Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-10-25
TELLS OF
SPURIOUS BILLS
DISCUSSES HOW TO DETECT
COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY
TAUGHT BY A DETECTIVE
Amusing Joke Played on His Father
by Secret Service nan and Its
Good Results--Tells the Story Be.
fore Clever Painting OF SIS
;'ote.

1 nave neither received nor passed
counterfeit bill in 80 years. re-
marked Judge J. NJ. Ferelcs, the well
known Milwaukee Juriat, although
during that time l have handled an
| immense amount of currency"
The judge said this while standing
with party of friends examining an
zens Trust comyany's office in the
Cream City, representing a IS green
back, SO nicely executed that it re-
quires the closest examination to dis
cover that it Is not a genuine bill.
Il tell al my friends that ask me
about the picture that it is a counter.
felt bill, aud it takes them a long time
to discover what | mean. Most of
them think there is history connect
ed with the money; that it is the first
So earned either by my brother or
myself in starting out on life's jour
ney. AS matter of fact, that picture
was painted by Lydston, formerly of
| Wauwatosa, but who is now dead. 1t
struck my fancy and l gave him 1925
for it. and hung it up in the office.
But l want 10 tell you something
One morning years. ago--I was young
fellow then--a man with silk ha'
on his head. fancy nec1tie and an
altogether flashv looking individual,
came into the office He wore large
and sparkling diamond pin and looked
for all the world like a sport. He
stepped - 10 me and, taking a $40
bill FROM his pocket, inquired
Can you change this for me?"
Il was suspicious in minute and
replied:
No, we don't carry money over
night in our vault.
Well look at the bill and tell me
if it is good
az have my doubts, replied, but
will ask my father
81 passed the bill through the little
window in the partition that shut
father off from the main Office, and
asked him if it was a genuine green
back.
ives, that bill is all right. he re
Piled.
Did you ever know a gentleman
to have his picture taken without hav-
ing buttons on his coat?" and with
that SHY the stranger made the Office
I resonant with his laughter.
This brought father out of his Of
fee, and he insisted that the bill was
good, barring the absence of the but
IONS, for which he could not account.
The dashy gentleman and father
had a rather animated discussion.
Father informed him that he had
never been deceived With a counter
felt in all his bushes. career, and
then opened the drawer in his desk
and displayed quite a., assortment of
bills that were bad which had been
taken in by myself and some of the
other clerks.
'.The stranger reached over and
took possession of the counterfeits, at
the same time exhibiting his commits
sion as a United States official in the
secret service.
~ suppose may take these?' he
said.
Certainly replied father. but /
want no trouble over this. have been
/ keeping these bills as safeguard
against being further IMPOSED on. In
fact as n sort of object lesson to my
son here to be more careful.
There viii be no trouble on that
score, but for $50 I will teach your
son in twenty minutes so that he will
be able to detect any counterfeit that
was ever made
II will give YOU $50 if you will
prove your assertion. | don't believe
You can do it, if YOU will pardon me,
said father
THE man produced a microscope
and began to point out the fine points
/ OF genuine biz, showing how the en-
graver in mixing the shade lines never
raised his hand from the work. and
+ how the lines traversed over certain
figures in the bill and how the coun-
tt7felters slip up on some of these de-
tails
But my boys cannot go about
armed with microscopes. objected
father.
THAT viii not be necessary after
they have learned their lesson.
1T WIS finally arranged that the
man should come to the Office the fol-
lowing day. aud in the meantime we
were to set mp class to take lessons
/ in how TO detect counterfeit money
The class was made up ready for
him. It consisted Of r. J. Pereles.
who was attending the high school at
+ the time. but staid out that day TO
take the lesson; John Owens. now a
resident Of Seattle; A. J. Beaumont,
a prominent lawy ar of Pueblo. Sena.
+ tor Rip Reukema. aud Robert Lus-
/ comhe, who were employees In father ;
Office at that time.
He instructed us for about fifteen
minutes, and then taking mp his satch.
81, he emptied upon the library table
hundreds Of bills of al denominations,
aud we were able to pick out the gen
uine ones without the least difficulty.
although the counterfeits were finely
executed.
Father offered the man $50. he
was so well pleased with his work.
but he refused to take more than $50.
He asked for recommendation.
which was given him and he formed
classes in each of the banking houses