The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-13
LIGHT -WEIGHTGOLDCOIN
a NOVEL METHOD OF MAKING THE
EAGLE SCREAM.

"
San Frsncisoo's Cinnamon Subjecting
$40 Colo Pieces to Sweating Proc
ess in an Acid Fluid Charged With
Electricity-Nearly a Dollar Ex-
tracted from Each Coin Without Be-
ing Noticeable TO the Average Hand
ler.
New YoRK. March 12-Several large
banks In this city. which do business with
California, have been troubled Of late at
many lightweight $40 gold pieces, which
are found in almost every shipment of gold
coins that comes. At first it was thought
the friction of the coins against each other
during the railway or steamship journey
caused the loss Of weight, but
soon various suspicious features we're
noticed. which make it aIl but certain that
the coins are subjected to sweating proc
ess by electricity, which will extract as
much as rs cents or 81 from each S20 gold
piece without materially affecting the face
OF the coin. The treasury experts have
seen 30 many such lightweight coins during
the last few weeks that they can now tell
one almost Immediately without going to
the trouble Of weighing it.
SEEN UNDER A MAGNIFYING GLASS.
Several such $40 gold pIecesthat had come
to the office of Zimmerman g. Forsyth, IL
Wall street, were examined by O reporter
to-day. Under a magnifying glass one
could see that the face of the coin had be-
come somewhat blurred by a number of in
tinitesimal pores which covered the whole
face. while the edges were rounded or bev-
elled as though by wear. 1t the same time,
however, the coins we're 30 bright that they
looked like new. It was also noticed that
special care had been taken by the "sweat-
ers" TO select new coins, none of those tam
pered with dating further back than 1891.
CHINESE SUSPECTED.
1t Is believed that this fraud Is being
practiced on a large scale in California,
probably by the Chinese, who have the
renutation Of being the cleverest counter
feiters. In a recent shipment of $50 900 to
one OF the largest banks OF the city which
does business with California, there were
forty such under wight gold pieces.
NATURE OF THE PROCESS.
One dollar taken out of each $50 piece
means good profit to be gained by the
simple process Of suspending the coin for a
short time in an acid fluid charged with
electricity. The Sweaters" naturally prefer
to apply this to the larger gold pieces be-
cause more can be gained from each coin,
and because most persons, especially In the
eastern states, are less familiar with those
particular coins, and, therefore, less able to
detect the fraud by the mere look and touch
Of the gold piece.
THE oFFENsE NOT PUNISHABLE.
The government is powerless, because in
stself the practice of subjecting gold pieces
to electrolysis. be it for gliding purposes or
otherwise, is not q legal offense, SO that
even il the sweater" or band OF sweaters
we're caught in their workshop 1t would be
difficult to indict them. The legal offense is
only committed by the man who passes the
coin, and even then The intention Of fraud
has to be proven. Nothing can be done,
therefore. In the meanwhile underweight
double eagles keep pouring in. to be re-
turned again by the treasury with the de-
facing al" stamped on them.