Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-09-21
COUNTERFEITs"GO''
In Rush of Business Chances for
Acceptance of Bad Money
are Good.
GOVERNMENT ISSUES WARNING
Much Sent Out for distribution
Some Rules to Detect the
"Queer."

The thriving condition in business
-circles makes this a season of har-
vest to the manipulation of bogus
money. The busy clerk and merchant
in. their hurry to wait on customers
do not take time to examine the mon
ey pro1fereG them in payment for
goods. \ counterfeiter enters the
store with crowd, makes small
purchase, lays down bogus piece of
money and gets good, honest legal
tender for it and whatever merchan-
disc he has selected in exchange.
There has just been received in this
city a circular from United States
treasury counterfeit detectives, Civ
ing warning against new So national
bank note that has been issued from
the plates of counterfeiters and it is
said has been shipped in large num-
bers for distribution in the middle
west, and people here should be on
their guard. against accepting it. The
circular of warning reads as follows:l
New series of S. national bank
note; series 1882; check letter b. This
new counterfeit is on the Waltham
National bank, Waltham, Mass, bear
ing charter No. 6SS, check letter B.,
treasury No. H66GO9H. bank No. 6,149,
scalloped seal, and the signatures of
b. X. Bruce. register of the treasury,
and \. L. Wyman, treasurer United
States. This counterfeit is photo
graphic production, and should not
deceive the careful handler of money.
The treasury, also bank number, of
the note is tinted blue, we'll done, and
no attempt has been made to color
the panel on back of note containing
charter No. 6SS. On all genuine notes
of series 1882 the panel is blush
green, and rest of back of note a
bright reddish brown. This counter
felt is printed on paper of fair quail
ty and the fibre initiated by ink lines.
CreCit is due Wallace II. Pratt, re-
ceiving teller of the United States
Trust company. Boston. Mass, for the
detection of this counterfeit"
To Detect Spurious Notes.
Here is a rule for detecting coun-
tcrfeit United States notes, ;as pub
lished in Dickeiman's United States
Treasury Counterfeit Detective: "All
United States enotes are printed on
sheets of four notes of one denomina-
tion on each sheet. Each note is let
tered in its respective order, in the
upper and lower corners diagonally
opposite. 4, b. c. ID! The government
has the following system for number
ing its notes: All numbers on being
divided by four and leaving one for a
remainder have the check letter A.;
two remainder, Is; three remainder,
C; even numbers or with no Iemain-
der have thes letter ID. Any United
States note. the number upon which
can be divided without showing, the
above result. is a counterfeit. While
this rule is not infallible, ii Will en-
able anyone to detect a large number
of the counterfeits in circulation"
For detecting counterfeit coins, the
same. authority says: Compare i'm
press, size and ring and general ap-
pearance with genuine coin of same
period and coinage. The three tests
of weight, diameter and thickness
should be applied, for it is almost inn
possible for the COunterfeiter to com
ply with these three tests without
using genuine metal"