Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-03

Hancock is very finely engraved, but there
is a defect in the expression due to the face
being slivhtly broader between the temples
and the cheek bones than IN the original.
The mustsche in the portrait has droop-
ing appearance, and seems to cover more
of the mouth, while the lips are wider sep
arated. In the genuine each hair OF the
mustache is gray, while in the counterfeit
four black hairs extend from the right
nostril to the corner of the mouth. In the
small figure in the upper left and lower
right hand corners of the genuine note
there are three places In which the word
"twon is engraved. In the counterfeit the
letters of the word in the ball are trans
nosed. and read "owt.n The aid of pow
erful microscope is needed to detect this
defect. This Is, take it altogether, re-
markable counterfeit. The geometrical
lathe work, the parallel ruling, the letter
ing and numbering are well executed, and
cannot be distinguished from the genuine.
The counterfeit bears the large red spike
seal. which so closely resembles the seal on
the genuine that it defies detection.
81 have had great deal of experience in
the handling of counterfeit notes, and /
confess that this one puzzles me. 1t is, by
long odds. the best counterfeit ever saw
so GOOD that am led to suspect its maker
has discovered some new process The cor
respondence of details in the counterfeit
with those of the genuine is SO close as to
suggest that such an imitation could not
have been made by engraving alone, in
which the eye and the hand would have to
be microscopic and unerring. Possibly the
maker has found a process by which
depth, minuteness of figure and exactness
in detail and color can be accurately and
readily obtained. Our genuine notes are
marvels of beauty of the engraver's art,
Aided by the wonderful geometric lathe,
a machine which it is next to impossible
for any counterfeter to possess, our en-
gravers put upon our plates an extensive
and complex area of lines and patterns
which any one would say could not be sue
cessfully Initiated. Yet an expert engraver
examined this two dollar silver certificate
counterfeit under powerful glass for one
hour and then confessed his inability to
discover any radical divergence of lines
from the original note.
''It is evident TO me, therefore, as the re-
suit of my many years experiences, that
the prime factor in safety is to be found in
the paper on which the note is printed.
The distinctive paper which was adopted
for government notes some years ago has
proved the greatest stumbling block in the
way of counterfeiting, but | believe an i'm
provement can be made in the paper, Civ
ing it distinctive mark easily recognized
and yet not readily initiated
What is the new rule in the service con-
cerning possession of counterfeit money!
1.-The law now requires all counterfeit
money to be turned over to the secretary
of the treasury. 1t makes him the sole
custodian thereof. Accordingly, bankers
and others having counterfeit notes in
their possession have been required to send
them to the treasury. The banks demurred
a GOOD deal at this, and said they wanted
to keep the money on hand for the purpose
of educating their employees in the detec-
tion of counterfeits. AS this seemed to be
a rational request, the law was so amended
as to permit the secretary of the treasury
to loan bankers and others. under such
regulations as he saw fit to make, counter
felt notes to be used in educating persons
to detect bogus money. No bank that fails
to send on its accumulation of counterfeits
can have notes loaned it, and in no case will
a bank be loaned more counterfeit money
than it has turned in. Years ago men
were going about the country bearing with
them large sums in counterfeit notes, and
teaching bankers, merchants and others
how to detect counterfeit money at SO
much per lesson. These persons were at
the outset honest men, carrying on legit-
innate trade, but some of them became dis
sipated and hard up for cash of genuine
sort, and of course their first and most
natural recourse under such circumstances
was to pass the best of their counterfeit
stock off on some unsuspecting individual
''We found it necessary to arrest num-
ber of these itinerants who had fallen
from grace and put them away--I remem-
ber putting away five or six of them my
self-and it was this tendency of men who
were permitted to have counterfeit money
In their possession that led to the passage
of the law of which ! have just spoken