Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-10-10
MAKES MONEY ORDERS SAFE
POSTOFFICE HAS A NEW KIND
WHICH CAN'T BE RAISED.

the LoSer-HoW the Games are
Worked-Tradesne Will Always
Take Them at Face.
That gang of clever crooks which
has been acquiring some wealth and
more notoriety by raising the
amounts on postal money orders has
about reached the end of its rope, and
within month or SO its members
will have to HE themselves to the tan
grass and concoct a new scheme for
obtaining their livelihood. says the
Washington Star. This method OF
getting coin of the realm has been
in vogue many years, but during the
last twelve months it has been ex-
tremely popular, and the postoffice In
spectors have been so busy running
down the thieves that they have had
little time for anything else.
Postmaster General Cortelyou has
been working on this problem, with
the able assistance of Mr.. Hitchcock,
and it is now announced that new
form of money order has been devils
ed which, if it does not defy forgery,
will make forgeries and alterations
extremity difficult. Befor Mr.. Cortel-
you left on his vacation he approved
the new form, and work on the prep
aration of plates will be begun imme-
diately.
Twice before since the postal mon
ey order system was established, in
1864. has the style of the order been
changed-once in 1884 and again In
1897. These changes were made not
to prevent forgeries but to simplify
the system. Now the system is SO
simple that it has been found neces-
sary to make it more intricate. Just
what the style of the new order will
be could not be ascertained today,
but Mr.. Cortelyou recently stated that
when the department determined up
on form it would be pretty nearly
proof against the tricks of the crooks.
The operations of the forgers have
eminent, for Uncle Sam is amply pro-
tected. The Office issuing money
order makes a carbon copy OF the
original, and this is sent to the pay
ing office to guide it's clerks. When
any change has been made in the
original order the discrepancy is ap-
parent at a glance when compared
with the carbon copy. This protects
the postmaster, but if the postmaster
should make a mistake and pay an
order that has been raised he will
have to pay the difference out of his
salary. So the government cannot
lose directly.
The scheme Of the forgers and
raisers has been to purchase an or
der for % or so cents, payable to
themselves, under fictitious names.
Then they erase the amount with
acid and fill in any amount they de-
sire, usually between $50 and 500.
Then going to a merchant they will
purchase S. or $40 worth of goods
ment receiving the change, which
represents the net profit to the crook.
A money order is usually looked up
on as a certificate of deposit, show
ing that the bearer has the amount
named in the order on deposit with
the government Consequently it has
been an easy matter to work the
merchants. When the merchant
takes the order to the postofice TO
have it cashed he discovers the swim
die.
A postofIice inspector relates an
incident showing how one saloon
keeper near Denver, Col, captured a
couple of crooks who tried the money
order forgery on him. According to
the inspector, the proprietor of the
saloon had been in Denver all day
and drove back to his home late in
the evening, arriving about midnight.
He tied his horse to post and went
into the saloon to see how things
were going on. The barkeeper in
formed him that two men had just
left the saloon after buying a round
of drinks and offering in payment
a. money order for $50, which the bar
keeper cashed.
The proprietor examined the or
der, and although he could detect no
alterations his suspicious were arous-
ed and ne determined to get the men.
Going out to his buggy he turned the
horse toward Denver, believing that
the men would walk rather than take
the railroad. Half way between his
home and Denver he overlook two
men who answered the description
given him by the barkeeper. Driving
up to them he asked if they were 60
ing to Denver. The men said they
were and the saloonkeeper offered
them a Gift" This was accepted and
the three men in the buggy Travelled
on toward Denver Reaching the city
the saloonkeeper announced that it
was quite late-nearly 2 a. m.-but
that he had a friend in the saloon
business in Denver whom he could
awaken and he believed they could
all get a drink. This offer was also
accepted and the two crooks held
the horse while the host" awaken
ed his friend. Presently the doors of
the Denver saloon opened and the
country saloonkeeper invited his
friends in to have drink. They came
and were met inside the door by the
two saloonkeepers, each with six
shooter in his hand The police were
called, the money recovered and the
crooks sent to the penitentiary.
With the new scheme the depart
ment hopes to prevent this sort of
crooked work, and it has been init
mated that among other changes the
exact amount of the order will be
plugged out with a punch similar
to those now used by the banks
Ways of Reading.
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