The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-25


menting thereon. expurgating. nor edit
ing them
II was never a sentimental man"
,autUred Captain Dickson one evening,
settling back In his chair and display
ing his kentucky ancestry by hosting
his feet upon the table. a characters
tir attitude with him when in full re-
rosa hut on one occasion ! fear
iat love affair prevent me from do
ing the fun measure of my duty. 1t
is not a long story. and / viii relate
il 60 YOU may judge for yourself if my
action was not for the best. That be
lief is balm to my conscience when ii
pricks me for this derelictiOn.
a few years ago, as you viii re-
mon, nar there was quite a scandal
over the discovery of a gigantic swim
die worked on the federal government,
through bogus cigar camps The trick
was turned by a large cigar factory
in a certain eastern city. / worked
ON this casef rom start to finish and
II was a pretty feather in the cap of
the secret service department. The
pripting plant of the cOunterfeiters
was captured, together with all of
the operatives and a large quantity
Of tax paid stamps for boxes of fifty
and hundred cigars The president
# the factory highly respected bank
n. was involved and sent up for a
.erm OF years. along with the other
criminals.
only one person escaped who was
known to have been connected with
the scheme. This was the engraver
Of the plates from which the stamps
we're printed. The engraving was eX-
,eIlently executed and denoted skill
and what the artists call feeling
There is an individuality about the
work Of every artist, just as there
S a distinctive quality to every per-
sons handwriting. Perhaps you have
7oticed this in the pictures in the
funny papers and in the comic sec
lions Of the dailies. One familiar with
these drawings can name the artist
every time without seeing the sigma
ture. This rule holds good quite as
much in engraving as in any of the
other drafting arts.
In the files of my library are sam
pies of the work of every enSraver
ever employed by the bureau of en-
craving and printing, as we'll as of
every employee of the large printing
companies which make postage stamps
and bank notes for foreign govern
ments. These samples are labeled
and filed away with data regarding the
NH@ aver anu q DiAolOSi cipAA- II NAAeAN -
obtainable. The government has TO
keep a constant watch upon these men.
for from their ranks come the most
dangerous and troublesome counterfeit
erS with whom we have TO contend.
The bogus cigar stamps were en-
larged by photography and compared
with the work of every -engraver in
the files. 1t was evident to the ex-
perienced eye that none of these haG
turned the trick.
Among the captured plates was one
which had never been used. 1t was
Tor a stamp of small denomination. II
was found in the safe where the Other
plates were kept. still oiled and in
closed in the wrapper that had doubt
less been put on il by the engraveI
when he finished the job. Plainly
marked on the wrapper. with the vase
line that coated the plate. were the
prints Of four fingers and a thumb
They were long. tapeTing. shapely fin,
rs-unqGestiopably those of an artist
Here was undisputable proof of the
identity of the engraver or of the per-
SoT who had tied up the die after its
completion
One of the members Of the gang
had said that this plate had never
oreh uuwraDped but that il had been
'laced IN the safe. just as il came
from me engraver. None Of the pris-
"HtIS. however gave the slightest clew
s' loe identity Of that individual. II
go Do seemed that no one but the
".hH president knew who had made
.' piaJeS and while he made a COM
rs,e confession on all other points. he
iact '9'0' 'i' ''''0
some years had passed since th
mp case was closed. when I accept
an invitation To visit college mate
,I; ulle OF the cities which lie on the
LSS'pnl river I was determined
nave q complete rest and did not
,,ts-- -la department know my
-fs,..-,' 'gllS did not want to be
5,,-f. ,oeI with professional matters
.. ing mis- vacation. 1t was q delight
- place 10 visit. rare old southern
80 '''--. Where every member of the
made the visitor feel that each
60 '''olt llually hOnored by his pres
49,. emo soon forgot my work. the
v+-L .'eht, and everything connected
,-s-a..l 10 the real pleasure of my
Oh cue afternoon I stroIled down to
il'er front 10 watch the negro
haIss unload the rampant of cotton
- from q big river packet A pretty
,rbjIldl Vas tied up near by. and
--- i SmoSed contentedIv. seated On
F--1-nDent bale Of cotton a carriage
80 loNn the steep. rock-faced sur
rsvot TIE levee and stopped at the
nv. ms plank. scarcely twenty feet from
N, man and woman alighted from
- ,arrage- Ii was evident they
very much in love and small was
Wonder The man was a handsome
t,lL" Young. intelligent and every
So o. MIN a gentleman: but tool,
49,. nouce OF him. forgetting his
u'-e IN the marvellous beauty OF
ne woman She was slender. grace
Snc beautiful Every movement
~, % Wltching- They were lovers. hut
~, me Kind that arouse amusement.
~ ~ zoo often, disgust in the minds IF
~, spectator. They were interesting
appealed TO every spark of senti-