Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-11
Secret Service Men Know Whe
0suntesfefted Stamps.
DID TIE WORK IN CANADA
One Of the Gang Arrested To-
day.
HOW THE BOGUS srAMPsLo

The treasury detectives have ruh down
the counterfeiters of United States postage
stamps.
Chief Hazen of the secret service has
reo eived telegram from Agent Porter at
Hamilton. Ontario. stating that he had
arrested Mary T. Mack. and she admits
she was employed by George Morrison to
write letters and receive mail for him. She
also admits that she sent seven packages
from Buffalo to Chicago by express. but
did not know what they contained. Morri-
son left Hamilton April 3. and she for
warded mail to him at Buffalo and To
ronto. The seven packages spoken of con-
tanned the counterfeit stamps secured at
the Wells, Fargo & Co.'S express Office In
Chicago.
A Batch of the Stamps.
Chief Haxen received yesterday batch
of the bogus stamps that were confiscated
at Buffalo. They are a clumsy counter
felt The ink used 10 what b called car
minated red" and Is darker than the shade
used on the genuine stampsL The counter
felt evidently has more blue In Its compost
ton than the genuine color, which contains
q large mixture of orange. The paper useo
came in small Sheets and the treasury
Department officials think 1t was obtained
In England.
Within the past few months English
firms have offered the bureau OF engfav-
ing and printing paper manufactured e4-
pressly for postage stamps. when was
gum1ned before receiving the impression
on the printing press. This paper oiners
in no respect. except the cumming, from
paper ordinarily used for stamps and couio
be obtained in almost any large paper
warehouse. The practice of cumming II
before printing Is one that has never been
followed to any extent in this country. AT
~ ~f win
postage stamps are printed on wet paper
and it is gummed after IT has dried thor
oughiy The stamps there are printed In
large sheets of four hundred me coun-
terfeit stamps were evidently printed IN
small Sheets five rows of stamps wide and
twenty long. The printing is badly blurred
or offset, to use printers term, this no
doubt being n result OF using the paper
dry and already gummed
Some Slow Work.
There is a good deal of criticism among
officials at the Post Office Department Of
the course pursued by Chief Inspector
Wheeler in suppressing all information
in regard to the counterfeited stamps. 1t
is believed that had a description or the
stamps been published far and wide prompt
ly after the discovery. the pest office and
treasury detectives would have been IN
a far better position to produce results
than they now are. description OF the
bogus stamps through the newspapers
would have set everybody on the lookout
for counterfeits and from the reports that
would have come in it would have been
possible to trace out the points where
stamps were disposed of. thus. at least.
saving the government a good deal OF loss
from the use of the large quantities or
spurious stamps which 1t is supposed have
been sold in the large cities.
water-Marked Postage Stamps.
A quantity of the counterfeit stamps were
of
ing to be examined by Claude NJ. Johnson,
chief of the bureau After careful study
Mr. Johnson said that from certain Pc
! culiarities he believed the paper on which
the counterfeits were printed was manu-
featured in England. and was gummed De-
fore it was printed. 1t could have been
made in this country, however, without
violation of law. as the manufacture OF
paper for hostage stamps Is not prohibited.
as Is that intended for greenbacks. Re
Gently the bureau has decided to adopt
paper having certain distinguishing
| water mark. and the manufacture of paper
with this mark will fall within the counter
| felt laws. None of this paper has been
used as yet. however, as the bureau Is
using up its large stock of unmarked paper.
A Case of Poor Printing.
| The ink used on the counterfeits Mr.
! Johnson says. Is of an ordinary character
| and could have been obtained easily. The
| specially weak points of the present coun-
| terfeits are in the plate and press used The
| Impressions are good enough to deceive or
! binary inspection, such as they would re,
| ceive in the mails, but their fraudulent
| character is clearly evident on close exam
| nation. even without the aid of magnify.
| ing glasses. The work was done by pho
| tolithography ald transferred either te
| stone or copper. The bureau prints from
| steel plates The bogus printing was done
by bungling processes, and made poor re
suit.