The times., 1899-12-13
BY v. 1. MORAN
How a Clerk Discovered the Phila
delphia COunterfeits.
Chief WiIkie Gives Credit to, the EN-
pIOye Who Saved the GOvernmen ent
cIared Good by the Redemption
Bureau-Capture of the Criminals.

The discovery Of the plot to steal
O.OOO 600 from the Government, by the
Philadelphia counterfeiting gang, the de-
tails of which have resulted in many SEN
sational stories, was explained yesterday
by Chief Wilkie, of the Secret Service Bu-
reau, and the bulk of the credit for the
detection of the perfect counterfeits is
given to William H. Moran, of this city,
chief clerk OF that bureau
The conspiracy, which was foiled through
the cupidity of two engravers who pre-
maturely passed several 500 notes, and
later resulted in the arrest of a number
Of Federal officials, including E. P. Ing
ham. former United States District At
torney at Philadelphia and II. X hewitt,
former Assistant United States District
Attorney Of the same city, has already
been related in The Times, but the credit
for the detection of the most dangerous
counterfeits ever placed in circulation has
variously been given TO many persons.
According to Chief Wilkie, the Monroe
head 500 notes were first suspected by
George Kraemer, of the Philadelphia sub
treasury who, being in doubt, forwarded
the bills TO the Treasury Department In
this city. The notes were carefully in
spected here by the six most expert de-
tectors in the redemption bureau and after
a long examination We're pronounced good.
Some doubt still remained in the minds
0f other officials however and before the
notes were permitted TO be returned as
genuine, Chief Clerk Moran, of the Secret
Service Bureau made an examination and
pronounced sthe notes counterfeit
Having but a brief time in which to
prove this decision correct, Mr. Moran
persisted in upholding his judgment and.
after splitting one of the bills, found paste
between the sections, thus proving the uCte
to be a dangerous counterfeit.
While it Is most probable that the notes
would later have been compared, line for
line with the original plates, the speedy
decision and proof given by Mr. Moran
is regarded as extraordinary by the Treas
ury officials and to him is given a great
deal of the honor of saving the Govern
ment $4,000, 600 or more.
No blame is attached 10 the women eX-
perts In the redemption bureau for having
passed the notes as genuine, as the bills
were almost perfect and were accepted by
hundreds of bank tellers throughout the
country. As a remarkable tribute to the
genius Of the counteTfeiters, il was stated
by many of the experts that they would
back up their judgment with their own
money and after having stamped these
notes good, were willing to be held re-
spOnsible for the full amount had the notes
been proven counterfeit, as they were later,
by Mr.. Moran.
One of the details lacking to make the
note perfect and which was not discovered
until after the bills had been proven worth
less by the presence of paste, was that the
bills were one-sixteenth of an inch under
standard length. 1t was also found that the
Ink on the seal was a fraction Of a shade
lighter that the genuine and the paper
had a slight suggestion of being heavier
than that used by the Government. The
notes were so nearly perfect that Secretary
Gage issued an order recalling the entire
issue of $26, ,000, 000