The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-03-27
COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY.
Our Remarkable Immunity From Il
Due to Ceaseless Secret
Service Vigilance.
rME WORK Of the LAST FISCAL YEAR.
The Record shows that the Counter
fets~rs are Given Hat Little Ress
and Their Opportunities 10 Float
Their Ousput Reduced "a the Mn
imuma.

Their output Reduced "a the MIN.
Imun.
Washington March 24.-The re
markable exemption. when compared
with the records ~ other countries
in which paper money j. in general
use. Of the people Of the tnitei
States from counterfeit currency and
false coins is in great measure Que a.
the activity Of the secret service III
vision of the treasury department..
The arrests 10y agents of this division
in the last fiscal year numbered a'S
Of whom 253 were convicted. LOG are
awaiting the action OF The tnited
States grand jury. SO awaiting aenon
OF court. IS acquitted, - ignored 10y
grand jury. 10 eases nolled and the
same number dismissed by United
States commissioners.
Four hundred and thirteen of those
arrested were natives of the tniteu
States. 65 of Italy, "a II Germany. ID
of Ireland and the Others Of other
nationalities. New York state takes
first place. with - yiolat prs. Missouri.
"a: Pennsylvania. IS, Illinois. 40; Ken
tuekv. %: Texas. IS: Ohio. II: Geor-
eia. 20: South Carolina. 20; Nlabama'
lG: North Carolina. IA; Tennessee. l2'
Massachusetts. .. and with smaller
numbers for the other states.
The character and amounts oi
altered and counterfeit notes, coun-
terfeit coins and imitation money
captured represent. a value of $40
OOu.gj Of paper money and Sl9,s-s.f'
Of coins. In addition TO these there
were vast piles of miscellaneous adj
vertising matter. consisting OF rae
SMILES of confederate notes. labor ex-
| change notes. Tennessee estate war
rants. Missouri defense bonds. prints
| If United states coins. old state bank
notes and other flash" notes.
More Paper Than Other Countries
The United States has more paper
money in actual circula tion than any
| other country in the world. and YET
counterfeiting is not carried on 10 a
very great extent. although the facil-
| tiles are great. One of the most an
moving features which the secret
service force has had to deal with
was the circulation Of counterfeit
| pennies. This is a phase 81 petty
counterfeiting which has affected the
principal eastern cities almost eNclu-
sively. Nearly year Of patient work
on the part Of the agents in the New
York and Boston districts was finally
crowned with success. and skilled
coppersmith. who had been RESPONSE
bic for probably 90 per cent OF these
counterfeits circulated in the last
our wears. was arrested. prosecuted
and sentenced for term Of years.
While the makers If spurious cen
give the secret service men a great
ieal Of trouble. il j. the we'll exc
cuted ban.S-note bobhing np in differ
ent parts of the country which causes
them to spend sleepless nights y
shadowing suspects. II j. generally
men Of intelligence who place these
on the market. and they are careful
in covering up their tracks The "
. norant. unlettered euunterfeiter IS ~
easy mark for agents. One Of III
most perfect hnnd-executcd counter
felt bills was made by green Geor
gia farmer named W. c. i'onnell. he
ing composion ~ six shinplasfers
confederate money and 4 section of
one dollar genuine greenpack. 1hes
were so perfectly wrought toge'hc
as to make seemingly genuine -
greenback. Ronnell also made
puantity Of silver money. and was ge'
ting rich when he got - imbihirt
too freely of his own output OF illici
whisky and gave his counterfeitin
business away. He was sent up fn
T. FIVE years. and said that when j
served his time he would devote hiir
self 10 the business ~ making lille
: whisky and let counterfeiting alon'
lie expressed the opinion that III
government was against an hones
man making an honest living.