Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-18

WY hSAf country, but this COM
M ! NJ, NGAW paratively in n c n {
mn f/M (E evil seems to be in
IN TWM\'TI creasing, notwithstand-
N ing the utmost efforts
of the secret service to put it down. How ex-
tensive it is may be judged from the fact that
within eight years, from 1881 to 1882 no less
than Sl2s, 200, 900 worth Of such stuff was cap
tured and destroyed by the government
One of the newest fancies in this line is an
imitation wallet, with So and a $40 bill stick
| ing out at both ends. Anybody who saw it on
the sidewalk would stoop and pick it up. think
Ing that he had found a prize On unfolding
| IL ne would discover that it was single piece
OF thick paper, the inside of it bearing an adj
vertisement The tips of supposititious bank
| notes shown by this ingenious device make it
| an infringement OF law, because they reproduce
] portions OF the designs on national currency
A thing quite similar, though not legally for
| bldden, Is a fake bank book made in the same
fashion with the ends of checks showing
VI course neither OF these articles could be
palmed off as real money. The objection to
Hash currency generally is that it is apt to
be passed as legal tender. Those who suffer
are mostly the poor and ignorant Much Of
THIS stun. however, is SO artstically made that
| 1t might well deceive anybody 4 while ago
the treasury received a 800 note which had
been SO long in circulation to be nearly worn
out. Both face and back were excellent imi-
tations of a real 800 bill. the usual blank
spaces on the reverse containing advertisements
OF an Egyptian hair tonic. This note was actu-
ally sent in for redemption, and great deal of
such bogus cash finds its way every year to the
redemption bureau. Large quantities of it are
current IN the south. The older it gets the
more like money 1t looks. 1t is the same way
with counterfeit notes, which the maker
crumples and soils as much as possible
GOI N Ann srrvrp coYNo
There exists a widespread and irrepressible
mania for mutilating the silver and gold coins
Of the United States by turning them into lock-
cts. charms, bowls for spoons and other articles
Of ornament and personal adornment Hap
PLY. the fashion Of attaching them to bracelets
as bangles has gone out. The demand for
bangles few years ago brought into existence
all over the country, as il by magic. gilt and
gold pieces In imitation Of the gold dollar
These found a ready sale and in some instances
became current as genuine money vigorous
crusade against the manufacturers induced
them to alter their designs Clusters of coins
tor paper weights and for the tops Of candy
boxes to make them look as if they were over
flowing with money are always popular Of
the latter the secret service captured and confis-
Gated several thousand during the last year.
The counterfeiter has found use of his own for
| these clusters. When caught in the act of max
| ing false coins he is provided with number of
CAubtcib ditcduy put tCSctEer. he points to
them as evidence that lie is simply engaged in
| making clusters Of coins for ornamental pur-
poses.
Among the limitations of United States money
| captured during the last year were harness ro-
settles in the likeness Of the diverse Of the
standard silver dollar tin labels reproducing
! the reverse of the standard dollar, hat sweat
bands bearing notes and coins and pocket book
clasps OF similar patterns. In New York q large
business is done in the manufacture of lead
disks Tor use in cheating the nickel in-the slot
| machines. Some of these used to bear an i'm
| preston somewhat resembling the diverse OF a
real 5-cent piece. but the authorities quickly
| put stop to this method Of ornamentation So
| the leaden pieces are now made plain and thew
| have caused great loss to the proprietors of the
machines, which a few bits OF worthless metal
will empty Of several dollars worth of mer-
chandise. 1t being discovered that the metal
| tags which come attached to packages Of chew
| ing tobacco are just the size of Dimes many
enterprising persons utilize them for pro-
| curing the loan Of an opera glass at the the
alters. With this OF course the government has
| nothing to do At one time great quantities Of
| pasteboard money were circulated in the south
and the secret service had much trouble to
gather il in for burning.
A PICTURE OF 50 NOTE.
Quite recently the treasury detectives grabbed
picture of 50 note in Newark 1t was re-
production on a large scale of the face of a
silver certificate. being two feet long and
| executed with brush and India ink by o Phila-
| delphia artist. A bootmaker had it on exhibit
| ton, with a sign which read, "$2 buys any shoe
in this window" Photographed down to the
proper size it would have been very good
imitation of real bill short time pre-
| viously there was captured an oil painting of n
silver certificate for 81. The copying Of the
| designs on Uncle Sans currency seems to be
most fascinating employment and no amount
Of effort on the part Of the government avails
| to put a stop to it. OF flash money there
was coniscated during the last fiscal wear
&2.0S7 900, while of criminal counterfeits only
] 90, 600 was seized. Men travel about the coun-
try with engraved plates and solicit orders
from business firms for printing advertis-
ing hand bills bearing an imitation Of
part OF United States note on
one end. These are turned out by
| tens OF thousands, one-third Of each hand bill,
| being an accurate reproduction OF a bank bill
while the other two-thirds are occupied by the
advertisement. One OF these for IS was passed
on Chinaman not long ago. 1t was issued by
a cheap restaurant and bore a printed bill Of
fare, including steak, 10 cents; ham and eggs,
10 cents; pie, cents; coffee, 5 cents, &C. Some
| time back there appeared a base ball bank note
with picture of the Chicago team on the back
At one period dealers in postage stamps pub
| lished illustrated catalogues giving fac SMILES
Of ill the stamps issued by the nations included
in the postal union. One enterprising mer-
| chant counterfeited the rarer stamps on a large
scale. Great numbers Of dies and plates util-
lied for this purpose we're seized. However,
the production Of fake postage stamps for sd-
| yertising purposes still goes on, some Of them
| being excellent licensees Of the originals and
even provided with mucilage.
| AN ASTONISHING ACT OF FOLLY.
On one occasion the treasury played into the
hands Of the counterfeiters by a mos. astonisl-
ing act Of folly. the i'll consequences Of which
have lasted up to the present day. In 1866
Secretary McCulloch gave permission to Laban
Heath that he might have printed certain de-
| signs used on the government currency. Tho
work was done and the sheets were put In book
form and circulated largely in banking and
commercial circles. They went through q va
riety Of editions, containing reproductions of
| the faces and backs OF fractional notes, legal
tender notes, national bank notes and bonds.
The forgesv were quick to take advantage Of
the material thus provided for them. They
flooded the market with false notes and bonds
Of big denominations by the simple process OF
| reducing the thickness OF the paper on which
the designs described were printed, pasting the
backs and fronts together. Thus they pro-
duced very prssentable bonds and notes, actu-
ally printed from the governments own plates,
and these have been turning up to cause trouble
and loss ever since. During the last year the
| secret service learned where great quantity OF
these books were stored in unbound sheets.
| They seized the whole lot which represented