The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-04-19
Photographs Of Notes Are Found
in Honolulu.
DENOMINATIONS OF 10 AND 20
Find of a Five RAISED" to Twen-
ty-Opinions of Experts.
From the Orient.


silver note was discovered by ]. F. c.
Abel at Hyman Bros store yesterday
morning Mr.. Abel stopped on his
way to the police station with the
bill at Davies & Co. and Bishop & Co.
Senior Captain Parker, of the Marshal's
force, went out at once with the bad
bill and exhibited it to the leading
business houses, including all the
banks.
So soon as the word has passed
around there was a general examina
Iion of paper money on hand. In the
count Mr.. Spalding at the Spreckels'
Bank found a counterfeit $40 note
and Clarence Cooke at the Bank of Ha-
waii found So bill that had been
raised" to a $50. There were no other
reports of counterfeits or changes.
The $40 note is a poor and cheap
piece of work. The reverse is inverted
The numbers are in black instead of
red. The signature of Registrar Ash
ley, which on the genuine money is
stamped in purple is black on the
Minister of Finance, is made with
a quill on the real money and on the
copy is too smooth. Much of the de-
tail of the engraving is blurred and
the blue of the reverse is badly faded.
The $40 note is a much better coun-
terfeit than the SO, and Mr.. ]. o. Car
ter, Jr., of Bishops and others were
10th to believe that it was not genuine.
There is no turning of the reverse and
the numbering is in red. The red is
made by stamping over the black of
the reproduction with a numbering
machine or tracing with pen. The
red is too bright and the figures are
made too heavy. The fine detail lines
particularly about the large 20 at the
corners on the reverse are indistinct.
With both the $40 and the $40 the
paper is of quality softer than the
genuine. With moistened fingers the
difference can be felt. Most Of the
printing in both of the notes shows
very well and the job lot figures of
the designs stand out little less boldly
than in the originals.
The counterfeit notes are nothing
more nor less than photographs, and
J. ]. Williams pronounces the work
excellent Mr.. Williams, as well as
Mr.. Abel say at once that the work is
from the Orient. Mr. Abel believes it
is Japanese. Some chemical tests were
made by Operator WeatherwaX at Will
liamG' studio. After this it was the
opinion of the experts that the paper
was not from the United States. There
are various theories as TO the amount
of the bad money in the country and
the length Of time it has been in cir
culation Marshal Brown will investi-
gate carefully.
a. Chinese merchant brought the $40
counterfeit to Hyman Bros. The Chi
nese said, after looking the matter
up, that his partner had only the day
before given a haole silver for the
note This is believed, as the Chinese
are both reliable and honest men.
Mr.. Spalding, at Spreckels' bank,
said that the $40 photograph could not
have been on hand more than week.
He Thought that it had been accepted
within a day or two and was under
the impression that it came in with
a quantity of other currency.
The raised bill at the Bank of Ha-
wall is doubtless from the camp of the
photograhing counterfeiters, but is an
article that in the spurious money line
stands by itself A good S. note was
the ground work and the chief piece
of the structure. Eleven changes had
been made in it. There were seven
pastings on the diverse and four on
the reverse. The figures and words
for the FASTING were cut from a $40
similar to the one at the Spreckels'
bank. The work would be called by
the secret service in the States very
crude, but really would not be detected
in the ordinary course of business IN
less counterfeits or raised" pieces
were expected or known to be in cir
culation.
1t is the judgment of some of the
authorities and money men THAT the
spurious bills are from the other ISL
ands. where they might circulate for
months without notice. A short time
ago counterfeit 25 cent pieces were run
into Kona, Hawaii. "A large number
of them reached Honolulu. So far as
is known no effort has been made to
COPY other coins. There is no limit
to the extent to which bill photographs
may be brought here, and from now on
there will be the closest scrutiny of
numbering, texture and engraving fin
ish.
Of the photograph bills the reverse
is blue print and the front bromide
print.
People here who are not familiar
with bank notes are quite often swim
died. But few days ago a Portuguese
shopkeeper came into the Bank OF
Bishop & Co. with a Confederate $50
note He said he had given a haole
SIG worth of goods and 81 in change
for the bill.
Funds for Armenians.