The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-07
BANKS REFUSE BIG BILLS.
SEVERAL 800 SILVER CERTIFI-
Gates TURNED DOWN.

Congressman Lester Notified the Sa-
vannah Bankers of the Dangerous
Counterfeit, and no More Bills of
That Particular Issue Are Being
Received for DeROsit-SeveraI of
Them Sent to Bank Yesterday and
Refused-They VIII Be Taken Now
Only For Collection.
There are several people in town who
do not know whether they are worth 500
less than they thought they were or not.
Their present doubt grows out of the fact
that 800 silver certificates sent in with
their deposits have been turned down by
their banks, and they will have to send
the bills on to Washington in order to have
it determined whether they have good
money or bad. ~ suo
A recent press dispatch announced that
a most dangerous counterfeit of the 800
silver certificate series 1891, check letter
D, face plate No l, back plate No. 2, j.
Fount Tillman, register, D. N. Morgan,
treasurer, portrait of James Monroe, small
scalloped carmine seal, had been discover
ed, and everybody was warned to look out
for them.
1t seems the counterfeit was first discov
cred by the superintendent of the mint in
Philadelphia, and he carried 1t to Wash
ington where it passed the muster of ex-
perts, until it reached Chief Hazen of the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing, who
pronounced it a counterfeit and then put it
through a test which demonstrated that he
was correct. He found that the number
ing and lettering on the counterfeit differed
in some Slight particulars from those on
the genuine, that the carmine seal on the
counterfeit was lighter, but the most sat
isfactory test was the steaming of the bill,
which showed that it consisted of two
sheets of paper pasted together with the
silk fbers between, whereas the genuine
bill is one solid sheet of paper.
When this discovery was made in Wash
ington, Congressman Rufus E. Lester sent
a telegram to Savannah asking that all the
banks be put on notice with regard to the
counterfeit, which is said to be such an ex-
cellent piece of work that some of the
ablest experts fail to detect it. The Sa-
vannah banks were notified of Col. Les
ter's telegram Wednesday afternoon after
banking hours, but yesterday all of them
were on the alert.
on account of the reported excellence OF
this count erfeit the Savannah banks are
now refusing all 500 silver certificates of
this series and issue for deposit, and
when they come in they are returned to
the depostors. Genuine or not genuine,
they are afraid to handle them, for when
government experts fail there is no tell
ing where bank experts may slip up.
The Germania Bank turned down three
of these 500 certificates yesterday and
number of them were also turned down
by the Citizens Bank. The other banks
have turned them down in one or two in
stances, and the only condition on which
any of the banks will now take one of
them from a customer. is for collection.
The certificate would then be sent on to
Washington and if genuine good money
would be returned for it, but if not it
would be returned punctured and other
wise cancelled.
There has been a suggestion that on &C.
count of this dangerous counterfeit the
government call all of this issue of 800
certificate in and substitute another, and
it may be that this course will be adopt
ed The Savannahians who have got hold
of these certificates, and from all ac-
counts there is quite a number of them
here, will have to send them to Washing
ton before they can make any use of their
money. If they are found genuine they
will have no trouble in getting other mon
ey for them, but if not they will find
themselves inst S1OG OFF