The morning call., 1893-12-05
GOLD TWENTIES DOCTORED,
Drilled Out and Filled With
Lead.
BANKERS HAVE BEEN FOOLED.
In Appearance, Weight and Feel the
Coins Are PerfeCt-They
Lack the Ring.

The approaching Midwinter Fair has
brought to San Francisco the army of con-
fdence men of all sorts. who have been
plying their vocation at Chicago during
the months that the great Worlds Fair
was in session. The bunko steerers. short
card gamblers, pea and shell game men
and all that class OF swindlers who are
compelled to do their work more or less
openly are being well taken care OF by the
police, but there Is one class of crooks
who work secretly and are more danger
Gus than any other class Of their ilk,
namely the counterfeiters.
Yesterday Special Agent Harris Of the
United States Secret Service was sent for
by firm of money-changers which
handles many thousands of dollars day
in golden twenty and ten dollar pieces,
and be was handed two twenty dollar
pieces and asked TO examine them.
Harris found to all appearances upon
cursory examination that the coins were
genuine. That they were gold, on the
outside at least, and had been
milled by the United States Government
he was certain. In weight they were cor
rect 10 the fraction OF pennywelght. but
the coins had no ring when sounded. At
first this did not worry the expert, Tor he
often meets with gold fives, tens and
lwenties that in milling had received suffi-
cient pressure to cause a slight flaw or
crack in them which utterly destroyed the
ring" and yet the coins were absolutely
good" 1t was Mr.. Harris opinion at
first that the coins shown him had some
slight defect such as mentioned, but on ex-
amining them under magnifylng glass he
discovered that new aud by far the most
dangerous counterfeit seen on this coast
for years had suddenly made its appear
aDce.
Examination proved that the counter
feiters had taken TWO $50 gold pieces, one
of which they had drilled out until only
the side with the Liberty head cut down
as thin as paper and the edge to preserve
the milling was left. Then the other $50
piece had been planed down until waller
like lid had been made OF II 10 ut exactly
into the drilled-0ut coin. Ihe gold cut
away in the process of drilling and pian-
ing had of course been saved, and out of
two $50 pieces they had saved fully $50
worth OF gold.
Then the hollowed-out piece Of money
was filled with just enough lead so that
when the wafer lid cut from the other
coin was fitted in it would weigh the exact
amount which genuine $50 piece would
weigh. So ceverly was the wo1k done
that tie fitting could not be detected with
the naked eye. With $50 in gold saved
the ccunterfeters proceeded tn pass the
fitted coin for its face value. $50, and thus
out of every $500 in SO pieces so worked
they make $50 clear money.
| The doctored money is usually passed iu
| a large sum of genuine $50 pieces. The
| color, 'fee" and weight beng correct not
one man in hundred would ever detect
the fraud, for it is seldom men used to
handling money stop to ring" coin, and
even IL they did an examination and even
| test of the doctored coin would prove
them 10 ne gold and made by the United
States Mint. and ii wonid naturally be sup
posed that the coin was fiawed or cracked.
How many of the doctOred coins have al
ready been showed" upon brokers ana
money-changers is not known, but it is
probable that the men working the scheme
did not commence passing their filled
twenties until they had on hand sufficient
supply TO make ii rofitable to keep stead
lily at work changing money.
In the future il will be the wise nan who
gives every gold coin he gets a close, very
close examination and rings" 1t besides,
and In case of flaws" be on the safe side
aud let mint or sub-treasury pass on the
coin before you accept it.