St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-03-11
CONFEDERATE CASH.
UNIQUE COLLECTION OF PAPER
MONEY OWNED BY UNCLE SAM.
How the Notes Were Nade-A Big
Business i'll Counterieiting-De
citation of the Notes.

How the Notes Were Nade-A Big
Business in Counterteiting-Dep
citation of the Notes.
Hidden away among the archives OF
the Treasury Department is Il curious
volume which few people have ever look
cd into. Though nothing more nor less
than scrap book, it is filled from cover
to cover with money. Altogether it holds
not less than 100000 The contents
are real currency of legitimate issue, and
vet the whole of them would not be
accepted to-day in payment for bag of
flour or box of soap. This is because
Confederate notes and bonds, which com
pose the collection described, are worth
at present nothing more than their value
as waste paper, save in so far as certain
specimens are in demand by collectors.
Nevertheless the volume is extremely in
tcrestlnS by reason of the fact that it
represents the most complete existing
asscmblage of the "shinplaStcrs' put in
circulation as promises to pay by The
government of the South during the
Civil war.
Looking over the pages Of the scrap
book, the various issues of currency
being arranged in chronological order,
one follows from start to finish the history
Of the greatest civil conflict that the
world has ever seen. The story of
nation is always told most interestingly
by its money. "Two years after date the
confederate states promise to pay, reads
the inscription on the earliest notes, but
very soon this is replaced by a more con-
servativc legend, setting the date of pay
mcnt at six months after the ratification
OF treaty of peace between the con-
fcdcratc states and the United States"
and this latter form holds up to the end
of the war. The money is patterned pretty
closely after Uncle Sans but the clear
lines of steel engraving are fccbly i'm
ltatcd by the processes of photolitho-
graphy. Why this method of printing
employed is quite an entertaining ancc-
dotc in itself.
1t will be remembered, perhaps, that
Charles G, Mcmingcr of South Carolina
op taking Office as the first secretary of
the confederate treasury made Il contract
with the American Bank Note Company
of New York for a supply of paper notes
for $1,000, $500, 500 and $50. The
order was filed n considerable quantity
of the currency being shipped to Rich
mond and safely delivered. The goods
being found satisfactory the bank note
company was requested to send on the |
engraved plates. This was done, but the
United States government was on the |
alert and succeeded in capturing the |
plates on board of the Yes 3cl which was !!
conveying them to Richmond. A few
years later this matter was bj ought up in
Congress very effectively as IN argument |
against employing the American Bank
Note Company to print United States
money, its action in lending such services
to the confederate government being de-
nounced as disloyal.
Now, at the time when the war began,
the American Bank Note Company had
a branch establishment at New Orleans.
which was conducted by man named
Schmidt. Subsequent to the event lust
described plates for $100 $50, $40 and
S. notes were engraved there and printed
from. This did not last long, however.
Blanton Duncan, lieutenant colonel of a
Kentucky regiment, started private
at Richmond for producing
paper currency by photography, obtaining
contracts to supply the confederate
treasury. Other shops were set up later
on for the same purpose, and the rivalry
for government contracts being very
great, they all united against Schmidt.
At this period any northern man resid-
ing in the south was an object of suspc-
ion, being regarded as an enemy and
an abolitionist. Accordingly
the governor of Louisiana, yielding to
public sentiment, swoopcd down upon
the branch office of the Bank Note com
pany, and contiscating all the material in
the shape of plates, tools, etc, distributed
it among the Autograph printers.
About half a dozen Of these litho-
graphic establishments at Richmond and
at Columbia, S c., continued to print
paper money for the confederate treasury
up to the close of the war. From the
to the end of the conflict not
Far from 81, 500, O)0,00) in shinplasters .
If various denominations were turned
out and put into circulation Looking
over the curious scrap book described
)ne notices th"t each note is actually
signed in pen and ink with the names Of
he treasurer and register of the treasury,
The serial number being put on in like
manner. This was accomplished by en-
ploying clerks to sign for those officials.
They were arranged to work in pairs,
one signing for the register and the other
or the treasurer. The numbers were
added by third person. At the begin
ling this labor was performed by men,
put they were in such demand for fight
ny purposes that women were substituted
alter on. Altogether PA women and GS
men were engaged in this task during
he war. They did the signing and mum
,ering of the notes by sheets which
we're afterwards cut up.
One complaint that was made against
schmidt was that he vas horribly slow,
md this was very soGious matter where
here was an Immediate necessity for al
most unlimited supplies of ncgo table
Medium. The photographic establish I
nents imported the paper and other {
material in immense quantities by block {
de runners from England They also {
,btaIned from Great Britain their work
nen, nearly all of whom were Scotch ;
men. The firm of Heating & Ball, at
Columbia, survived all the other money
printing concerns, and toward the end
# the war they had all the contracts and
we're the official engravers for the con- t
ederate treasury, Their factory was des- a
royed by General Sherman on his famous V
aid of 1865. In 1864 because of the e
ontinued quarrels among the different f
'eople who did the printing of the cur c