Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-05

tho water mark on which the great Brit
ish financial institution depends mainly
for protection against counterfeiters. The
elated patentee was so imprudent as to
communicate this discovery to the authorf-
ties. and, being called upon the next day by
several officers, he was informed that ne
had committed a criminal ofense. His
costly rolling press narrowly escaped con-
fiscation.
The famous ''pen-and-ink man." who has
been bothering the treasury for many
years, is still getting in his deadly work.
During the last year two treasury notes
of his workmanship, for 500 each, have
turned up. Both were executed IN ms
usual artistic STYLE being done wholly
tate to take them. No clue has ever been
found to the identity of this extraordinary
criminal, who seems to pursue his RAD
purely for the sake of recreation 1t can
not possibly ray an industry. He seems
to produce two notes regularly. every year,
usually for 500, and they must take pretty
nearly all his time.
The business of gliding subsidiary and
minor coins for the purpose OF passing
them as gold seems to have been nearly
stopped, owing to the arrest and conv1c-
ton of the persons engaged IN TINS hlnd
of work. During the last year there were
only two arrests for such offenses-one
for gliding nickels with a big V, and tie
other for coating quarters with gold TWO
sweaters of gold coins We're captured IN
California. They use electric batteries in
the usual fashion for removing part OF
the gold. In that part of the country there
Is comparatively little counterfeiting OF
more accustomed to handle gold than in
the east, and are consequently more ex-
pert in detecting anything wrong in gold
piece. There were five arrests for the
newly-invented scheme of cutting the edges
from gold coins and remilling them, about
8 per cent of their weight being taken
away by this process. The banks have
been much disturbed of late by the
1ipb n
the chief of the secret service recommends
that Congress shall pass an act making 1T
a felony to mutilate United States coins or
to pass such coins with fraudulent intent.
A novelty In the shape of silvered cents,
intended to represent dimes, appeared late
ly in New York city. where such pieces
could be disposed of easily in the rush of
business.
The Advertising Schemes.
The treasury is still having about as
much trouble as ever with the people who
persist in making pictures and other fmi-
tations Of the currency for advertising
and other non-fraudulent purposes.
The most artistic piece of work of this
kind up to date was captured only the
other day. The CHIEF of the secret service
has since refused an offer of 500 for it.
1t Is the masterpiece Of Philadelphia
letter carrier. On piece of canvas, painted
to represent a pine plank, are depicted
one-dollar bill, four-cent postage stamp,
one-cent postal card, a souvenir Column
bian postal card and an envelope bearing a
Columbian stamp. The dollar bill is so Won
derfully done that the writer, after exam
lining it closely and scratching it with his
finger NAIL insisted that it was real one
pasted on. The rest of the design is equally
excellent. The Office of the secret service
chief is profusely decorated with similar
works of art. One of them represents a
royal straight flush of clubs, with a fresh
tweEty-dollar note on the Bank of Mon
treal and a ragged United States note. 1t
came from Canada and was confScated
only the other day. Another specimen is
pocket book one side of which represents
a postal card. A paper wallet, apparently
stuffed with protruding notes. is intended
to be picked up in the streets. 1t bears an
advertisement.
There have beer two thefts from United
ST ties minis during the last year. One
occurred in New Orleans, where an EN-.
ploye stole $4,000 from vault and claimed
that the money had been burned by the
heated fragments Of an exploded electric
he left the half charred fragments of 81 100
in the box which had contained the $4,000
The name of this ingenious individual was
]. NJ. Darling. More picturesque yet was
the crime of Geo. w. Cochran, who stole
about $4,000 worth Of gold bars from the
mint in Philadelphia. He fished the bars
with wire from behind the grating of a
vault. Then he removed them at leisure
to his home. melted them, and sent the
gold as bullion by express to the mint
under an assumed name, the money being
returned to him by express.
RENE BACHE