Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-09
Discovery in Chicago Of What Seems
to Be a Big Plot.
MANY BOGUS TWO-CENT. STAMPS
The Post Office Authorities Hot
After the Rogues.
LTTTLE KNOWN HERE OF IT

CHICAGO. Ill. April 9-The Tribune says:
United States secret service operatives
IN Chicago and Washington have unearthed
probably the most unique and at the same
time important swindle ever perpetrated
upon any government. Its magnitude.
after two days investigation. can only be
guessed at, but 1. Is believed thousands
upon thousands Of dollars have been Sc
cured by a gang of skilled counterfeiters.
who have reproduced with wonderful skill
and accuracy the pink two-cent stamp of
commerce.
Whether the counterfeiters have accom-
plices In dishonest .postmasters is not
known. 1t is thought the country is
flooded from New York to San Francisco
with these spurious stamps. and the United
States has been carrying millions of letters
from which not one cent of revenue was re-
ceived.
The Gang In Chicago.
Chicago apparently has been the head
quarters of the gang, and it's product has
been shipped to distributing agents through
the express companies. Just exactly how
the information reached the government
officials is not known, but they evidently
got straight tip. for last evening Capt.
Stuart of the postal inspection department
service bureau called at the Wells, Fargo
office. They were taken to the store room
and there found an oblong package looking
like a big roll of music. 1t contained 10000
Of the counterfeit stamps. 1t was impos-
sble to get Inspector Stuart or Capt. Por-
ter to say single word regarding the case
No one in the post office knew anything
about the case. 1t was said in Washington
that while the gang has had its headquar-
ters in Chicago. it has operated extensively
In st. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo, sand as
far west as San Francisco.
Local View of 1t.
Col. Wheeler, chief Of inspectors for the
Post Office Department. had full advices
this morning from the alleged discovery of
. vast scheme Of counterfeiting the pink
postage stamps Inspector Stuart sent from
Chicago a three-page dispatch in regard to
Just what had been found there, and giving
the facts substantially as in the press dis
patches. Col. Wheeler would, Of course
say nothing in regard to the affair while
1t is matter of business before the de-
partment.
Third Assistant Postmaster General
Krafge talked freely in regard to the mat
ter. He thought the story was very much
exaggerated. and that there was very little
chance OF a successful counterfeit of the
two-cent stamp either being made or dis
posed of when made. There have been
several such counterfeits he said, and they
had been found in the mails and sent in
to the department. They were in every
case clumsy limitations, which would easily
be detected.
Assistant Postmaster Sherwood says no
counterfeit stamps have been found In the
mails going through the Washington office
in several years. The fellows who operate
In that way always work in the large COM
mercial cities, where there Is demand for
large quantities of stamps for sending cir
culars, catalogues and advertising papers.
Washington has almost no demand for
stamps for this purpose.
COunterfeits Found at Buffalo.
Chief Hazen of the secret service division
of the treasury received a telegram today
from one of his agents at Chicago stating
that he had seized 500 worth Of counter
felt 2-cent postage stamps. They had been
shipped from Buffalo. and were discovered
in the Wells. Fargo Express Company's
office. The officials have been on the alert
for something of this kind since last Janu-
ary, when they learned of man making
inquiry, under suspicious circumstances, as
to the process of printing stamps. The
officials Of the secret service are work.
ing on the case in connection with the
post office inspection force.