Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-15
CATCHING CoUNTERFEIrERs.
Facts From the Annual Report of the Chief
OF the secret Service.

OF the secret Service
Mr.. A. L. Drummond, chief OF the secret
service division. today made his annual report
to the treasury. The report 10 a most interest
ing paper. as IL deals with so many OF the
efforts made by dishonest people TO counterfeit
money and in other ways 10 defraud the gov
eminent, as we'll as the efforts On the part Of
the governments agents TO defeat their plans.
During the year 524 persons wore arrested BY
operatives Of the service for dealing In coun-
terfeit money or otherwise violating the Law.
OF this number over AZ were acquitted and
above 100 are still awaiting trial. The fines
imposed amounted to s29, SIS, and the sen-
fences aggregated 81 years and SIX months
The representative value Of the counterfeit
notee and securities captured during the year
S2S were natives Of the United States, Italy and
Germany coming next in order, with IS and 20
respectively.
CLAIMS INVESTIGATED.
This division has during the past fiscal year
investigated for the second auditor Of the
United States treasury ninety-two claims for
pay and bounty made on behalf Of the alleged
heirs Of deceased soldiers. BY which q large
saving was made to the treasury, but the exact
amount cannot be stated.
For the third auditor Of the United States
treasury forty-seven claims made BY various
persons for reimbursement OF expenses in
Cured in the last sickness and burial OF de-
ceased pensioners have been investigated. The
aggregate Of such claims amounted 10
S60.37L2S. the total sum allowed by the
auditor was els, s79.o7. being gross saving 70
the government of s4l.492.2l.
Speaking of the use made Of limitations Of
money in advertising schemes, Chief Drum
mond saysi
Our notes are complex in design and mar
vels OF beauty in execution, but surely the
honest, patriotic merchant in seeking an
original attractive method of advertising his
wares, aided by the versatility Of American
genius, can find outside the realm Of the money
issues of the government lines equally pleasing
and attractive; those should be held safe from
imitation and as sacredly as is the honor Of the
nation that issues them.
The prevailing excuse for innocently imi-
tating the notes and coinS n ignorance of exist
ing law and doing what they did without evil
intent, yet they planned and executed without
ascertaining if the law forbade such action A
large majority of the cases have not been sub
mitted to court, believing the pecuniary loss
sustained by the parties in the surrender OF the
contraband property was q sufficient punish
ment.
at will also be seen in this report that Ger
tain forms OF currency used in business col
leges for educational purposes have been
passed on poor ignorant persons as genuine
issues of the government; at present writing
two such cases are before this office. in one Of
which poor German woman has lost $50"
Although new counterfeIts OF paper money
have been numerous the past fiscal year, few Of
them were skillfully executed, nor have they
been extensively circulated.
soILED NOTES SHOULD BE CALLED IN.
"To further protect all classes of our people
from the raids of the counterfeiter I renew
with greater earnestness, if possible, my plea Of
last year for an appropriation by Congress 10
cover the expense Of transmission Of badly
soiled and tattered United States notes TO
Washington, ID. c., and the reissue of new ones
in their stead.
"The counterfeiter fully understands the
value of dirt and tatters and stains to him in
the pursuit of his plan Of deceit, and he rum
plies and tears and soils his notes, the better to
hide the blemishes and inferior workmanship Of
his false money, and from 1888 to date the eco
nomic policy of the government in refusing
such free transmission of worn-out notes for
exchange has unwittingly aided the fraud Of
the counterfeiter."
The craze for initiating the notes and coins
of the United States has only been equaled by
that for mutilating its silver and gold coins by
turning them into lockets, charms, bowls for
spoons, bangles and other articles for personal
adornment, &c. Though all such acts are dep
recated by those who regard the stamp on the
coin representing the authority of govern
ment of the people, vet when the mutilation re-
moves all designs of a coin therefrom il ceases
to be coin and no person is harmed thereby.
COINS FOR ORNAMENTS.
But the mutilations herein complained of are
oqly PARTIAL hole drilled through a coin, an
advertisement stamped on it or the designs
upon one side of it only are ground off and a
monogram engraved thereon, these and va
riety of other mutilations. done with innocent
| intent, yet leaving enough of the stamp of the
coin to indicate what il was originally, but not
sufficiently TO qualify il for redemption by the
government that issued ii. The thought of the
person doing this injury or procuring it to be
done is to take the coin out Of circulation, but
the ornament is lost or stolen by gift changes
hands or the stress of poverty puts the mu-
tilated coin in circulation again by deceptively
plugging the hole with baser metal or placing
the upmutilated side uppermost when offered
in exchange for merchandise, and il thence
| forth Is a nuisance, worry, preceptor in the
art of deceit as il passes from hand TO hand.
and ultimately becomes a pecuniary loss to
some one.
Among much incidental work done for the
| treasurer and other officers OF the department
may mention the discovery and Illustration of a
scheme for the footing of United States SUBJ
/ treasury. While it may have been impossible
| Of accomplishment the discovery has resulted
! in making those places for the storage of public
/ moneys more secure and the watchmen in
charge more alert.
| The investigation of alleged frauds by officers
| of national banks has received most thorough
attention at the hands of the expert accountants
/ of this division.
The division still has two expert accountants
assisting the United States attorney in the
preparation Of evidence for the trials of the
| officers and others concerned in the wrecking
| Of two Philadelphia banks, and while much
work is being done in that city, other experts
have been engaged in the investigation and as
sisting in the criminal prosecution Of persons
who have brought trouble to the First National
Bank of Muncy. Pa. and the Superior National
Bank Of Superior. Wis.
Further on in his report Chief Drummond
| says that under the operation Of law metal
tokens in lieu of coin and certain forms of scrip
used in place of government and national bank
issues, by the use Of which employees in manu-
featuring and mining companies have been
| held TO labor for a given company and COM
PEELED to deal at its store only, have already
| given place to thy money of the nation. uniform
| in value and current everywhere. 10 the partial
| relief of the workingman, but much remains TO
| be done before the wrong Is righted To COM
| plete this work Senator Henderson, at the in
stance of this Office. in troduced bill in the Sen
ate:
To amend section 1888 of the Revised Statutes
of the United States, and to prevent and to
punish corporations, associations and individ-
uals for making or using private scrip or metal
tokens of denominations less than IS in pay