The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-02-12
COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
Gangs Recently Caught and How they
were Working.

Hot0 soe hiuU'
s.
Examine your 50 and IS bills" i:
the order that has gone quietly to ali
the cashiers of the retail dry-goods
stores. The country is flooded with
%counterfeits in these denominations
and from the facts brought out by the
recent arrest Of co~Interfeiters in diff.
ferent parts Of the country, it is de-
luged with bills Of different figures as
we'll.
There are specific directions given
TO the cashiers of stores and to the re-
ceiving ~tellers Of banks that aid them
in detecting bad money. They can dc
so at a glance when forewarned. But
in the latest cases of counterfeiting
the bad bills are SO cleverly executed
that the commoner, though he may be
on the lookout for them, will be de,
ceived. -"
The day that fourteen Italian coun.
terfeiters were arrested in New York
special notes were taken of the bad
bills and 4 few. interesting points DIS:
certained that may help to tell when a
bad bill is presented.
Bogus S. bills are by far the most
numerous of any at just this time. 1t
is thought that, previous to the arrest
of the Italian gang, they or their pals,
as yet undetected, had been very sue
cessful in "shoving the queer" as
getting rid Of bad money is called in
professional talk.
This bad S. bill is an imitation so
clever that only experts could have
discovered it in the first place. It has
been passing for years, it is thought,
as the plate is so well worn that it
must have been printed over and over
again many times.
Upon the bill is a portrait of Gen.
Grant. The picture of the general is
good, but it is bare in spots. Good
bills always have a clear-cut face upon
them.
But the main thing is the shirt
bosom. Grant wore his shirts open
in front. The front opening frequent
ly bulged a little, in the old-fashioned
way, leaving no doubt where the shirt
opened. In the counterfeit the shirt
bosom is plain, as plain as a piece Of
muslin. This is a point, which, being
known, is Of the greatest assistance in
detecting the bogus bills, though the
portrait is so tiny that a close in
spection is necessary even then.
Another point in this bill is the
heaviness Of the Treasury numbers.
They are far too firm in the counter
felt, and are almost a jet black in
color. The panel upon which the
numbers are printed should be a white
scroll with curled corner. In a bad
bill it is a panel Of irregularly ruled
lines. There are several other differ.
ences as guides to detection, but these
are sufficient to aid the layman in his
search for the good only.
There are Several counterfeit 81
billB going the rounds. One has a
portrait Of Window upon it. The
true face of Window is full and Wig
orous, but in the bad bill the cheeks
are .'allen and the chin does not have
the right appearance. There are
other points about this bill.
For one, the note is signed by W. s.
But in the counterfeit
the name is spelled "Roscerans."
And on the back of the bill the word
"Customs" is spelled ''ostums." And
Treasurer upon the face is spelled
"Treasurero."' There are also other
misspelled words.
Oddly enough, when q counterfeit
bill is presented to the average man
his first look is at the color of the bill
and the signature. Color and signature
are rarely at fault. They are easy to
initiate. BUTT is in the minute detail
work Of a bill, in the spelling, in the
copying of the excellent likeness, in
the periods, scrolls and dashes that
the counterfeiters err. 1t is said that
was never any bad bill 80 perfect
That it did not have glazing errors in
it's minutia
There is 20 counterfeit upon the
market. There have been several
and il is thought many more
are in circulation. This $40 counter
felt has a picture Of the battle of Lex
upon it. The quickest way to
detect this bill is by this picture.
There is a figure of a woman stoop-
ing over a wounded soldier. In the
original this woman has a sweet,
grieved, sympathetic look, the face Of
Madonna. In the bad bill she
is frightened and wears an expression
Of fear, as though about to flee from
the scene.
This is one of the most dangerous
counterfeits in existence, as there is
little else besides the poorness of the
in the pictures upon the bill
to aid in its detection. If a person is
handling money he should examine
the picture upon argentine $40 note,
and Sc be quick to see the change for
the worse in the counterfeit.
There is another 500 bill that is be-
ing quietly but persistently circulated.
It bears a portrait Of Daniel Manning.
But the counterfeit fails to show
mustache as it was. The
of the bill had a mustache
With curled ends, quite a Beau Brum-
mel mustaohe. But the counterfeit
ends in stubby points, sticking straight
out at the side. The bill is also the
least trife smaller than the genuine.
and if you rub the seal upon the
counterfeit with wet fingers it will
crack: off,
There is a counterfeit S. with picture
Of Garfield in circulation. It is what
those who detect co~unterfeits know as
! photographed BILL" and is all the
more dangerous on this account, as it
IS sure to be accurate. The principal
in the bill is in the grayness of
The ink with which it is printed, while
The genuine is black as jet. This is a
bill that can be readily passed upon
IN unsuspecting public.
The law regarding the passing of
counterfeit money is not understood
by everybody. If you pay for goods
n store with a bill, and you have
your bill brought back to you as mot
/ good bill," your telling is one of in
iirnatinn and unllr next thnnrht is