Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-06-13
SPURIOUS CURRENCY.
CLEVER couSrEmEiTrIB ~ rArER
MoNiY WHICH nJTiEH the
TREASURY OFFICIALS.

iFruf ne Dsarsf Nof.i
wAaIuSuIus, April aj.-rhe recent
circulation ~ fresh counterfeit paper
money, which even Uncle Sans en-.
graven nj the bureau VI ougra wing
and printing confess their Inability %
distinguish from their own work, has
called public attention very strongly 10
n menace 10 tho counlfy's finances
that IL practically now. Photographic
and photochromlc processes Of lntr In.
Vcntlon have rendered II vhsy for flfg.
cr- 10 reproduce any noto OF certificate
with absolute perfection, % far - tho
derigna are concerned. A. for the
paper 10 print them upon, tho govern
ment sells little real siun, Of treasury
manufaotutc-at cheap rats 10 any
one who wants 10 buy. IL you DOM
believe II you eau easily obtain from
tho secret service bureau hero u full
account ~ tho manner Ia which,
not long ago, skilled operator
took large number Of real
ouo dollar bills, washed them Ia n
chemical bath ~ ~ 10 remove every
trace OF printing, and then used tho
plates hn had then prepared 10 prlnton
the same paper AZ many 500 bills, the
pioiit ON each being $40. That the
counterfeit was effective ~ sufficiently
demonstrated BY tho fact that Ia one
day he passed four " tho $500 notes ON
one tank, not b-ing afraid 10 hand
them rlgh, over the counter 10 III. TO.
c.iving tollcr, who took them without
question. There were ono or two
almost impcrceptiblo defects. which
caused them 10 be detected, '1ni that
a.sl IN
mechanical process. In photography
why the forgur today 10 Ia = poaltion,
for the flrst time, 10 make n treasury
note or ccftincai. on Uncle SANS
own paper that NO man, however
expert, can tell from n real
one. IL Ia for this reason that
the chief OF the secret service
urges, ~ n last resort, that each de-
nomination Of United States paper
money shall have 4 distinctive paper
Of its own, the Imitation Of which shall
be forbidden by legal enactment Even
thus tho safeguard Ia very Insecure
on-, aud tho fact IL recognized that
the fight against tho forgcn must 10
fought from this time on upon moro
perilous ground than ever hitherto.
ITALIANS ARE ExrERTs.
II Ia mn interesting thing, IN Wow
OF the present Italian complication, 10
consider tho fact thai tho Italians In
thi. country, according 10 tho records
Of the secret service, arc 40 peculiarly
addicted 10 tho crime OF counterf.iting
that In q single year more people Of
that nationality have been arrested anu
convicted on thi- charge than all other
nationalitira put togothsr. Most OF
thoss caught, too. were hicillans,
the tribe 60 which nearly NIL Of the
lynched New orleans muidcrcIs boz
lOnged. Desirable citizens, trilyl One
feature Characteristic " Italian count.
erfeiting method. II n widespread
organization, seldom betrayed by
traitors, which renders u possible 10
Issue the same forged money stimuli
taneously from points great way
anart-a sehemo calculated 10 occasion
tie government detectives much
trouble Ia their efforts 10 discover the
source OF supply aud track down tho
producer.
CLUMSY WORK ON COINS.
The counlrrlcitlng Of coins has by
no means kept pace of recent years
with the improvements which the
forgers Of paper money have been able
10 accomplish. Most VI them arr very
clumsy and II Is only once Ia u while
that piece NJ metal appeafH which oo-
raslons discomfort 10 the authorities,
About the only dangerous cola out nj
prcsent l. the bogus silver dollar which
Inc aecret service Il applying IT. enef-
giea 10 wlping out. II combines IN n
most, unusually accurate degree the
essential elements OF "fliW," weight
and temperance" On tho whole, the
counteffeiting of coins would not APP
PEAR 10 pay, inafmuch ~ snY-h'elghlhs
Of the makers OF imitation money cap.
tlred arc In the coin business, must
he remembered, however, that TINS
branch OF tho profession gItraeis very
many voiarleH whose knowledge hnu
sklll nre not equal 10 reproducing cahli
on paper. The latter IA tho educated
branch. Most commercials ~ goa
coins arc merely alloys, each . piece
containing 81 worth 81 the pfvcluus
metal or In some such proportion
There Ia no very renarktbie ona OUT
At present. There are limitations 70
tho possibilities OF coin-forglng when
4. 10 be feared viii preclude us eN'I
eaching tho status Ola 1no arr
A cuNNISu TRICK.