Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-01-23
RAISED BANK CHECKS
NOW shaeWo PROFESSIONALS
90 THEIR WORK.
state OF Affairs Long Known to Bank.
ers and secret Service Men Il Made
Known TO the rubi,c-Aii Safety
Devices Are "Bcatcu."
Great Skill shown.

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! The recent arrest of the riuglcadcrs
Ut regular check-raising and forging
syndicates has been revelation to the
public. says the New York World. but
has made generally known n state Of
affairs which bankers and secret-ser-
vice men have been aware Of for many
years.
The Government offered reward
many years ago for a writing ink which
could not be removed by acids or other
chemicals. There were hundreds Of
inks offered and not one Of them met
the requirement. Those that actually
twcrc indclblc were worthless for writ.
ling and would not flow. while the best
OF those that would flow were only in
dcliblc when allowed to lie long time
on a porous paper.
What Is true as to ink Is true as to the
thousand and one mechanical devices
for protecting commercial paper which
have been put upon the market. There
are four or five firms IN New York alone
which have made from million to four
million dollars each by the manufacture
and sale of articles of this kind. not ono
Of which but has been "bcaten' scores
OF times. and not one OF which Is Of
the slightest value except us against
the efforts of the merest tyrOs In the
.chcck-raisi industry.
So profitable has become the forging
and chcck.raising industry that capt.
talized syndicates--sucha as the valcn.
tine gang or the Becker gang-have de.
niberately engaged in It and have stolen
great sums In an Incredibly short time.
Carelcssness In making out checks L..
of course, fruitful source Of crime. rs
An. many instances the possibility Of
making n safe alteration Is glaringiy b.
fore the eye. The temptation hns
brought many young man to ruin. but
thc losses from this source are trifiing
compared with those from the regular
professional chcck.raiscrs. These gen.
Try have an equipment Of tools and
chemicals rs complete In their way rs
the tools used by burglars. and the
manufacture Of these articles. especial.
1y for criminal purposes, Is quite as ex.
tcnsivc as Is the manufacture Of burg
MU tOOiS. ue Outut cOuSiStS Oh turec
or four kinds Of acids FOR removing Ink
all the various cutting machines used
for cutting out figures In the body Of
the cllcck..a device ut one time suppos-
f. cd TO be invulnerablc. but one Of tho
easlcst Of all to beat; complete supply
OF twenty different kinds Of delicate
brushes and palette Of artists colors
t-These colors and brushes are used to
restore the lines In tinted paper after
the tint has been taken out by the acid
In removing the Ink. Great sums Of
money. by the way. have been spent In
the Manufacture Of this tinted paper
money entirely thrown away. as the
tknAves have processes which rest0r,
the tint wherever their operations mn,
have destroyed II. and restoring II &c
perfectly M to utterly defy detection.
The nippers are used especially L
beat the figures out Of the check Of
draft by the various machines made FOL
that purpose. With the nippers which
are curiol,Sly and dellcately pointed. tn,
minutest particle Of paper can be plckct
up and deftiy handled. The width Of
the figure Is measured, and then thu