recent counterfeits
that have appeared the tints and seals and
numbers are excellent and nearly as good
as the genuine, but the general appearance
of the notes is so bad that an ordinary per-
son handling money can readily detect
them. This class of counterfeits bear
various numbers, and the numbers cannot
be relied upon as a means of detection.
NUMEROUS VARIETIES OF THE QUEER"
In addition to this a complete list of all
the counterfeits of this description is given.
There are one kind of 81 bill, eight of 81,
thirty-six of IS, thirty-two of S10 twelve
Of $50, eight of $50 and nine of 800, sup
posed to be in circulation, though doubtless
the entire spurious issue of some of them
has been seized and either destroyed or SO
anu CuO ub 10 Iudkc buClT uuU6TuuC6
forever impossible.
In addition to this there have been numer-
GUS unsigned bills from IS to 800 in de-
nominations stolen from the national banks
and put into circulation. OF course they
are valueless. There have been also forty
varieties of counterfeit United States notes
showed" one of $500 and one of 81 600
These are both pronounced dangerous, and
the readers of the Graphic are hereby
warned to be exceedingly cautious about
taking bills of these denominations in
change.
Four varieties of counterfeit silver GER
tificates have also been put forth, one, the
newest, appearing in Chicago very re-
Gently.
MANY SPURIOUS COINS.
In counterfeit coins there has been a ire
mendous business done, especially since the
resumption of specie payments after the
war. The varieties are almost endless,
owing to the ease with which the work can
be done by workmen of an inferior grade
of skill. The easiest method is by the use
of plaster of paris mold and the coin
most frequently initiated is the Scent
nickel. 1t is not milled, and there is little
difficulty in initiating the metal. The
counterfeits of this coin, the secret service
people say, are mostly Italians. The nodded
counterfeits, however, can generally be de-
tected by their appearance, and therefore
the more skilful criminals use die and
strike Off coin that is difficult to detect.
In regard to counterfeit coins the Deteotor
says