Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-01-17
"FLASH" MONEY.
1T BOTHERS THE TREASURY
MORE THAN COUNTERFEITS.
One Hundred Millions Worth Issueo
in Eight Years-"Scrip" Notes
and "Trade Checks" Used for
Advertising Purposes.
nTILAsH" money. by which Is


trouble 10 the Treasury, according to
Rene Bache in the Boston Transcript,
than counterfeiting. The latter has been
thoroughly suppressed in this country.
| but the comparatively ''inuocent" evil
of fash money seems to be increasing,
notwithstanding :he utmost efforts OF
the Secret Service to put it down. How
| extensive it is may be judged from the
fact that within eight years, from 1881
TO 1889, no less than Sl25, 900, 900
worth of such stuff was captured and
destroyed by the Government.
Ole of the newest fancies in this line
is an imitation wallet, with S. aud a
SiO bill sticking out at both ends. Any
one who saw it on the sidewalk would
stoop and pick it up, thinking that he
had found prize. Ol unfolding it ne
would discover that it was sin ,.e piece
of thick paper, the inside OF 1t bearing 2
an advertisement. TIe tips of supposi-
titiUus bank notes shown By this ingeni-
Gus device make it an infringement of
law, because they reproduce portions of
the designs on National currency. A
rting similar, though not legally forbid
I
same fashion, with the ends of checks
showing.
OF course, neither Of these articles
could be palmed off as real money. The
objection to flash 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 stuff, how.
ever, Is so artistically made that it might
well deceive anybody. A while ago the
Treasury received 500 note which
had been so long in circulation as to be
nearly worn out. Both face and back
were excellent limitations of a real S100
bill, the usull blank spaces on he re-
verse containing advertisements of an
Egyptian hair tonic.
There exists a widespread and ire
pressible mania for mutilating the silver
and gold coins of the United States by
turning them into lockets, charms, bowls
for spoons and other articles of orna-
ment and personal sdornment. Happily
the fashion of attaching them to brace
Icts as bangles is 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 ready
| sale, and in some instances became cur
rent as genuine money. A vigorous
crusade against the manufacturers in
duced them to alter their designs
Clusters of coins for paper weights and
for the tops of candy boxes, to make
them look as if they were overfowing
with money, are always popular. OF the
latter the Secret Service captured and
confcated several thousand during the
last year. The couuterfeiter has found
a use of his own Tor these clusters. When
] caught in the act of making false coins
ne is provided with a number of clusters
ilread! put together. He points to them
as evidence that he is simply engaged in
making clusters of coins for ornamental
| purposes.
Among the limitations of United States
money captured during the last year
we're harness rosettes in the likeness of
! he diverse of the standard silver dollar,
.in labels reproducing the reverse OF the
'tandard dolia-, hat sweat bands bearing
| notes and coins and pocketbook clasps of
| similar patterns. In New YORK a large
| bu ,iness is done in the manufacture of
cad disks for use in cheating nickel-in-
the slot machines. Some of these used to
! bear an impression somewhat resembling
tue diverse of fve-cent piece, but the
authorities quickly put a stop to this
! method of ornamentation. So the leaden
pieces are now made plain, and they have
caused great loss to the proprietors of
| the machines, which few bits OF worth
less metal will empty of several dollars
worth of merchandise.
Quite recently the Treasury detectives
grabbed picture of two-dollar note
IN Newark. 1t was a reproduction on q
| large scale of the face of a silver certia-
cate, being two feet long and executed
with brush and india ink by Philsdel-
| paia artist. A bootmaker had 1t on ex-
hibition with a sign which read, "$2
| buys any shoe in this window" Photo.
graphed down to the proper size it
would have been very good imitation
of real bill. A short time previously
there was captured an oil painting of
silver certificate for 81. The copying of
tie designs of Uncle Sans currency
ment, and no amount of effort on the
part ol the Government avaiIs to put q
stop to it. OF flash money there was
coniscated during the last fiscal wear
-, 0S7, 900, while of criminal counter
feits only S25, 200 was seized. Men
travel about the country with engraved
plates and solicit orders from business
firms for printing advertising handbills
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
otner two-thirds is occupied BY the ad-
.iseynent.
On one occasion tie Treasury played
into the hands of the counterfeiters by a
most astonishing act of folly, the ill
consequences of which have lasted up to
! the present day. In 1865 Secretary Nc
Cuiloch gave permission to Laban Heath
to have printed certain designs which
were used on the Government currency.
The work was done and the sheets were
put in book form and circulated largely
III banking and commercial circles. They
went through variety of editions, con-
taining reproductions of the faces and
backs of fractional notes, legal tender
10 es, National bank notes and bonds.
Ibc torgers were gu OK to take sd.
vantage OF the material taus provided
for them. They flooded the market
With false notes aud bonds of big de-
nominations by the simple process OF re-
iuc,pp the thickness of the nsner on
"hica the designs described were printed,
'stirg tie backs aud fronts together.
rus they produced very presentable
'pnis aud notes, actually printed frou;
: Governments own plates, and these
PAVE been turning up to cause trouble
1-d loss ever since During the last
ear the Secret Service learned where a
Ieat nuaptity of these hunks II ore stored