The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-05-14
BOGUS MONEY.
METHOD or ITS DESTRUCTION
BY THE AUTHORITIES.
Five Tons of Materials Used by Coun-
terfeiters Burned Up in Hushe
Furnace in the Washing
ton Navy Yard.
THE New York Journal says


sary to the manufacture of the queer
were destroyed in Washington within
q few days. So great q quantity OF
material of this sort has been collect
ed during the last year in the Secret
Service Division of the Treasury that
its destruction became necessary. 1t
was carefully put away IN boxes and
packages, each labelled with record
OF its contents. As much care is taken
of bad money as of good money, be-
cause it would never do to have the
counterfeits get into circulation again
through neglect. Every penny IN
bogus coin or paper must be strictly
accounted for, and q deficit would be
considered as serious O matter as q
theft from the cash room. Describing
the method Of destroying bogus
money the Journal adds:
The SecretssE of the Treasury Sc
lects three OF his most trusted men
and appoints them committee to su-
perintend the destruction Of the prod
uots of criminal ingenuity at present
on hand. Every package is opened IN
their presence, and they watch the
counting of the contents, which mnst
correspond to the memoranda in the
record book. Finally, all Of the coin,
as well as metal tools and other appar-
atus, is carried downstairs and put
aboard one Of the big ironclad wagons
which are used by the department. for
carrying money. The wagon, guarded
by armed men and followed by the com
mIttee in carriage, proceeds to the
Washington Navy Yard.
BYa special arrangement with the
Secretary Of the Navy, one Of the
great blast furnaces in the gunshop IS
placed at the disposal of the commit
tee. The weighty packages are taken
from the wagon and stacked up u
front Of the furnace, which il like
unto that one which vas seven
times heated. Into it the stuff is
unceremoniously sh57eled-the coin
first and theI the counterfeiters'
machines, engraved steel plates for
false notes, implements Of various
kinds, etc. Such things as jimmies
and bass knuckles go with the rest.
In tne lot is & great quantity Of metal
tokens, representing money, such as
are used by manufacturing and mining
companies, particularly in the South,
for paying their employees. Many Of
these tokens, the use Of which is for
hidden by law, bear rough resem-
blance to United States coins.
Together with the lot so in not a
few things Of odd sorts, Among them
are advertising tags Of tin, made in
rude imitation of silver quarters.
These are not intended to serve a
criminal purpose, but the Secret Ser
vice gobbles them just the same. The
Jaw says that nothing in the likeness
of any security of the United States
shall be permitted. In the last col
lection was a number of so-calIed coin
clusters, intended for paper weights.
They represent clusters OF gold and
silver pieces. Of course, nobody
could pass them as money, but they
come under the statute, and, besides,
there is q special objection to them.
Coin counterfeiters are apt to have q
few of them on hand, so that if caught
they may pretend that they were
merely engaged in the manufacture Of
paper weights.
The great majority of false coins are
made with plaster moulds Such
moulds are carried to the Navy Yard
with the rest of the material, but are
not put into the furnace. They are
merely knocked to pieces with ham
mers, which is an equally effective
method of destroying them. What is
cast into the furnace, including the
machinery and tools, is melted and re-
duced to unreconizable shape 1t IS
sold eventually by the Navy Depart
ment as 50 much old metal. There is
small amount of silver in it, mas
much as bogus silver pieces are always
plated with silver nowadays by the up
to date counterfeiter.
Thus far nothing has been said of
the way il which the paper counter.
feits are destroyed. They are put into
big tank with hot water and acids
and are cooked and stirred about for
many hours, until at length they are
reduced to the condition Of pulp The
pulp Is dried, pressed into thick sheets
and sold for paper stock. The process
is the same as that which is applied to
the damaged paper money redeemed
by the Treasury. Into the vat go large
quantities Of, flash money, which term
is used to describe the printed adver-
tisements in imitation OF the National
currency, with which the country is at
all times flooded, Notwithstanding the
utmost efforts Of the Government to
suppress them. They are confscated
wherever the detectives of the Secret
Service come across them. Calendars
bearing Hkenesses of silver certificates
and hat bands with representations of
gold coins come under this head. Not
long ago large number of soda water
checks resem bling nickel pieces were