The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1896-08-15
SPURIOUS COINAGE,
Enterprising Americans Start I'm
a Profitable Industry
WAY DOWN SOUTH IN CENTRAL AMERICA
United States Silver Dollars Counter.
fsi'ed by Wholesale and Shipped to
This Country for Cireulatior--
They Are Good Goods.

NEW YORK, Aug. IA sun special
from Washington says: Ia Secretary
Varlisle's mail Yesterday came letter
from Minister Ransom at the Citv of
Mexico, containing a copy of the Mex.
iean Herald, in which is published an
article calling attention to an alleged
eounterfeiting of American money.
The article sets forth that two Young
Americans in one of the Central Amer
lean states, presumably Guatamala,
nave been for some time purchasing
native silver dollars at the current
price OF about 80 cents and coming
them into American dollars to be put
upon the market. 1t is intimated that
the extent Of the fraud has already
reached the sum OF s2,5OO,0O0, but the
details of the affair as set forth in the
newspaper are quite meagre. Minis.
ter Ransom evidently has no informa-
tion on the subject himself, for he
sends none to the treasury department,
and in the absence of Secretary Carlisle
the letter was perfunctorily referred
to the secret service bureau. Nothing
whatever is known about the matter
there. The chief of the bureau, Mr.
llazen, is absent in New York, but could
throw no light ON the matter il he
were here, as the receipt of the news.
paper. through Mr. Ransom, is the
first information the treasury officials
have received. IL is probable that the
subject will now be turned over to the
special agent Of the treasury nearest
to the City of Mexico for immediate
investigation and report. Until the
agent begins this work and furnishes
information to the department the Of
ficials can advance no opinion OF value
as TO the truth of the charges or the
extent Of the counterfeiting, II any.
The article reads as follows
"ln the palace corridors the Herald
news-gatherers yesterday heard refer
ences to a transaction, said to be cur
rent in one of the Latin republics
south Of Mexico, which, IL true, is
quite sensational. The location could
not be satisfactorily settled, but the
impression is that Guatamala is the
theater of the singular proceedings. 1t
is stated that in what appears to be a
blacksmith shop in a prominent city
in the underlined republic, dur
Ing the past eight or ten
months, two Americans have been
manufacturing United States dollars
and shipping them to New Orleans
and York for circulation throughout
the states These Americans are as.
sisted by large number of native
associates and workmen, aud they
have done their work so quietly that
it was but very recently that the
American government got al inkling
of this transaction and sent secret
agents to the different Central and
South American republics in order tc
locate the scene of thes coinage
with a view to requesting
its cessation Inquiry has been
made in Mexico, it is stated,
through the American legation here
but seems pretty well settled that the
fraud is perpetrated south of Mexico.
These people, it is understood, buy nj
native silver dollars at 40 cents and 5(
cents mot in Mexico, where they car
only be bought at 50 centsl and coir
them into American dollars. The sun
of s., 5000 Is represented up to the
close of April last BY this colossal and
daring feat in forged utterances o.
the American seal aud fraud of manu-
fa cturc