Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-06-09


ION to 4 Star reporter (which may be
round handy for reference from time
TO time. says the Washington Star.
u noted with interest what an ex-
pert counterfeiter had to say in the
Star recently OH the subject of the
possible making OF counterfeit notes
from the refuse material of the macer.
ator. If he can devise any process by
which such of this stuff as finds its
way into the hands Of the public
through the postal cards, images, etc,
which are made of 1t can be turned
into good counferfeiting paper ne I'M
he smarter man than the average OF
his kind; but will undertake to as
sert that We will get him very quick.
ly.
Other men have beyond n doubt
acted upon this idea to n greater or
lesser extent, but ii. their experiments
have resulted successfully we have yet
to have counterfeits made from this
kind of paper revamped ana sprung
upon us. You see. the Government is
i'll the business of making money and
catching others who also want to
make itiunlawfully, and while the lat
ter have succeeded at intervals, we
have come out the victor in the end.
and are still at same old stands do.
Ing business catching counterfeiters
'tAll United States notes are print
ed in sheets of four notes of one de-
nomination on each sheet. Each note
is lettered in It's respective order, In
the upper and lower corners dagon.
ally opposite, A. B. C. and d., and we
have this system for numbering our
notes: All numbers, on being divided
INtr loo
have the check letter Al remainder,
b; remainder, c; even numbers. or
with no remainder, ID. Any United
States note the number upon WITCH
can lie divided by 4 without showing
the above result is counterfeit, and
while this rule is not infa1lible in all
instances, it will be found of service
in the detection of counterfeits.
Compared with dozen or so years
ago, there is nothing like the counter
Shortly after the war the country
was practically flooded with 1t,
but SO perfect Is the machinery
of the secrat- service, and so
successful have its officers been In
recent years in unearthing the big
plants and their operators, and plac.
ing the latter behind the bars, that
during the past six months of the past
fiscal year there was not one new
counterfeit note issued. The receipts
of subsidiary counterfeit coins at the
sub-treasury ut New York have been
In recent times inconseQuential. Som
time ago an Italian silversmith, who
was an expert coin counterfeiter was
captured, and the destruction of his
plant and hiss subsequent conviction
had q wholesome eject upon his fel,
low countrymen, some of whom have
come TO the United States for the
sole purpose of counterfeiting its sill
yer coins. Only five counterfeit is.
sues of notes made their appearance
during the year in question, and of
these three were new and two the re.
issues of old counterfeits.
This shows now well tho counter
felt situation, rs it were, is kept in
check and under control by the Coy
ernment. BY some 1t is supposed that
most of our counterfeiters come from
abroad. but this is not strictly accll.
rate, though many of those who at.
tempt to initiate our silver dollar and
the subsidiary coin issues hail from
Italy and Russia.
1T is our home talent, however,
which gets in it's best work from the
counterfeiter's standpoint. OF the 1856
arrests made by the secret service Of
ficials during the past year for the
offense of counterfeiting, no less than
244, / regret to say, were born in this
country, sunny Italy furnishing eigh-
Teen and frozen Russia nine. To thor
oughly understand how well the Gov
eminent had put stopper on the
counterfeiting of us paper money
there were but 81 arrests last year
for manufacturing or seeking to pass
counterfeit paper money, as against
212 for passing counterfeit silver coin.
you see, in order to set UP first
class counterfeit shop for the turning
out OF good paper counterfits there
on the part of the spurious money
makers that they get discouraged or
caught in most instances almost at
the very outset of their would-be
easy-money.making careers. All Of
the good engravers who are capable of
turning out good plates are more or
less under the constant supervision of
the secret service officers, while the
paper supply, or it's possible supply,
IS equally we'll watched. So what is
the poor counterfeiter to do but to
take his lemon squeeze it and weep?
Because gold and silver coins pass
current out on the Pacific coast where
notes do not yet circulate freely, as
in the East, California has more coun.
terfeiting cases than any other State
in the Union, with Pennsylvania, with
its large foreign population in the
mining regions a close second.
"a moderately deceptive IS silver
certificate was made in Italy, imported
into this country by various gangs OF
Italians and passed quite extensively
in the Eastern States. but the secret