Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-07-11
MONEY MARKED WITH A PIN.
Detective Says This Is Better Method
Than Marking With a Pen.

Than Marking With Pen.
"How is money marked?" repeated
a headquarters detective. "Wel, II
is not marked in the manner that the
public thinks it is.
''The average person, no doubt, be-
lieves that money is marked by prl'
yate marks placed on the bills with
pen and ink; perhaps some employers
thus mark the bills they place in the
cash drawer which is being robbed
by a dishonest clerk. Of course,
marked money of this kind is good
evidence in court on the trial of a
man upon which it has been found.
But check mark in ink, unless very
eXpertly put on, might, with the aid
of good lawyer for the accused, be
shown to have been perhaps acciden-
tai, and thus would the ever-sought,
reasonable doubt of the accused's par
ticipation in the robbery be raised.
There are several different ways
of marking money by police experts
to the end that they may establish
it's positive identity of having been
in their hands before the thief eX-
tracted it. The way | personally en-
ploy and which is perhaps the safest
to secure certainty of conviction, is
the pin prick method
Let us take the familiar silver GER
tificate of the fiVe-dollar denomination
for an illustration; one that has been
somewhat worn is better than new
note from the Treasury. In the GEN.
ire is the we'll known vignette of the
head of an Indian chief in dress re-
gala of feathers and trappings, pre-
senting full face view. We now
take this pin and make two punctures
right through the bill and div city
through the pupils of the eyes-so. l
you saw me make the punctures,
they are not visible at casual and
even critical glance.
Il now raise it to the light and you
can see the two tiny hoes made by
the pin point as distinctly as wiz
dows in a building. I then apply the
pin point very neatly at the twist in
the neck of the large figure at the
two upper extreme ends of the nOt2.
You will observe that these diminu-
tive twists do not appear in the necks
Of the two figures of which are in
both ends at the bottom Of the note.
l then pierce the note at the extreme
ends Of the scrolls on either side OF
the word five, which may be seen
in the direct centre of the note at its
lower edge
"The marking of the note is now
complete. 1t is exhibited to one or
two persons in the secret for the par
poses of preliminary examination and
Identification, and then placed in the
money drawer, perhaps with several
others of the same denomination, all
exactly marked alike with the great
est care The thief may be on the
lookout for marked bills, usually ink
marks, but he is q slick one who will
get on to the invisible but surely pres
ent pin pricks. You see, this class
of thieving does not admit of cru
cial examination of the money before
taking; it is usually done very quick
ly by palming the bills, placing them
in some preliminary place of safety,
to be later removed. Then we count
on detection with the bills on the
person before the thief has chance
to exchange or to spend them.
"And the pin pricks remain? In
deed they do. The money is after
ward carefully placed in envelopes
and is not promiscuously handled.
When they are exhibited in court and
their preliminary preparation explain
ed under oath conviction is practical
ly certain-Washingto Star.