The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16

NAAAh hANot anAAkGNgNhn INV CUWNNJIhgLt-
A splendid example OF the photollthceraphi,
counterfeit, In the collection, imentioned 10
pearnnce only a few months aro. IL Is as Ant
q counterfeit Of Its kind as has ever boon pro
duccd, but at best tho photographic productions
arc crude and not apt TO deceive any ono uset
manufacture thoin do so because II "a a com
P Pnsa thcs know Sssy that Ssy H " turn Z ii eas S SSes they %pR csI
pass many hundred dollars worth Of counter
possible Hs' BY warnings from Wilmington. -
county IL there ,Ss IA made Ssos By th r. ph1 s,.oE.' aaS Bs1S.
and sometimes the whole back Of a note, wer.
eopied IN black and then tinted with pen and
were reproduced. This process gave way as
the business advanced. to the process used by
new method tho seal. numbers, and color on a
bank note arc first removed, and a. negative Is
then taken from the black which remains
the bills through a ,lithoRraphinR process.
ia the The tsss't 81 pR Witch chhte%G NE. RaliSr nG Sas 10 q ' sSmp %p
1t Is a counterfeit OF the Issue OF the new design,
CHECK letters aud Treasury numbers, all have the
small red seal and all are signed like the genu-
inc. ~. Fopnt Tillmen. Register Of the Treas;
those familiar with the fine points Of bank notes
much as anything disc, The body Of the bin is
PRINTED ptdnS d, tSs ao q dEr3SySiIs S,s b roy naSS ok IN, Ink ,. in,
Of genuine notes OF this series. The Treasury
number discloses the same color as the face Of
the note although 2 pen and blue ink has been
The back Of tho bill is a bluo-sray. oolorod
green. the latter being. applied sparinsly with a
counterfeit is tho blurred appearance Of the
winged fEurSs e., OF tho woman representing
holding aIof. in one hand an s' electric Sn lamp s'9 FED
by n ribbon floating In graceful curves to o
bursting thunder cloud; The words TINTED
blurred and do not stand out as on the genuine
note. The electric lamp can be only partly seen
when 1t should be distinct, while the lathe work
The most interesting thing about this bill is
that 1t illustrates better than any Of the recent
counterfeits, excepting the new 800 silver GER
%tifcate, the progress made by countcrfeiters in
Initiating the paper used by the Treasury De.
Gates. For years the chief obstacle TO the sue
cess Of counterfeiters was their inability to imi.
tate the fibre paper. the symmetrical lathe work
and the paper known rs the Crane patent, with
the threads running lengthwise through 1t.
The lathe work was mastered long ago. but
succeeded in procuring paper that would pass
for the genuine. For q long time they initiated
and blue. Now they use genuine thread.
The new 500 counterfeit and the S. counter
felt mentioned are both made In tho same way.
Two pieces of n paper made only in Japan are
used. They are printed separately. one being
used for the back. the other for the front. Bits
OF one piece, the other piece is carefully placed
over II, and then tho whole is subjected to very
heavy pressure. When taken out and trimmed
the notes make. 30 far as the paper Is con-
cerned. very. dangerous counterfeits.
The principal man in the gang which was
tured a short time ago. and with him the litho.
graphing stones, which were used to print the
s sGsgtsFff Stfore rf the rs sssre OF s ssS plAn men was soS de;
seize IT, and the rest Of the gang escaped.
Mr., Holler has in his collection one OF a num-
Der OF counterfeit 50 silver certificates recently
discovered. which have been pronounced by the
Treasury Department among tho most danger
Gus counterfeits ever issued. The counterfeits
are on the issue authorized by the act of Aug. i,
lSs6. series of 1891, check letter c, plate No. 10.
Here is what a warming letter sent out by the
Treasury Department says about IL:
by the same parties who executed the counter.
series. check letter B, plate No. IA. ...
the Workmanship. however, is much better
than on the older counterfeit. and even expert
handlers. of money must exercise great care to
avoid being deceived
~, In , this counterfeit; as in most engraved ones,
nounced white circles around the pupils of the
eyes of William Window are absent, the lapel
circle is made to represent the stud in the shirt
bosom: The geometrical lathe work is 30 well
done that the closest examination will not reveal
any difference between 1t and that on the genu-
inc bill. James p. Hunt, receiving teller Of the
Bank Of Buffalo. first discovered this counter
The most, interesting counterfeits ever dis
covered eao IN TINS country We're the $40, $40; $50.
and ink by Emanuel Slnger. These notes are arc
maryels Of skill, and for a long time the secret
service officers were unable to get the slightest
complete set OF these sketched bills. AS coun-
%terfeits go they are not very good, because. being
R Rsas d effsits's ou sy h Thsg' h IL wa th eG aa pSssis1s S3
i EIoRGa b as good good as, as genuine gen, inc. bills At a casual
never made much money out OF 1t, because IL
took him so long to make them.
II has nlp~ny+ haAn n rtratnru -l
voted himself to concentrating. The work he
did was of a remarkable character, but with the
than one bill every two weeks. He was living
almost In poverty at Fl%agtown, \, j.. when his
skill might have made a good living for him in
The Ringer counterfeits were all done on Door
paper. Ringer wasn't up to date In the matter
heard of the process of initiating Cranes patent
fibre paper with silk thread and Japanese
paper; no made scratches in blue ana red ink
The counterfeits mentioned above are all of
colnparatively recent productions. Some OF the
older counterfeitS arc just as good SO far as
workmanship is concerned, but they are done
on ar inferior quality of paper. No finer piece
national bank note which the veteran William
r: Brockway and his pal, Charles Smith. pro-
takes In this bill than in any other counterfeit
ever made, a fact which was partly res ponsible
t9r the capture OF the men who made 1t. Mr..
porter compared it with the genuine bill from
which it was copied 1t was impossible for him
the paper. - 4 I few fiitie f laws 'e can lnG bss G noiise d.
however, when an expert picks them out.
Behind this counterfeit Is an Interesting
story. At the time tho genuine note was Is
sued tho American Bank Note Company OF this
city was doing work for the Government.
Charles Smith was the head cngraver OF the
company and he made the plate from which the
genuine 800 national bank note OF that Issue
was printed; Smith was an honest, industrious
man and lived In Brooklyn with his family.
He had for q neighbor a Capt, Spencer, said to
be a seafaring, man. Capt. Spencer was no
other than B~rockwuy, and Brockway had moved
into Smiths neighborhood with the deliberate
intention OF, corrupting him. He succeeded,
and for weeks Smith worked on q counterfeit
plate. He naturally made as good a plate for
Brockway as he had made for the Government,
and when the bills were printed there was little
difficulty in passing them. A. l.. Drummond,
then rhief, OF the secret service, suspected Brock.
way, but knew that the old man had not made
the plate, Brockway nnconsciously led Drum:
Smith as the head engraver of the American
Bank Note, Company; A few days later there
was a raid on Smiths house. the plant was
found in the cellar and Smith and Brockway
were arrested.
The back Of this bill Is better than the 'front.'"
said Mr.. Holler. in displaying the counterfeit,
and the engraving much finer than that on