The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-22
COUNTERFE|TERS OUT OF BUSINESS Run Out by Federal Secret Service Men
  MIR. WILKIE SUCCEEDS Chief Declares Some Have Quit and Others Are in Jail-Steel En- graying Is Now Out
 of Fashion
MIR. WILKIE SUCCEEDS

Washington Dispatch to the chieago News
 "There are no counterfeiters nowadaSa. said Chief Wilkie of the United stales secret service at Washington the othef day. .No notes have been found during the last year which suggest the work of really clever criminal
 This news is regretfuly confirmed at tho local office Of the secret service. counterfeting simply isn't being done any more The counterfeiters who can copy banknote well enough to deceive a eonfdine old lady are either in the pcn- itentiary or are coming around every two or three days to hand Chief Flynn a little shake and assure him that they are in the mathematical center of the straight and narrow path and trying not to slip
 There is hardly any eoining. even done Now and then some criminal will make few composition coins in plaster casts And then he goes out and peddles them And pretty soon there is violent squawklng on his trail, and he is thrown Into dungeon. and by the time he sets out he has forgotten his cunning.
 .tThe first-rate counterfeits of the past were all done by steel engraving pro cess" explained Operative Henry. Tt takes a smart man to be a good steel en- graver-a smart man. indeed. That sort of man is smart enough to know that no steel engraver in the world can cover his trail We can always pick out his work If we have had one sample from his tool He might just as well sign each counter felt note with his full name and address, telephone number ano office hours. So that there is no steel engraving done. Here and there some one will think that he car get away with q counterfeit Ecte and will make set of plates by photo mechanical process. Well, some of those notes are fairly deceptive. They initiate the government paper pretty wei, to1, But here is where they tumble.
 All Making Bills
 "lt doesn't pay unless they can turn out notes of some size, say $50 to s100 bills. Tn that case every man who ac- eepts ore can describe the man who savo 1t to him. His description may not be an accurate one, but when we have had half dozen descriptions we can make composite that will hit pretty close to the truth. And when the counterfelter devotes himself to the s1 to s2 notes t takes him all the time to pass enousl, to make a living. And the chance of detection rates higher, because of the number of shopkeepers who take his goods.
 sThe only eounterfeiter who has really worried us in a long time is Manuel Ringer, who made per and ink bills Cor $50 and si00 each. It took him a week to make each bill SD that he didn't get rich al it. fle was trapped because the girl cashier who accepted one of his works of art happened to be perspiring. Tine ink ran under her wet fingers and Ar. Ringer was neclxed by pair of brawnies before he knew what had happened NJ. Ringer is even now sitting on a bench in an imperfeetly lighted cell, wondering why he did not insist on dustins the young lady with tacum before he hand ed her the bill
 Afr. Henry does not believe that coun- terfeiting will ever come back into style. In the event of a prolonged period of hard times, or a desperately contested strike, by which many men acquainte l with tho mechanical processes used in counterfeiting are thrown out of work, 1t is probable that a few bad notes might be made.
 That has happened before said he. "But men of this sort only resort to counterfeiting 70 relieve a pressing need The moment the rent is paid, or the grocer is squared. they bury the plates. They are too smart to stay in a business that always has fall at the hinder end :
 Sporting Mems Failures
 When George Consdine locked tue Metropoes doors a man who is fairly we'll known on Broadway appealed to ar ; other who is in touch with large bodies of stale money.
 ~~'Some one" saidshe Twill surely opan hotel to take the Nets place with the sporting men. A long field of waving kale is in sight. Help me to it
 The other man shook his head
 My boy" said he. I've been in this town since Pansy had the pip, and I have yet to see a hotel prosper which catered to the sporting trade Come down to the cemetery with me and glance ,er few epitaphs. There was the old Ss, James, where the Dwyers made their headqrarters years ago. No matter where a racing man might get his mall, the moment he landed in New York hs burned the wind getting to the St James. It has been forgotten for years. Al Smith. who was known from the Seal rocks to the Bay of Fundy as a referee and stare holder, lived at tho Clsey hotel, q little further up the lane. You know what happened. Under some of the lessees guests used to take candles upstairs with them, for rear the gas might be turned or. during the night. The Hoffman became the sporting center. and Billy Edwards. once lightweight champion of the world, took command of the cocktail fleet
 Half of the Hoffman was closed rot long ago after a doubla-barreled reorgsn- ization. Not far away Was the old Colo man house. where Jim corbett lived while he was heavyweight champion. It has been of the map for years. It was esce the custom of sporting men when they reached town to hurry up to the Ross more and hand Paddy Roche an l. c. G. If Paddy could have sold the broken checks and worthless l. O. us by gross weight when he we,,t under he could have started up q modest little business. Then the Albany eame along-Jeffrles made i. his headquarte-s and signed ssr- ticles there for his fight with Johnson and the Albanys windows have no cu..- tains on them now. Mad now the MetrS- pole-and Considine ccald paper the house with the signed acknowledgements of men prominent in various walks of electric-iighted life He might just as well paper the walls with 'em. too
 "No. my son. No soDrting mans hotel for any part of my n.oney l might b. interested in shop fjr the exclusive use of undertakers for maadoiin players-5lt sports? No,''
 
 Murder an Albanian Pastime