The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-12
GENIUS WITH A PEN.
He Made Bank Notes That Deceived
Experts.
From the Philadelphia Ledger

| rAOl tle GullaOelpnla Ledger.
! Washington, April 2-Chief Hazen and
MS Hawkshaws, of the sercet service
are hilarious over the capture Of the
long-sought pen-and-ink counterfeiter,
who has been mystery and a worry
to the treasury officials for the last fif-
teen years. His arrest in New York.
while in the act of trying to pass one
Of his amazing works of art, takes a
load off the minds of the government
detectives. They had almost given UP
hope of catching the fellow, who is GER
tainly genius in his way The notes
executed by him are done wholly with a
pen and red and black inks, and they are
so admirably done as to pass even under
the scrutiny of an expert.
The first ever noticed reached the re-
demption division of the treasury in 1879.
1t was $40 note. From that time until
now they hav been turning up at quite
regular intervals and at the rate of about
two year. Sometimes they came
through banks, which sent them in with
out suspecting anything wrong about
them, and one of them was received in
a similar manner through one of the sub
treasures. Most of them were twenties,
but occasionally a fifty would turn up.
All of them were done with equal care
and perfection, and surely there was never
such Improbable work, since each note
must have represented the toll of several
months.
The Secret service people formed a the
DRY TO the effect that the author of these
amazing counterfeits was a person of leis-
ure who had developed this strange fad
as an amusement Gifted with a faculty
of imitation. it pleased him perhaps to do
this esoteric art work and lead Uncle
Sans detectives a merry dance in vain
pursuit of a will-o'-thewisp. Apparently,
he travelled about a good deal, being Dos
sibly person of means; for the notes were
sent in to the treasury from different ci-
ties, some of them coming from as far
away as New Orleans Chicago and Bos-
ton.
This last point, however, did not furnish
reliable indication, inaSmuch as the
counterfeits might have been scattered
widely before being returned to the treas
ury for redemption. 1t was their excellent
quality as limitations that made the great
est dificulty in tracing them to their
source, inasmuch as they could be passed
readily in any shop and might circulate
indefinitely before their character was as
certained The fact is that none of these
interesting VagerieS would stand scrutiny.
Under magnifying glass the initiated
lathe work was seen to be mass of pen
scratches. The work of the geometrical
lathe is something that cannot be repro
duced by any process of counterfeitng
thus far invented. But what is termed the
general appearance of the pen-and-ink
notes was first rate and that is the most
dangerous quality counterfeit can pos
Sess.
Up to November, 1893, all of the notes by
the pen-and-ink artist received at the |
treasury were twenties and fifties. Then, |
however, there turned up a fresh speci- |
men of his handiwork in the shape of |
legal tender note for 800. 1t was of the |
series of 1880, check letter A, with the |
head of Lincoln on the face. 1t was actu-
ally accepted as genuine at United States /
and was sent thence to
experts in the redemption division of the |
treasury, Miss Alma c. Smith, discovered |
it, and the teller who took it in at the
sub-treasury suffered in consequence a
respects, save the denomination, the note
was similar to previous specimens by the
same author. Evidently 1t was executed
under high-poWer magnifying glass; and |
the seal and number were as accurate as |
usual as to color.
Now. most unexpectedly, the author of
these counterfeits has been nabbed in
New York in the act of trying to pass a
pen-and-ink note for $50. On being taken
IN charge he gave his name as Gilbert
and his home as Wilkesbarre He nroved
TO be in reality Emanuel Ninger. a resi-
dent of Flagtown, N. J.. There is no doubt
Of his guilt, for he made a full confess
sion The details have not been disclos-
ed as yet by the secret service people
but it will be interesting to learn Why
The man adopted and pursued so extra.
ordinary fad with such persistence Was
I for gain? Hardly, it would SEEM If IL
vas for pleasure the criminal certainly
deserves to be regarded as representing
| unique moral abnormality He is likes
y to go to prison for fifteen years, which
S the maximum penalty for counterfeit
ng Uncle Sans currency
The work of one other pen-and-ink coun
erteiter has come under the notice of the |
reasury officials. A number of such notes
we're executed by a lunatic confined in an
syum at indianapolis. Attention was AZ
racted to the matter by two of the conn
erfeits, each for $40, which were found in
REGULATION and well worn. Three Others
which were still in his possession were Sc,
ured. 1t seems very odd that he should
ave been able to produce forgeries Of This
ort without the knowledge of his keen
RS. The general effect of them was fAirfv
God, though the workmanship was crude
tut the most remarkable point bout them
'as that they did not pretend to inoitata |
ny particular bills, being a mixture of
arious designs from different yarietiee {
the national currency. For EXAMINE {
ne of them was a 500 note with the face | Z
treasury note and the back of a M | :
onal bank note. On the back instead of I ;
lie usual engraving of the signing of tba I
9claration of independence, there was a :
roup of figures representing Christ and
is Apostles. Christ wore stovepine bat 4
nd another had a dagger. Instead Of the
al or the state at one end there was a
cture of SOW. The fact that such ab- 4
irdities could get into circulation shows
DIV easily anything will pass that has in
general way the look Of money.
! NJ n