Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-02

because 1t IL physical impossibility to set the
instruments 80 as to reproduce given pattern.
Direct photographs Of notes have been
made upon paper for circulation without in
termediate process, but such are not worthy Of
serious confederation counterfeits No one
but the most ignorant and stupid person could
be deceived by them. Notes have been photo
graphed upon boxwood and wood cut for
printing from, but more clumsy forgeries can
hardly be imagined than those 90 executed
You may set it down - . fact incontestable
that nothing will successfully initiate steel en-
craving but steel engraving.
CONTEMPLATING WELL NIaH SUPPRESSED.
''The fact is that the government authorities
have been 20 watchful and the laws have been
drawn 80 tightly within recent years that
counterfeiting in this country has been we'll
nigh suppressed. Since 1869, as I remarked,
there have only been three really successful
limitations OF Uncle Sans money issued
Counterfeittng Of money has been going on
more or less ever since money was invented.
The first bank note ever forged was executed
by young linen draper in England. He was
In love with the daughter Of an ambitious
woman Of the middle class, who wanted to
make a rich match for her girl. To convince
her that he had means the young man
manufactured . batch Of Bank Of England
notes and placed them in her hands. Her funds
ran short one day and she used one of his
and, the ofense being capital in those days,
the linen draper was hanged. The first forgeries
In this country were of continental money,
made in England; and it was believed at the
time OF the revolutionary war that the British
government winked at the onense, hoping that
our finances would be ruined. When the state
banks came into existence many excellent
counterfeits were made of their issues the de-
signs being crude and easily initiated, because
the art Of engraving was then In its infancy.
When the rebellion came people boarded
their specie and millions in fractional currency
were issued by the government. That was the
harvest time for the countsrfeiter. Imitation
'shinplasters flooded the country. Saloon
good, saying that il made no difference
Everything went in those times, and it wasn't
the fashion to sorutiniEs money closely;
suspicion ID vulgar any way. Ordinarily
the the 'hS,n nppa. became 50 dsisOsd in
baker and the candlsstick maker that brown
paper parallelograms Of equal size might have
passed as well almost At that epoch even
postage stamps circulated as currency until
their mucilage was worn off and their designs
| impossible to make out. How different is all
this now, in this era of fine engraving, when
every note is q work of art Portraits admira-
bly, executed, have taken the place Of the old
crude vignettes. representing landscapes with
trains Of cars and safes with dogs guarding
them. The geometric lathe has contributed
its beautiful and inimitable ornamentation and
the designs in every respect present lnsur-
mountable difficulties to the forger. And, by
the way, did you ever really examine treas
ury note Of recent make, considering it in the
light Of an art work. Take the next new ono
that finds its why into your pocket, scrutinize it
from this point Of view and withhold your sd-
miration if you can.
SOME KNOWN CouNTRRFErTERs.
There are no Other great counterfeitsrs
living besides Smith and Brockway. All the
rest are second rate. OF these latter Tom Bal
lard is just out from long term in prison.
in in, ha
too, has been suspected OF having something
to do with that % silver certificate-and Pete
Mccartney is dead. Pete was certainly ad-
mirable at one performance. His great act
was printing his counterfeits on real treasury
paper. He would wash all the ink of of q 81
note and print $40 note upon it. The process
Is simple, but it requires great deXterity. First
the note must be plunged into sulphuric acid
for just moment, to loosen the ink, which is
promptly removed with a dry nail brush by
half dozen quick strokes upon which, to pre-
vent further action by the acid, the paper is
thrust into a bath of ammonia, from which it
comes out white and ready to print anything
upon up to $4,000 note. Forgers, however
do not attempt such high denominations; they
are too difficult to negotiate. 1t has been sug-
gested that, as protection against this wash
ing process, each denomination of United States
money should be printed upon different dis
tinctive paper; but l should deem such Q plan
of doubtful utility, inasmu UGH as it would render
necessary the education of siXty-five millions Of
people in the quality Of the papers employed.
There occurs to me, merely by the way, a story
about a Partisan lady of fashion many years
ago, who showed to the celebrated chief Of
police and ex-detective Vidocq q wrongful imi-
| tation of Q 1000 franc note which had been
| executed by clever friend Of hers. Vidocq
persuaded the friend, who out of vanity was
very willing, to make him one like it. Then he
I said: MY dear sir, l am well aware that you
entertain no criminal propensity; but, never
theless, shall be obliged to have you watched
by my police from this time on You may
draw from this the conclusion that counterfeit
ing. even as an amateur, does not pay.
1--WE observers in this field of forgery take
notice that the vice of counterfeiting is a spe-
citic weakness, like that for alcohol Its VIC
| Tins have an Unborn propensity for it, to begin
with secondly, they are unable to resist the
temptation to commit crime when it is placed
before them. The weakness is one of moral
| constitution. Charley Smith could make 50 OOO
| year at his regular business, but he could not
keep clear Of crime, and, once having estab-
hshed association with criminals, to break
away is almost an impossibility. Thus you find
the counterfeiter drawn back almost inevitably
into the business after he has once been caught
ano made free by the law. Take genius in
his craft like Smith with his weakness and
you have an incarnate threat to the financial
safety of a nation"