Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-03

les; ana there nave been many attempts
OF this kind. The only really successful
one however, was in connection with Jay
Cooke 81 Company. These bankers once
bought SSO,OOO worth of coupon bonds of
the denomination known as seven thrties.
1hey were pronounced cOunterfeits by the
Treasury Department, and although the
banking company sued the government for
the value they represented they lost the
case. The counterfeit was made with
the aid of a lead impression taken from the
genuine plate in the bureau of engraving
and printing at Washington by an unfaith-
full employe, which accounted for the WON
oerful likeness OF the spurious article to
the genuine.
The most extensive attempt at wholesale
counterfeiting of government coupon bonds
was undertaken in 1880 and nipped i'm the
bud by the secret service officials of the
treasury Department. The officials were
on the track of the counterfeiters for a
long time. but allowed them to perfect their
plans to the point of execution, when they
were stopped. On October 21 1880 James
Il. Doyle was arrested in Chicago as he
was alighting from New York train. He
carried in his satchel counterfeit govern
ment bonds to the amount of S204, 900. They
were of the denomination of $1,000, and
were excellent likenesses of genuine gov
eminent obligations of that class. At the
same time. other secret service officers
raided the house of William E. Brockway
In Brooklyn He was known as a counter
feiter and was suspected of completely in
the deal. He turned states evidence and
the officers to a spot in the woods where
they dug up twenty-five steel and COPPER
plates. about $4,000 in counterfeit national
bank notes and a plate for 1900 per
cent bond which had not yet been used
Two or three years later he was again
rounded up through the efforts of secret
service officers and caught in the act of
making plates for counterfeit railway
bonds. This man Brockway was ono of
the most noted counterfeiters in the United
states and Is now alive, and, while in desti-
tute circumstances. is said to be leading
an honest life. His partners and associates
have also been made to suffer for their
crimes, and are now aged and broken.
An Enormous sum.
There are lots of interesting things about
these valuable bits of paper Uncle Sam
issues If any reader of this paper could
have the biggest bond given out by the
Treasury Department he would be rich be-
You'd the dreams Of avarice This bond is
now in the registers office of the treasury
at Washington. 1t has been redeemed and
Cancelled by the government. 1t is the only
one of its kind ever issued and it was en-
crossed by hand. 1t represents the enor-
nous sum of So. $50 600 and it was given out
when the Geneva award compelled Great
Britain to pay this country SIS, 500, 600 on |
what was known as the Alabama claims |
the money was paid to Hamilton Fish, then
Secretary of State. Congress had made no
provision for the disbursement of this sum- |
and pending legislation upon the subject
Secretary Fish invested the money in gov
eminent nve per cents. receiving one bond
of the face value of his Investment
The Oldest bond now extant is also in the |
possession of the treasury. 1t is a faded |
document about the size of 81 BILL dated |
February q. 1i.d. by which the government |
the receipt of $500 from John |
Bonfield, which it agrees to repay on Feb
ruary b. 1850, with 4 per cent interest A
cancellation mark on the face shows that |
[ redeemed NJ
Bonfield |
The largest denominations of bonds now
outstanding are those of $4,000 The for |
tunate possesSor of one of these draws |
2,oOO interest every year and his original |
investment has increased in value about |
5000. This denomination of bond is held |
by trust companies and millionaires. There
are great many bonds outstanding of the |
denomination of $l0,W0. The holders of |
these draw SlOO interest every three months |
upon each bond
The largest issue of bonds ever made By |
this government at one time was in 1877 |
when total of N41.O0OOO0 was issued OF |
course the public debt not increased to |
that extent. as portion of the bonds re-
deemed others outstanding at the time |
They had fallen due and Uncle Sam was |
not prepared to meet the obligation with |
ready cash, so he did what you would try |
to do If your note in bank should fall due |
and you had no money to take it up-you |
would give another note in it's place. This |
was very popular loan. drawing per !
cent interest, and was negotiated without |
trouble.
Uncle Sam has, however, had his money |
troubles in times past His credit was once |
quite low and just before and during the |
war the money lenders were not SO greedy |
for the government cribs. The first bonds |
that were sent out were sold with some |
and the financial skies looked |
dark. Many of the banks had little faith |
in the future of the government and the |
treasury had to call upon bankers and CAPT. |
talists to help them in placing their bonds. |
IL was the faith which Jay Cooke had in |
the government that made his great for |
tune. Jay Cooke d Company at the begin |
ming of the war did a great deal for the /
United States Treasury. The firm possess
ed the confidence of Salmon P. Chase, who |
was then Secretary of the Treasury, and |
they made a great deal of money by taking !
the bonds from the government in big |
blocks and dealing them out in smaller lots |