The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-05-31
MONEY MARKED WITH A PIN.
Detective SAYS This is Better Methe

| Detective Says This is Better Method
Than Marking With a Pen.
How is money marked?" repeated
headquarters detective. well, 1t is
mot marked in the manner that the
public thinks it is.
The average person, no doubt be-
lieves that money is marked by private
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 man upon
which it has been found. But a check
mark in ink, unless very expertly put
on, might, with the aid of a good law
yer for the accused, he shows to have
been perhaps accidental, and thus
would the ever-sought, reasonable
doubt of the accused's participation in
the robbery be raised.
There are several different ways OF
marking money by police experts tc
the end that they may establish its
positive identity of having been in
their hands before the thief extracted
it, The. way 1 personally employ, 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 anew
note from the treasury. In the center
is the well known vignette of the head
of an Indian chief in dress ragalia of
feathers and trappings. presenting a
full face view, We now take this pin
and make two punctures right through
the bill and directly through the pupils
of the eyes-so hand you the bill and,
even though you saw me make the
punctures, they arenot visible at a cas-
ual and even critical glance.
Il now raise it to the light and you
can see the two tiny holes made by the
pin point as distinctly as windows in
building. / then apply the pin point
very neatly at the twist in theneck of
the large figure at the two upper OK.
IRENE ends of the note. You will OBJ
serve that these dininutive twists do
not appear in the necks of the two fig
ures Of which are in both ends at the
bottom of the note. / then pierce the
note at the extreme ends of the schools
on either side of the word FIVE, which
may tbe seen in the direct center 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 purposes
of preliminary examination and iden-
tif1catlon, and then placed in the mon
ey drawer, perhaps with several others
of the same denomination, all exactly
marked alike with the greatest care.
the thief may be ON the lookout for
marked bills, usually ink marks, but he
Is slick one who will get on to the in
visible but surely present pin bricks,
You see, this class of thieving does not
admit of crucial examination of the
money before taking; it is usually done
very quickly by palning 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 A
chance to exchange or to spend them.
And the pin pricks remain? Indeed
they do. The money is afterward care
fully placed In envelopes and is NOT
pron1iscuouslyhandled, When they are
exhibited in court and their prelImlna-
ry preparation explained under oath
conviction Is practically certain,
Washington Star