The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-27

which represented hundreds Of millions Of
dollars.
Scrip notes issued by corporations for use
as substitute for money in paying their
employees give the authorities good deal Of
trouble. VI these $S5, S5S worth was seized
curing the last year. The law taxes them
Aho prohibits their issue in denominations
uhoer 81. A bill is now pending in congress
10 declare them wholly unlawful. Such
scrip Is only negotiable at the stores Of the
concern which pays it out. It is fraud
upon RorkiDgmen. Metal tokens issued for
the same purposes are illegal, and large
quantities of them have been captured and
conhsoated recently in the south, where the
Ubiquitous system described prevails to a
great extent. Such tokens are known tech
nically as trade checks,n being usually
inscribed as good for" SO much in merchan-
disc. They are often passed on ignorant
people as coins. Anything that bears the
semblance of money is readily accepted by
the negroes. The tokens are employed con-
slderably also as 'lagniappe,n being thrown
In by merchants as a certain ratio of per-
centage on purchases as an inducement to
customers. The toy money printed in big
amounts by socalled business colleges has
caused an immense amount OF annoyance.
Most commonly it has initiated the nationa!
currency more or less and it is constantly
palmed off upon immigrants and other ig-
norant people. Millions of dollars worth of
it in value represented have been seized.
WORK OF A LUNATIC.
The most extraordinary couuterfeits
which have ever come under the attention
OF the secret service were recently captured
in Indiana. They were executed by luna
tic contaed in the Central asylum at In
annapolis. Notice was attracted to his
work by two Of his notes. each for $40
which were found in circulation and we'll
worn. Three others, which were still in his
possession, were secured. They were made
without the knowledge of his official
keepers, and he will not be permitted to
turn out any more. The notes, which
are preserved As curiosities at the
treasury department. are all or them
done with the pen and black and red ink.
This man, however, is not the person VINO
for many years past has been uttering the
remarkable pen-and-ink bills which has
puzzled the authorities 50 hopelessly. The
latter Is evidently not at all insane unless il
be on this special hobby, and his workman
ship is in so superior a style Of art that
banks have accepted his productions as
genuine. He makes only two "a year and
they turn up with surprising regularity
from all parts Of the country, no two of
them being passed in the same city. The
work cannot possibly pay, being the fad of
some eccentric.
The general effect of the lunatic's notes is
good, though the workmanship Is crude
But the most remarkable point about them
is that they do not pretend to initiate any
particular bills, being a mixture of various
designs on different varieties of the ma
tional currency, with some original sddi-
tions out Of the crazy brain OF their author.
For example, one of them is 500 note.
with the face OF e treasury note and
the back of a nationel bank note. The
head of Washington which adorns the face is
an absurd caricature. On the back instead
Of the usual engraving Of the signing of
the Declaration of Independence there is a
group of figures representing Christ and
his apostles. Christ has q long spear in his
hand. One OF the apostles wears stove
pipe hat and another has dagger Instead
Of the seal of the state at one end there is a
picture of SOW. The geometric lathe
work is laboriously initiated with the PEN
A $50 note has likewise the face OF a treas
ury note and the back of a national bank
note. A portrait which may represent JEFF
ferson is on the front. On the reverse. in
place of the proper design representing the
embarkation of the Pilgrims, is a scene that
is evidently of religious character, with
saints, etc. These highly original pictures
are in the very crudes5 style of art. They
seem to have some allegorical meaning.
There is similar vignette on the back of
$40 note, taxing the place of De Soto in his
great act of discovering the Mississippi
river. By some accident another $40 bill
which is silver certificate has both sides
fairly correct. though the inscriptions on it
are In exceedingly bad English.
THE SWEATING OF COINS.
One of the most curious Of modern meth
DDS of attacking the national currency is
the sweating" of coins. The process is
both simple and profitable, though it re-
quires some expertness. An electric bat
terry 10 employed in connection with a small
tank filed with a solution Of cyanide of
potash. The operation TO be performed is
merely that of elecsroplating by the depo-
sition OF metal A copper wire connected
with the battery is so arranged that it's
two ends are immersed in the solution. TO
the end which is the positive pole ia at
tached a small lump of platinum or zinc.
while to the other extremity, or negative
pole, is fastened $50 gold piece, for exam
pie The current being turned on the
chemicul solution absorbs gold from the
coin, and after it has taken up as much OF
the precious metal as it can hold, the sur
plus OF the latter begins to deposit itself
upon the lump of zinc. This process may
be continued until all of the gold in the
coin has vanished, transferring itself to the
zinc.
However, this is not the object con-
tempated by the swindlers. Their purpose
is merely to take from the coin portion of
its material so small as to make no easily
perceptible difference. Accordingly, after
allowing the operation to proceed fer short
time with one piece of money, they SUBJ
sttute another. Rarely do they attempt to
remove more than rs cents in value after
this fashion from a double eagle With
smaller pieces the percentage taken away is
proportionate. By exercising discretion
they insure safety. Gold pieces from which
SO small fraction of their weight has been
subtracted by sweating bear no altered
ASPECT TO the inexperienced eye. An expert
perceives by the feel an unhealthy smooth
ness, the sharp lines made by the die being
softened down. This is very different from
cidentaI to ordinary wear.
But the quality which betrays sweated
coins to the adept is just what IS most likely
to deceive most people. Naturally, their
outer coat having been removed they are
exceedingly brilliant when newly put in
circulation. They are as bright as if fresh
from the mint. This very popularity ex-
cites the distrusb of persons who are sc-
quainted with such matters. A good many of
them reach the treasury here, 60 be immedi
ately stamped with the word Eight" and
rejected But coins which have been
sweated are mostly issued and circulated in
parts Of the country far away from Wash
ington and the sub-treasuries. This Is pur-
posely done in order that they may escape
detection. On the whole, considering how
simple the process is, it is rather surprising