The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-09-02
MAKE MONEY ORDERS SAFE
POST OFFICE HAS 4 NEW KIND
 WHICH CAN'T BE RAISED.

-HoW. the Games are worked
 Tradesmen wIl Always Take Them
 at Face. ...-a
 That gang of clever crooks which has been acquiring some wealth and more notoriety by raising the amoutHs on postal money orders has about reached the end of it's rope, and within month or so its members will have to hie themselves to the tall grass and con- eoct a new scheme for obtaining their livelihood, says the Washington Star. This method of getting coin of the ream lhas been in vogue many years. but during the last twelve months 1t has been extremely popular, and the post office inspectors 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 Mir. Hitchcock, and 1t is now announced that a new form of money order has been devised which, if 1t does not defy forgery, will make for geries and alterations extremely diffi- cult. Before MT. Cortelyou left on his vacation he approved the new form, and work on the preparation of plates will be begun immediately.
 Twice before, since the postal money order system was established, in 1864, has the style of the order been changed --once in 1894 and again in 1897. These changes were made not to prevent for geries, but to simplify, the system. Now. the system is so simple that it has been. found necessary to5n1ake it more intri- cate. Just what the style of the new order will be could not be ascertalned to-day, but Mir. Cortelyou recently stated that when the department deter mined upon a form 1t would be pretty nearly proof against the tricks of the crooks.
 The operations of the forgers have not directly caused loss to the govern ment, for Uncle sam IS amply protect ed. The office Issuing a money order makes a carbor copy of the original, and this is sent to the paying office to guide Its clerks. When any change has been made in the original order the discrepancy is apparent at 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 order for twenty five or fifty cents, payable to themselves, under fictitious names. Then they erase the amount with acid and fill in any amount they desire, usu- ally between fifty and one hundred dol- lars. Then going to a merchant they will purchase five or ten dollars worth of goods and tender the money order in payment, receiving the change, which represents the net profit to the crook. A money order is usually looked upon as a certificate of deposit, showing that the bearer has the amount named in the order on deposit with the govern nent. Consequently 1t has been an easy matter to work" the merchants. When the merchant takes the order to the post-off1ce to have it cashed he dis covers the swindle.
 z. A post-off1ce inspector relates an inci- dent showing how one saloon keeper near Denver, Col, captured a couple of crooks who tried the money order for gery on him. According to the inspec- tor, the proprietor of the saloon had been in Denver alltday and drove back to his home late in the evening, arriv- ing about midnight. He tied his horse to e post and went into the saloon to see how things were going On. The barkeeper. informed him that two men had just left the saloon after buying a round of drinks and offering in pay mert a money order for fifty dollars, which the barkeeper cashed. < :.
 The. proprietor examined the order, and although he could detect no altera- tions his suspicious were aroused, and he determined to get the men. Going out to his buggy he turned the horse to- ward Denver, believing that the men would walk rather than take the rail- road, Half way between his home and Denver he overlook two men who an- swered the description given him by the barkeeper. Driving up to them he asked if they were going to Denver. The men said they were and the sa- loonkeeper offered them "lift." This was accepted and the three men in the buggy travelled on toward Denver Reaching the city the saloonkeeper an- nounced that it was quite late-nearly 2 a. rr1.-brts that he had 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' awakened his friend. Presently the doors of the Denver saloon opened and the country saloon-keeper invited his friends in to have drink They come and were met inside the door by the two saloon-keep- CTS, each with six shooter in his hand. The police were called, the money re- covered and the crooks sent to the pen- itentiary.
 With the new scheme the department hopes to prevent this sort of crooked work, and it has been intimated that among other changes the exact amount of the order will be, plugged" out with punch similar to those now used by banks.