Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-31
sKTLLFUL CoUNTERFETTING.
Queer Instances Gathered in the
 Treasury Department.
How the Spurious Bank-Notes Are De- tected by the Sense of Touch-Mis- takes Which Have Led to the
 Discovery of Bad Bills.

tember of 1890. It was in that month that one of the counters in the redemp- tion division threw out note for after consideration The fingers of these women become so sensitive to the feel ing of the government paper that they throw out instinctively every bill which does not feel right. Such rejected bills, says Kate Fields Washington, are after ward closely examined, so that the pub lie may be warned. This was two dollar note with the check letter A, Treasurer Jordan's signature, and a large seal. Shortly after people were told to look out for all two-dollar bills of this description which should lack a dot over the 'i'' in Register of the Treasury" and the period at the end. The general public is not able to tell the difference in the paper, and does not carry microscope about with it to look for minute defects in engraving, there fore it has to be given something dis tinctive, when possible, which it can see.
 say "when possible advisedly, for as soon as the counterfeiters learned of this official bulletin they proceeded to get out another issue with this error corrected. It was still a two-dollar note with Hancock's head and Jordan's signature. The seal, too, was large, and of the proper shade to belong with check-letter B. Presumably the only change was in the check letters. Again delft fingers detected the difference in paper, but this time the most notice able mechanical defect was microscopic aL Each corner of the note, it will be remembered, is embe1lished with a figure two, but it is not generally known that each figure two is in it's turn adorned with several printed ''two's" in microscopical letters. In the counterfeit the engraver had some of the minute words backward, SO that they read "owt.'' The public was warned of this.
 ly to work. His next effort differed fromits predecessor in bearing the check letter c and it's accompanying small seal The microscopical words were fixed by blurring the ''t'' and the ''o'' 30 that only the ''w" was plain, and it took strong glass to show this de- feet, but it bore the name of Treasurer Jordan.
 Another warning was followed by another change. This time the name of Treasurer Jordan had to be changed to Hyatt, and the tail of the could not be wholly eliminated from the margin without risking the total destruction of the valuable plate, so the counterfeiters left it in, and now we have brand new variety of two dollar notes.
 Of course no one knows how long it takes to make twenty-dollar bill with pen and brush, for none of these won derful penmen have ever been caught, but one would think that so slzillful a workman could make more money at an honest trade. One thing seems to be certain-counterfeit runs in fami- lies, In one of the pictured groups, four persons out of sixteen are of one name and five of another, and am told that the two families were nearly re- lated. One branch of the Smith family, I regret to say, has been a source of special anxiety to the government. Their work was mainly done in Canada, and all the scolds of this branch from the great-grandfather down-male and female-have distinguished themselves in their own peculiar line.
 One of the pen-and-brush bills is 8 twenty-dollar note with Hamilton's head. There are two specimens of this -one is quite fresh and not easily de- tected, the other is worn, and shows plainly that it did not wear so well as a genuine note should.
 Another method of counterfeiting is the raising of note from one denom- ination to a higher. A few months ago there died in the Columbus penitentiary Peter Mccartney. Many years ago he was arrested for counterfeiting and sen- fenced to this penitentiary for fifteen years. He served out his term, and as soon as it was over went straight to New Orleans and commenced to raise one dollar notes to one hundred dollars. Within four weeks from the time he left the prison he was back in it again for another fifteen years. This time he died before his time was over.
 Thus countereiting seems not only an inherited but an ungovernable passion. It is pity that no legitimate use has yet been found for such wonderful tal- ents-
 Everybody knows the tale of the man who was in the employ of the govern ment and was counterfeiter. It was years ago, when the government put out part of it's work by the piece to bank note companies This man had the job of making the plates for printing some United States bonds. While making the ordered plates he made duplicate set for himself, printed the bonds, and very nearly got them on the market When caught he gave up all his plates, dies, etc., valued at thousands of dol- lars, in exchange for his liberty. Ever since he has been at large under the check of a suspended sentence. Should he ever be caught counterfeiting again the government has only to clap him into prison without further trial.
 Foreigners unacquainted with any thing but the general outlines of our paper money are frequently taken in by what are called ''f1ash notes" These are usually made originally for adver~ Using purposes and only become Q source of danger when interruptions and ignorant persons meet in their vii