The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-03-29

~s'sssssa SI1 'si's, s %oS S ;,
government. There
are many mor such specimens. Each
n In some manner bears the pattern
Of a bill or coin minted for CirCula
tion In the United States.
This collection exists because many
years ago a painting OF three IS bills
hung in a dingy Bowery saloon. A
man with enormously large hands
caught sight Of the delicate and &C
curate traCery Of the artists brush.
Each day he went into the bar the
picture was before him. Finally a
curious freak Of criminal p~ysCOlOgy
gripped him, and within a year he was
pen etching the most dangerous Coun.
t~erfeits with which the secret service
has probably ever had to deal.
That painting. innocent In itself,
pointed the way and the ease with
which queer bills might be etched
with a pen on bond paper instead OF
on canvas" said Captain Moran. act
ing chief OF the secret service, explain
ing why such an apparently arbitrary
c%onflscation should be made, as In the
case OF the tin box owe
"Of course, nobody believes that
this box cover could ever be passed
as money" continued the captain, but
you know how youngsters who read
the old penny dreadfuls go out and
try to rob and kill because It appears
easy In the stories. This Ia much the
same thing. Only this Is much more
dangerous. The man with the big
hands got away with his counterfeit
ing game for a long time.
Then. too, in the case Of this box
top. on which the printed face OF the
bill is 80 per cent. perfect, think OF
what damage could be done II counter
felt bills were struck from this en-
graved plate.
This boz was designed for a Christ
mas candy receptacle. | have found
that II was made in S%antander. Spain,
for a Cuban Arm.
mo, there isn't much counterfeiting
OF United States obligations done
abroad. but there are lots Of boxes
like this, only none 80 perfect. manu-,
featured. We have other boxes here,
made to resemble stacks OF coins, and
the like"
In this way It really took the dan
gerous operations Of the man with the
huge hand to bring the government to
a realization Of the true Significance
that a painting, box or advertisement
might have to a mind capable OF TAX
ing a criminal turn.
This led to the passage Of a law in
1891 which makes the reproduction OF
any obligation OF the government
coins, bills, bonds, revenue or postage
stamps--a misdemsanor and attaches
a heavy ins.
Over the mantel in the ONCE OF the
service hangs a framed IS bill. 1t Ia
nearly three feet long and proportion
ately wide. II o. taken from the
window OF a Chicago shoe store some
years ago.
Before one of the windows hangs q
transparency, made from . negative,
which shows two 81 bills and two
quarter dollars. The photograph was
made for reproduction on the silk lin
ings Of hats sold by a Baltimore firm
for that price. Many Of these hats
we're disposed OF before the secret
service took a hand.
On another wall Of the many
paintings hang. Usually they are
made on wood, for the bills look much
more natural when they are not paint.
ed on canvas One OF these pictures
represents a number Of barrels over.
flowing with gold certificates.
Almost every gold or silver certif.
cate now In use has at some time or
other been pictured to Just short Of
perfection by the brush OF an artist
and has found Its way into the collec.
ton.
Then there are records OF seizures
Of which no relics were o~btainable, as
In a recent instance Of a Baltimore
merchant, who caused a huge electric
sign to be made carefully and exactly
of minute i~ncandescent bulbs-a re
markably faithful and accurate blaz'
Ing dollar bill-and also in the case
OF another merchant on whose shop
window was painted q IS bill seven
feet long.
Nearly Perfect counterfelts.
The career Of the old counterfeiter
with the big hands Is classic In the
annals Of the secret service because
he is probably the greatest example
of the criminal influence a painting OF
a United States certificate can WELD
as well as because he was perhaps the
pioneer Of c~ounterfelters who have
etched their queer with a pen Instead
Of Depending on engraved plates.
Framed. as examples Of the nearly
perfect and most dangerous Of coun
terfeIts. a Farragut and two Lincoln
200 bills. and one Hamilton $40 and
one Frausln $50 bill hang In thu
secret aerWce Office
Whae Captain Moran, who la o
the .cttaR chief Of he United Statef