Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-11
Notable Case of Counterfeiting.

most unimportant, is said to be remark
able Once he sees a man, it is claimed,
he never forgets him.
Notable Case of Counterfeiting.
Perhaps the most notable case of counter
feiting that has occurred in this country
was that of Kendig and Jacobs For an
unusually long period these men succeeded
in counterfeiting United States revenue
stamps of various denominations. These
counterfeits were SO perfect that the ordi-
nary business man was unable to detect
them. These stamps were sold and the
criminals realized 1t is believed nearly
$2tOOOO from their sale before detection
occurred. Having so successfully carried
on this SCENE these men commenced coun-
terfeiting greenbacks. In this work the
counterfeits were so perfect that for
time the members of the secret service
were baffied. Some of these bills were of
large denominations, and among the gang
engaged in the enterprise were men hlth-
erto of good standing and integrity in the
business community. The discovery was
made just in the nick of time, for had it
gone on a little while longer 1t is claimed
the country wwould have been flooded with
not less than 100000 of very dangerous
counterfeits
The largest haul of counterfeit money
was made by the secret service officials
in 1891. 1t amounted to s2155 O95. These
counterfeit bills were captured by the
agents of the secret service and brought to
the treasury Department at washington.
All Sorts of Counterfeits.
Not only are revenue stamps counter
feited, but postage stamps to the amount
of many thousands of dollars, have been
engraved and sold by sharps. Generally,
however, these are quickly recognized and
gathered in by the detectives. 1t is claimed
that sons of the best men in the country
have been caught in this business. Many
M nf
queer are foreigners-some Italians, some
Austrians some Germans and Frenchmen.
The average Italian makes desperate
fight when arrested and will use the dag
ger readily To make their business sue
cessful these people will first pass off a
quantity of good money, which is followed
by the bad. and the unsuspecting victim
discovers his loss too late
The heather Chinee' is said to be a
very clever artisan and the work of con-
verting Mexican silver dollars. worth As
cents, into a good dollar of our money has
proved very profitable Large sums of this
counterfeit of excellent quality have been
brought into the United States from the
Philippines and dumped in California This
has been stopped. AT first it was supposed
1t came from Mexico.
Raised Bills Deceptive.
Raised bills have deceived many close
observers. These are the result of very
skillful work. Sometimes a bill is split.
and in no way altered. Again they are
very adroitly raised from 81 to $40 and sue
cessfully palmed off.
1t has been said that immense sums OF
counterfeit silver dollars and half dollars
have been at one time and another brought
into the United States from Mexico, and
that large proportion reached this coun-
try via FL Paso. In some instances these
silver coins were nearly perfect that
they were not discovered until they reach
ed the treasury. With silver at 80 cents
an ounce the profits even for good dollars
would be limited only by the amount DIS
posed of. AT the same time counterfeit
bills in denominations of So, $40 and 500
the most perfect ever seen by the govern
ment-passed through the national banks
undetected until they reached the expe-
rienced eyes of the women detectives in the
treasury
The variety of crimes by the agents OF
the secret service is extensive. On one &C.
c5sion a gentleman entered a national bank
ana requested to be shown counterfeit
bill they had recently received. He repre-
serted himself an agent of the secret
service. He was shown a counterfeit S1Ot
bill. and he demanded that IL be given him
to be returned to the treasury. The UNI
suspecting banker complied, and two days
later the identical bill was again deposited
in the bank. The pretended agent had de-
csmped.
A well-dressed young gentleman entered a
saloon in New York and paid for a drink
with a bad silver dollar. AS he was leav-
ing, the barman called him back With
profuse apologies. the gentleman handed
out "a 81 counterfeit bill and pocketed his
good change and departed.
His Own Grandfather.
Another instance Is that of man who
presents claim for pension. On investi-
cation 1t seems that the proper claimant
had been dead for some time. The pre-
tended claimant was in fact grandson
30 he was attempting to personate his OWL