The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-20
A CLUMSY COUNTERFEIT
NEW $40 SILVER CERTIFICATE CIR
CULATED HERE POORLY MADE.
L. d. BUSHNELL Describes some OF the
Dangerous Notes Now Bother
ing the Authorities.

| note detector, is in the city. Mr.. Bushnell
has been in the business of running down
and warning the bankers against counter
felt money for thirty years and is quite an
expert in this line He has in his posses
sion thousands of dollars worth of counter
felt money, all stamped by the government
to show that it is not genuine, beside
which he has a certificate showing that
they are lawfully in his possession. While
here Mr.. Bushnell has had occasion to
look up the new $40 silver certificates that
appeared few days ago. The expert says
that it is of such paIpable imperfections
that careful handler OF money need not be
taken in by it. 1t is of the issue of 1891,
with a portrait of Hendricks, mouth pursed
out of shape, in the center. In the lower
right-hand corner appears the usual escal-
loped seal. 1t is of bright pink, however,
| instead of carmine, as it should be. The
bill is a quarter of an inch short and one
eighth of an inch too narrow. OF the notes
seen thus far all have the same treasury
number, 19599035. They are apparently
made from an etching plate, the drawing
is imperfect and the lines not as clean-cut
as in the genuine notes The note seems
slightly blurred. The first of these notes
that fell into the hands of the secret service
here was stopped ct bank, when it was
presented for deposit by a wholesale house
that had in turn received it from a retail
grocery store. So far three of these notes
have fallen into the hands of the officials
here and have been sent to Washington.
There is an interesting history attached
to some of the queer" money that Mr..
Bushnell has in his possession. One of the
most interesting of the collection is a $40
fraa NV
Emanuel Ninger, regarded by the treasury
ohhcials as one of the most dangerous coun-
terfeiters ever captured. He is now serving
seven years term. for passing counterfeit
money, and when that is ended will be tried
for making it. The limit for this offense is
thirty years. Ringers notes were what are
known as pen-and-ink notes, and were all
made by hand. The $40 note Mr.. Bushnell
mas IS OF excellent appearance, and we'll
calculated TO deceive, even the silk fiber
eHectS OF the genuine being brought out
by purple and blue strokes of the pen,
Nlnger made notes of so, $50 and 500 de-
nominations. 1t required a weeks work to
make one One month he would make a
so and three 500 notes; the next month a
SoO ana three 500 notes, and the last month
OF each quarter four 500 notes. Ninger had
no confederates. He made and passed the
bills himself. Even his wife never suspected
his business. His home was in FlagtoWn,
n. j. 1t was his custom to go over into
New York city to pass the bad money. He
, D.
and was detected at last by one of those I'M
suspected incidents which are said to ulti-
mately cause the undoing of criminals al
ways He went into restaurant in New
York city and asked the young woman
cashier to give him change for one of the
$zO notes OF his own make. AT that moment,
DOCK ready to deposit the days receipts.
In running over the money in her hand to
Gount 1t s she had dampened her thumb and and
fell under her fingers. The ink on the cor
ner of the note blurred under the wet
thumb, and she instantly detected it. With
quick wit she walked to the proprietor and
told him she had bad customer. He
told her to make the change, at the same
time sending a trusted employee to follow
the man.. with instructions to have him ar
rested when the first policeman appeared.
Ninger unsuspectingly; entered saloon
81 worth of cigars, throwing down one of his
homemade $50 notes. The bartender
whIstled s at the s size Of fl the bill
stranger to break that bill, but 1t is all l
have. want to get money to cross the
ferry"
The. clerk threw down the change. after
giancing at the bill. AS Ninger turned to
go he was arrested: The officers had two
cases against him; His home was searched.
The room in which he worked was bare,
save for table and two chairs. An ex-
animation of the walls, however, showed
opened when springs were touched.
The late Major Carter, formerly secret
down the Johnson family, of Detroit Mich,
notorious and confirmed counterfeiters, who
are under conviction for making two-dollar
notes off different plates, one with Win
doms and the other with Hancock's por-
traits. Webb, of Cleveland, through tip
he received, suspected Dave" johnson,
who. until last spring. was one of the most
honored citizens Of Detroit, of being coun-
terfeiter His brothers: Charles and Ed;
ward, had been known to the officials, and
were just out of penitentiary when the bills
began appearing When Webb. communi-
reau at Washington, the latter notified Maj.
Carter, of this city, and Porter. Of Chicago
to go to Detroit and assist Webb. A search
forcibly entered A letter was found ad-
dressed to Johnson which led the officers to
suppose he had gone over into Canada to
ing the house between 5000 and $4,000 of
the bad notes were found. That night at
midnight Johnson was arrested in Canada,
but refused to come across the border with
out requisition papers, until the officers
He was landed in Jail at Detroit. His wife
visited him next day. She was arrested.
The history of the family was known to the
officers. The men always mar aged to get
an agreement to let the women off by
promising to turn up the plates from
which the money was printed. In this case
BY the usual arrangement the Window and
Hancock plates were turned up, one or the
women going with the officers to show
where they were concealed. Mrs. Johnson
was discharged. The other woman, on a
plea of guilty, was sentenced and let go on
suspended sentence In Mr.. BushnelPs col /
lection are one each of the two notes. The
skill of the women was used to initiate the
silk fiber found in genuine notes. 1t was
their custom to buy red and blue silk rib
bon which was torn to shreds. Then it
was skilfully drawn into the paper with
needles with bent points that would take
up half the paper without penetrating it.
When the thread was drawn through 1t
was skillfully clipped by the nimble fingers
of the women. Mr.. Bushnell says the gov
eminent was pleased with the efficient serv-
ice Major Carter rendered Secret Service
Officer Webb in the johnson case.
Among the other notes in the collection is
one of the dangerous 500 silver certificates
that are being passed through the East. 1t
is a most excellent bill, and bank experts
are repeatedly taken in by 1t. None has
been passed here, Mr.. Bushnell says The
officers cannot locate its maker. A batch |
of $500 or $4,000 of these notes were sent
into the Klondike and traded TO miners for |
gold dust. They discovered how they had |
been duped on reaching Portland, Ore.