Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-24
WORK OF COUNTERFEITERs.
A Visit to the Rogues' Gallery Of the
Secret Service.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF HUNDREDS OF INTELLIGENT
RAscALs-sPECIMEys OF FINE ENaRAvrSa-
COUNTERFEIT NOTES AND HOW THEY ARE
MApI-THE PROCESS OF couNrERrNrrINa COIN.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF HUNDREDS OF INTELLIGENT
acknowledgements OF FINE ESaRAvrSG-
COUNTERFEIT NOTES AND HOW THEY ARE
MADR-TKE PROCESS OF ooUNrERForrINa COIN.
"Here are the bills, these are the plates and
there are the chaps" said the man who has
been twenty-nine years in the United States
Treasury department telling visitors about
counterfeiting and the people who engage in
it. Above the door of room No. IS, in which
he stays, are the words Secret Service" 1t is
small room. lighted from the ceiling. On its
walls hang the photographs OF $50 Of the
"chaps' before mentioned. In an adjoining
room, bearing the prohibition. Private" on
the door, there are seven or eight thousand ad-
ditional companions in guilt, forming AVERT
able ''rogues gallery" Only those that are found
guilty OF violation Of law are now photo
graphed Some of these faces are bright and
intelligent; some are sullen and scowling;
some are villainous and wicked; some are inso-
lent and defiant; some sad and detected. One
wears a broad grin, with an eye drawn down in
smirking grimace.
Here's fellow that didn't want to leave us
| anything to remember him by" said the in
dormant to STAR representative, showing
faded picture begrimed with much handling.
The subjects mouth was gaping and all his
features distorted into an unrecognizable con-
dltlon. He had been clutched about the throat
and by the hair and held by main force. Many
| faces of women appear in this collection as
well as those Of negroes and foreigners. The
faces of the assassns Of Lincoln and Garfield
are also shown.
THE ENGRAvERs.
When the government seizes a gang Of coun-
terfeiters everything belonging to their craft is
captured. The steel plates for printing the
bills, bonds and revenue stamps, the molds
for molding coin, the stamping machines for
making stamped coin, the paper upon which
bills are printed. the metals the weapons for
defense and all the counterfeit on hand.
1t requires four plates to engrave a bill in the
bureau OF printing and engraving. An en-
graver is required for each of the two borders
and faces, hence four engravers make one bill
and none of the four knows the entire design.
Some Of the counterfeiters now serving sem
tence are the finest engravers in the country
and some have been in government employ.
After the counterfeit bills are printed from the
engraved plates they are stained with coffee to
give them an old appearance that they may
the easter escape detection. crisp, new
counterfeit is never put into circulation.
Coffee was down, you see, when that bill
was printed" said our informant, pointing out
| $40 bill that had been too deeply stained.
DETECTING CoUNTERFEITs.
1t is often only by the closest examination
had absolutely no defect excepting that on one
foot of the Goddess of Liberty that adorned
the face there were six toes, and this fault
could only be detected by the use of magni-
flying glass. Another bill had the minute fault,
only discoverable by the trained expert, of
having one button on the coat OF soldier
slightly imperfect.
FINE PEN WORK.
Some counterfeiters photograph bills and re-
L IL. rpI
detected and can only be passed off on the un-
observing and careless
Here is a perfect piece of work--one Of
the best we have ever taken in" said the ex-
hibitor, and very old and much-mended
twenty-dollar bill was shown.
That work is done with pen," he con-
tinued Every bill is made separate. That
man has been at work on these bills for nine or
ten years. We've been hunting for him for the
last seven or eight years. We haven't found
HIM yet but we'l1 get him, that's sure"
A CARICATURE.
Attention was called to another piece of pen
work that is only shown as a curiosity, as no
one was ever deceived into thinking it was genu-
inc money except the poor, distraught creature
who makes the bills.
1t is hundred-dollar note. On its face is
the picture OF a very daft-looking lady intended
to represent Martha Washington. She has
long corkscrew curls and red eyes that start
up into her temples. On the reverse face was
| a picture of the Capitol with a train of cars ON
| the Baltimore and Ohio heading for the dome.
An inmate of an insane asylum occupies him.
self making these bills and paying his physi-
clan for his services with them.
RAISING BILLS.
great deal of counterfeiting is done by
raising" Genuine bills are used for this pur-
pose. By erasing the figures in two or a five
and substituting the denomination desired the
work is rendered very simple, although readily
| detected by any close observer. Revenue
stamps Of every description have been coun-
terfeited, but postage stamps have never been
| initiated.
Some very good counterfeit paper was shown,
| for the crime of manufacturing which the Of
| fender has fifteen years at hard labor.
Foreign notes are frequently counterfeited
! in this country. Bank of England notes are
easily counterfeited, as they very simple
and printed On plain white paper.
COIN CONTEMPLATING.
Coin is constantly counterfeited. The best
counterfeit coin that has ever been made was
silver dollar.
THAT coin passed through the fingers of one
of the finest experts in the country, in a sub
treasury of the United States. without detec-
ton said the guardian. 1T lacks but ten
grains of the proper weight and has fine ring"
The metal. antimony, unites with silver and
ls uSeu IN cOunterIeltlnS silver coin. Ihe anti
mony is melted and run into molds with the
correct faces. When the metal is cool enough
to work it is filed down to the proper size, as
antimony is the only metal that expands on
cooling. When it is cool and filed to the
proper size it is plated with thin silver plat
ing as any other silver plating is done.
The gold ooin is ''struck." The metal is
placed between engraved steel blocks and
| struck to make the faces. The edges are cut
by milling machine, as the metal is all cold.
It costs more to make struck coin, as a milling
machine alone costs SIS. The counterfeiter
spends as little as possible for machinery to
carry on his business with. Old coins that are
valuable for their age and rarity are also coun-
terfeited. The 1904 silver dollar is now worth
81, 200 and has been counterfeited.
ALL ADVERTISING SCHEMES
and bric-a-brac got up to represent money of
any kind are illegal and are seized by the gov
eminent, although the people manufacturing
them are entirely innocent Of any intent to
defraud.
GOLD BRICKS
are occasionally manufactured and sold to the
unsophisticated.
THAT brick there" said the informant.
pointing to handsome brick inside a glass
case, twas taken from fellow in Pittsburg"
The brick was said to contain $4,000 worth
of gold and the confidence man had received
about q, 500 on it from an unsuspecting old