Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-10

ness men all over the country for many
years, and to be unable to discover the real
counterfeiter was losing more than half the
game. Ninger was put through a sweating
process, which was so successful that ne
admitted his true name, and said that ne
alone was responsible for the existence of
the pen-and-ink notes. This was proven
when the detectives went to Ringers nome
In Flagtown, and secured his outfit, which.
besides pens and pencils and three kinds or
inks, included some blocks of water colors.
Ringers arrest and the unique features
Of the case attracted wide attention
throughout the country and especially
among the handwriting experts. Nearly all
Of them were incredulouS, and refused to
accept the explanations of the secret serv-
Ice men as to how they were made. One OF
them even went so far as to offer 500 bill
for $40 note that would deceive a news
boy. One of the prominent New York news
papers accepted the bet and the result was
that the expert "crawtished,' and he went
into a long explanation of how he had
been deceived
Free-Hand Drawing.
Ringers first work turned up at the
Treasury Department in the redemption di-
vision in 1879, in a batch of notes from one
of the subtreasuries, and was $50 counter
felt. The expert counter detected the spuri-
BUSINESS of the note, and at once began an
investigation.
A careful scrutiny under a magnifying
glass revealed the fact that the note was
a free-hand drawing with pen and ink, and
the perfect likeness of the note was SO
wonderful as to practically defy detection
at the hands Of any but an expert Secret
service officers were at once notified, but were
unable to do anything because the tellers
of the subtreasury, from which the note
was received, was unable to tell how the
note came into their possession. For more
than fifteen years afterward these marvel
GUS works Of art turned up at more or
less frequent intervals, usually arriving at
the treasury in remittances from banks,
where they had escaped detection. They
came from all over the country, every
ton contributing its share to these now
famous notes. Secret service detectives
worked night and day but they could OBJ
tain no clue. In general appearance the
notes were so good that no shop keeper
hesitated about accepting them, and when
they reached the banks the chances were
even that they would again escape detec
ton, so the officers were blocked at every
stage In endeavoring to trace them from
hand to hand.
The chief of the secret service bureau
and his assistants advanced every theory.
One of them was that the maker of the
notes was person Of leisure, gifted with
the faculty for imitation. who developed this
strange fad as an amusement, and that 1t
pleased him to lead the secret service
sleuths a merry chase in pursuit. Until No
vember. 1893, all the notes received at the
a new specimen of Jim the Penman's"
handiwork turned up 1t was 500 legal
tender issue of 1880, bearing the portrait
of Lincoln, and, like the first, received in q
remittance from a subtreasury. Warnings
Of this counterfeit, of the others, was
given the widest publicity. Numerous
points were given wherein they differed
from the genuine and how to detect them.
One of the suggestions was that by pass
ing moistened finger over the serial num-
Der the ink would blur, while in the genuine
ntn IL.
dental application of this test that finally
caused Ringers downfall.
Did All His Work Alone.
The secret service officers attributed Mn
gers long immunity from arrest to the fact
that he worked alone, having no confed-
crates, and that he did not attempt to put
many bills on the market at the same
time. The first thing Ninger did was to
procure bond paper of about the same
quality as that upon which the genuine
notes are printed, with the exception, of
course. that this paper was without the
silk threads to be found in the genuine.
Cutting the paper the exact size of the
regular notes, Ninger immersed 1t in a
weak solution of coffee. This impaired to
the paper the appearance of age and as
having passed through several hands.
While the paper was still wet 1t was placed
over the face of a genuine note the edges
being exactly together. The two were then
placed fiat upon a glass, and every figure
and letter, portrait and vignette together
with the signatures and seals were brought
out in bold relief, and could be plainly seen
through the transparent bond paper. The
pane of glass was then placed against the
window frame at an angle of about 45 de-
grees The light shining through rendered !
the tracing of the genuine engraving quite
distinct. In this position the counterfeiter
commenced work. first with an extremely
sharp and hard-pointed pencil. With 1t he
carefully traced all outlines on the original
note. After the note was thoroughly dry
the same ground gone over with pen
and ink 1t was here that the marvellous
touch and skill of the penman, was dis
played, testing the accuracy of his eye and
the steadiness of his nerve. The colors on
bursh, and these colors so closely resembled
the colors on the genuine note as to con-
tribue materially to the appearance of the
counterfeit. Red and blue ink marks were
made to take the place of the silk threads
which are worked into the pulp of the
government paper. The treasury seal, which
is placed on all paper currency, is almost
invariably placed over a portion of the
main design of the note. thus adding diff
but Ninger kept at 1t with wonderful skill
and fidelity. The same care and attention
were not devoted to the back of the note
1t was usually executed with bursh. In
doing this the artist relied mainly upon the
coloring to add to the deception.
There have been many famous counter
feiters since Ringers time, but he holds the
record as a penman. and 1t ia quite likely
that the secret service officers will never
put In his class.