Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1892-11-19
A CRIMINAL CRANK.
He Ia Known in Washington as
tho "Treasury Hoodoo
Nov He Produces Counterfeit Govsrnnens
Buls-CIevsr Game Worked on
boston Merchant by woman
8oeus Government Bonds.

| n
Doaeon Merchant by woman (;
ooeus Government Bonds.
l.. rspsShl Washington Letter.l
"Asnvbe otr hoodoo is dead" said
,roroinent 1feasury department official
to-dav. I'VE have not heard from hlE
now for nearly q year" he continued j
...and it may be that he Is out OF % tne
country. seriously ill. or dead; Nhen
his hand IL et rest, nobody WILL 10 aoie
to duplicate his work"
we had been conversing about coun-
t.rfeiters. ard the means Of detecting and
nunishinR those criminals, when my
friend referred to the Treasury moo
doc" in tho words quoted above. ~
seems that, while the criminals who 1Iai-
tate the, national currency are usually
found out and punished, there Is one
man who has been counterfelting 1or
wears, and has eluded the sharp, shrewo
detectives who are constantly in the
employ of Uncle Sam. This one man,
however, is a sort of naonomanlac, ana ,
is comparatively harmless. lie pro
duces only one counterfeit every sis |
months, and it is usually only h1ty OF
a twenty-dollar bill Tho department
oe;c;als regard him rather as q crank
than criminal He does his work
with pen, and it must take very nearly
all of his time, for six months to COM
plete one of his limitations The pro-
fessional ccunterfeiters make plates
and dies, whereby they can produce
nanv thousands Of dollars OF their
: spurious goods, while this man, for
4 tunatelv, can make but one at time;
! | and he usually makes only two in each
! year. The professional counter1elters
9 are all well known to the detectives
and inspectors, and their number is very
l. limited. Detection is certain, ana the
:, penitentiary receives them
This one individual who has eluded
detection is believed to be making
nothing out of his work, and he appar-
IL entity tries to make restitution, too.
IL After executing and passing his counter
10 felt, a good note of the same value Is
inclosed in an envelope and sent to the
f. treasury department., from the same
N town in which the counterfeit is made.
10 This is evidently intended to pay oach
'e to the government the amount OF tnt
10 counterfeit; but the crank, whoever NJ
rs is, does not make proper RESTITUTION
iy | The good money sent to the treasur.
OF department is deposited in the con
SO science fund.- but the last holder OF tn
note loses the amount. The govern
ment loses nothing. for it rejects tn
counterfeit every time it turns up
These pen and inls limitations come t
the department from different cities
!. and it is presumed that the "hoodoo
leaves as soon as he passes his note, an
then goes to work upon another one l
some other locality. Moreover, tn
note which he issues and passes may r.
main in circulation for some time o'
fore it reaches the treasury. cons
ouently, although nothing has bee
~,
GEAR, one Of the notes may now be !
circulation. If so it will ultimatei
turn up at the treasury department
where it will be rejected and q
l. stroyed.
I The work of this criminal crank is r
marl1ably well done, and it'takes pr
fessional expert to detect one OF
"A bills lie uses his pen very cleverty, I
producing exact limitations OF the sue
II plate engraviugs Of the distinguish
\ men whose busts adorn the currenc
and with ink of the exact TINT wnlch
used by the plate printers IN the &c
ernment bureau Of engraving ana pfi'
ing All Of the fine lines are rep'
duced accurately. and the lettering
done most skillfu!ly. The numberir
in red ink, is exactly the same size a
tint as appears upon an original et
nine note. Who he is. where ne nE
hen why ne continues ''''' ~, .ao
by terestihs questions - .
wing service bureau mus oeei "
new swcr tnuS iar' anu '''e - 1 ,
title ance CT inc notes eN-sp p - a.
have noys the officers who are charged "
r his the dctection OF ciiie , 20
,eau- wealthy; indeed, he must have so
source of income, for his work ori'
their him scarcely enough revenue to pay
gain the materials used by him. lie may