The times., 1899-11-12

represents the highest type of the eoun-
terfeiter's art.
The most valuable catch in recent years
as regarded by all Treasury officials was
the capture of the plates from which the
fifty and the one hundred dollar silver GER
tiieates were printed 1t viii be remem-
bered that but few of the hundred dollar
silver certificate counterfeits got on the
market before being detected. They we're
such perfect limitations that the Govern
( ment issued an order calling in from cir
culation the entire issue of hundred-dollar
oliver certificates. This move on the part
of the Government broke up the plans of
the counterfeiters for no one was willing
! to accept hundred dollar silver cerGfcate3
fearing that they might be bogus. The
fifty dollar silver certificates never got on
! the market, for Chief wilkes men made
! the capture of the gang that turned them
out before they were quite ready to put
them in circulation.
Prior to the passage of the law of 1891
! anyone could keep counterfeit money in
| his possession. Anyone could also exhibit
! pictures representing money, have paper
weights or ornaments made in imitation
1 not so today Any picture, paper weight,
ornament, or article whatsoever that gives
/ the least suggestion of money is cOnfis-
| Gated by the Government
! Chief Wilkie said to a Times reporter
! that since the passage Of the act of 1891
! s., 2O7 600 in counterfeit money owned by
! responsible persons had been confscated
! and destroyed The law on this subject
is now so strictly construed that if a news
| paper prints the facsimile Of current coin
the plate from which the picture Of the coin
/ is made is at once seized and destroyed by
the Secret Service officers.
Only the other day Secret Service Off
! Ger seized and confiscated in Boston a
| handsome oil painting by V. Dubseuil, en-
! titled Barrels Of Money The picture,
which is a very fine piece of work, repre-
sents four barrels from the tops Of which
bills of various denominations protrude
Hanging over the tops Of the barrel, in the
centre Of the picture, is two-thirds Of a
ten-doIlar silver certificate really an ex-
cellent reproduction. OF course, no one
could be deceived in matter of this kind
but the fact that it was an imitation OF
money brought the picture within the
scope of the law.
Almost every week pictures representing
money or pieces Of money are seized by
| Secret Service officers in different parts of
| the country. and every year they are de-
stroyed unless it happens that some unus-
ually fine piece of work is among those
! condemned and in that event it is saved
and put on exhibition in the office OF Chief
! Wilkie It is not at all improbable that
| the picture representing barrels of money,
/ which was seized in Boston, will be framed
and hung on the walls in Chief Wilkes
| office
Under the law, the Secretary OF the
! Treasury can issue permits authorizing a
| person TO retain in his possession pictures
representing money or pieces of money
| and number of such permits have been
| granted within the past eight years.
| Chief Willlie says it is absolutely neces-
sary that the law against counterfeiting
he strictly construed OF course, he says,
no one could be deceived in the matter of
I a painted fye-dollar bill on piece of can
vas, or chinaware, but the object OF the
law is to discourage people from making
/ the attempt at initiating money. The fell
| low who first tried his skill" said the
chief ''at initiating a ten-dollar bill with
pen and ink ended in becoming one of the
most dangerous counterfeiters, and he was
| finally caught"