The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-06-04
This Beats Hair-splitting:-
From the Cincinnati commercial-Gazette.


1t is a delicate operation to split bank
note edgewise, but there are rogues who do
it as easily as they could slice cheese. 1t
has been practiced in France and South
American States several years, and the
men who do this work in the United
States are half again as skillful as the
foreigners from whom they first learned
land had always held that no one was skill
full enough to split one of their banknotes.
American currency splitters can divide
British banknote as easily and as equally
as they can lay open one of this country's
issue.
These clever rascals commonly use So
and $50 bills, which are split edgewise.
Then they manipulate them in this way
The front of the So bill is deftly fastened
to the back of the $50 bill, and the back
of the note of the smaller denomination to
the face Of the large one. When that is
accomplished the maker has two $50 bills
that will pass current almost anywhere. In
working off these split notes the shower
forces the $50 face of each trick note on
the victim, who rarely thinks it necessary
to examine the other side. He scans the
side exposed to him by the trickster, and,
of course, accepts it as genuine, By this
device the splitter clears profit of S45 on
every two bank notes he works off.
The work of splitting is done with q
machine, which is manufactured in Eng
land. 1t consists of a FURNISHED solid
steel roller, two inches in diameter, hang
ing over a smooth plate of the same metal.
The rollers ends rest in slotted uprights,
and it may be raised or lowered infnites
imally by means of screws as fine as those
of the finest watch. A main screw, as
finely threaded as the others, is turned
automatically by clockwork, which stands
at the right end of the steel barrel. Over
the plate, and with the edge under the
roller, is firmly fixed knife Its ends
are locked in grooves in fanges on either
side of the steel bed.
The knives are imported from Sheffield,
England because American makers Of
surgical instruments are unable to turn
out blades of the requisite thinness and
temper The blade is third of an inch
wide, three long in the clear and thinner
than hairs breadth. No lancet has half
so keen an edge. Before bank bill is
put into the jaws of the machine it is made
limp by water and every taint of dirt is re
moved Then it is dried between pads of
lint after which it is placed between deep
piles of the finest calendered paper and left
pinned in a screw press from twenty-four
to thirty-six hours. When it comes out
it looks as bright, clean and fresh as new
bank note, and what is of more Importance
to the operator, it is almost as stiff as card
bord Then it is ready for splitting One
', of its ends is inserted under the roller on
the side farthest from the knife.
: Then the weights of the clock are Sc
going, and the bright metal roller turns Sc
| slowly that its motion is scarcely percepti
, bic. As the bank note is worked through
its end is met by the knife edge ThC
| knife is set so delicately that it passes ex
/ actly through the width of the bill. One
half of the bank note passes above thu
5 knife and tbe other part moves under thu
e blade. Thsbade is so delicatel y set abov'
the plate that there is just space enough tt
e let the half of the bill pass through. Th
! neatness of the fit keeps the bank not
taut to the last. An hour is required t,
[ run single bank note through the splitter
After being halved the parts are given
: gentle steaming to raise the fibre on tn
cut sides, in order that when forced
together with 25OO-pound pressure th'
threads will knit into perfect facsimile o
a genuine bank note Then it is ready fo
: the sucker market