The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-04-24

Oh, netlo, Poet greeted MITCHELL.
President of the Bankers Protective
Association. as wiry little man with
broad shoulders and stocky chest
stepped into his private room unan-
nounced, took of wide-brimmed
straw hat bound with light navy
blue ribbon. and ran firm, smooth fin
gers through tousle of outstanding
brown hair was Just on the point
OF calling you up"
Saved you nickel, then" drawled
Christopher Poe, dropping into chair
and beginning to fan himself slowly
with his hat What's new? You
look as though you just side-stepped
bomb"
Something interesting" Mitchell
announced, glancing uneasily at the
door, a trifle open. Rising abruptly,
he stepped over and shut It securely.
Coming back, he reached out mechani-
cally. as though he had made the same
motion hundred times that day. and
drew from pigeonhoIe handful of
crisp five-dollar bills, thrusting them
into Poe's fingers with nervous quick
ness.
Is this hush money. or donation
to the head office boy of the Bankers
Protective, which capacity so humbly
fill? asked Poe, lifting highly arched
eyebrow and holding 1t quiyering for
a questioning moment.
Look 1t over, said Mitchell turn
ing sidewise and drumming nervously
on magnifying glass he had dropped
al Poe's entrance
Christopher Poe separated one OF the
bills, held 1t first to the light started
slightly. and then quickly turned the
bill face up and smoothed 1t over his
knee. bending close to examine it.
Quick as thought he snatched the mag
n.fying lens from Mitchelis fingers
and closely studied the bill for full
minute. Then he looked up and
smiled
Why. it's at least miIlimeter out.
Nobody's ever been able to get old Gen
eral Jackson's jaw just right, except
the man who made the genuine plate.
It's been tried often. hasn't it?"
There are two other counterfeits of
that bill" answered Mitchell (" Neither
of them any good at all But this is
different. They found out the bill was
bad by that lengthy jaw. But that
bills been slipping through several
banks for week or more Think of
1t, just discovered to-day Cookbook
ing bill. isn't it? Paper fine, print has
the proper snap. everything right but
that jaw; it's Just hair less than a
nstlhnieter too long. as you noticed. |
knew It wouldn't escape you"
How much of the stuff is out?"
Nearly twenty thousand is IN"
cried Mitchell. " It's fine mess! God
knows how much Is out! Think of it!
Think of New York banks being fooled
on lunches of this stuff. they've taken
in twenty thousand dollars, and the
roll you have there contains samples of
1t ALL
But it's the best paper I've ever
seen, exclaimed Christopher Poe
slightly flushed. having turned again
to the bill. The counterfeiter hasn't
missed on a thing but that jaw, and
how any man could duplicate that is
more than ! can tell President Jack
sons jaw was lucky thought on that
'o7 note: nobody could ever copy his
head exactly as it's reproduced on the
bill. It's lantern jaw, so shaped that
1t can stand the extra mfllimeter and
escape notice. But that paper Is what
worries me- 1t looks just like the real
thing. That fellow must have got a
hold of batch of the real stuff some
where. Measurements are exactly
right The two scattersilk lines run
ming through the bill are correct BY
George, here's mystery worth mans
trouble,
It's a remarkable bill. replied Nit
chell. Do you notice the web-stitch-
ing on the back is exactly right. too?"
Poe turned the certificate over.
Remarkable, he exclaimed, hav-
ing examined the green and white web
hing. put ON with the effect of fan-trac-
cry in the cathedrals, In intricate de
sign, difficult to initiate
There's nothing else out Of proper
| ton but Jackson's Jaw queried
Christopher Poe. glancing at the fine
printing on the green back of the note
which begins: This NOTE is legal
tender at its face value -"
No, they didn't report anything
else, and haven't found thing
Poe paid no attention to the reply.
he seemed deeply Interested In the
/ printing. reading It carefully through
the magnifier. Suddenly, right at the
end. he stopped and looked at Mitchell
| quizzically, through strange violet eyes.
Handing Mitchell the bill and point
ing 80 the printing he queried:
Have you read this?"
No. I dare say that's all right The
fellow wouldn't likely be such a shrewd
engraver and make any mistake on the
plain printing"
Suppose you read It, then" Poe
| handed him the bill and picked up
another. holding 1t far from his eyes
and staring at 1t absently.
Meanwhile Mitchell read the follow
ing usual form, printed on the back
of the 1907 fiye-dollar note:
This note is a Legal tender at
Its face value for all debts
public and private except dutiea
on Imports and Interest on the
Public Debt
! Counterfeiting or altering this
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