Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-04-29
HISTORY OF FORGERY.
FOLLOWED THE INTRODUCTIO
OF THE POUND NOTE.
How Old Patch, the Original Forger OF
Tho Bank of England, Was Brought
to Time- When 1t First Came
Into Notice.

The year 1897, in which the one.
pound note made its first appearance
was perhaps the most critical that
England has ever passed through.
The French republic had gone forth to
conquer like young giant. Carnot
The great war minister whose descend.
ant IS now the president of the French
republic. had organized victory in
every quarter. and General Bonaparte
was beginning his wonderful career of
triumph.
Fleets and armies were in prepara.
ton Tor the invasion of England: Ire
land was ripe for rebellion; there was
mutlny in the fleet and to crown all
a monetary panic threatened rain TO
all the banks and great financial houses
throughout the country. On Saturday,
February 20 when the Bank OF Eng.
land closed for the day, there was only
a million and quarter left in the bank
cellars, sum which would barely suf-
nee for the demands of another dav of
panic. The government was as vitally
concerned as the bank. A cabinet
council was hastily summoned and met
on Sunday.
On Monday the crowd of people
who awaited the opening of tho bank
doors were met with the announce
ment of an order in council and a
royal proclamation went from tho
press ordering the suspension b. the
oank OF all Payments in cash. The
measure, desperate as it seemed
actually restored public confidence
B"ak OF England notes were every
where accepted and circulated freely
as legal tender but the public con-
venience demanded an immediate sun.
ply of smaller notes, and another
order in council authorized the Issue
In few days FL and t. notes were
engraved and printed, and at once
issued in large quantities.
For the next twenty years these q
notes were the chief circulating
medium throughout England saws
All the Year Around. The country
bankers were also perm tied to issue
their own notes OF the same demon.
ination. AS for gold. people rarely
saw it. The guinea the half puinea
and the seven-shilling piece which
were then the principal gold coins in
use, were carefully boarded by their
possessors or were only parted with at
a profit Yet the paper currency was
never seriously deprecated. The
pound note was always good for
twenty shillings, and no one looked
askance at it unless to make suro
that it was not forged
Up to the time of the Introduction
OF the Il note forgery of the
banks issues had not been fire..
quent The bank had existed for
more than sixty years before the first
forger OF its note was convicted. More
cases occurred when lower denomi-
nation OF note was issued, and In 1773
the counterfeiting OF the water. mari,
OF the paper was made a capital of.
tense the death penalty having been
previously reserved for those con-
nected with the engraving and print.
ing OF the notes. The forgerie5 of
old Patch in 1884 were the most seri.
Gus of their time. By the ingenuity
OF his DISCUSSES. and his care in
executing all his forgeries without
accomplices, for. long time he defied
detection.
He was discovered at last by acct
dent, Having amassed considerable
wealth by his practices he was in the
habit OF giving dinner parties to the
genteel neighbors; and to make a good
show he would borrow a quantity of
silver plate from neighboring pawn
broker leaving the full value in
forged bank notes as security for its
safe return. 1t happened. however
one day that the pawnbroker was in
desperate need of money, and having
lent out his plate on the usual terms,
he made for the Bank of England to
cash his customers notes At the
bank the forgery was at once detected
and the man arrested, when he dis.
closed the facts in the case and the
Bow street runners made a descent
upon Mr.. Patchs house and captured
him. The man escaped capital
sentence by hanging himself in his
cell.
With the introduction OF small
notes there arose great and sudden
increase in the crime OF forgery Dur.
ing tho six years previous to the in
PRODUCTION Of the ones there had
been only one sentence of death for
forging bank notes. In the year that
followed there were eighty-five CAPT.
tai convictions The severity of the
punishment had no effect in checking
the prevalence OF the crime In 1908
e regular mandatory of forged notes
was discovered in Birmingham They
were sold for export TO be used in the
countries where our armies were at
once fighting and paying their way.
and whore commissaries and contrac.
tors had familiarized the natives with
English currency.
They were ordere., and inyoiced
under the name of candlesticks mum.
Der one two or five according 10 tho
value represented by the forged notes