Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1913-03-27
onContIWe March 2z 1913
Bank Clerks Get Forgers.


w. ]. Burns says that in more than 20
years employment with the Government
Secret Service his department did not
''turn up" a single counterfeit bill. "All
of the credit for discovering counterfeit
money belongs TO the bank clerks OF this
country" said he. I'VE took these bad
notes when they were brought to our at
tention and went after the makers, but it
is these young men in the banks who are
the forger's greatest menace.
81 have been telling bank clerks that
they never need TO pay out money on a
forged check, if they will exercise a SIM
pie precaution. A man brings check to
the paying teller'S window and asks TO
have it cashed. If the teller knows his
man, then il is all right. If he does not
know him he has perfect right TO take
a minute or two to examine the check.
If the check is made out to cash or
bearer ask the stranger if il is his sigma
ture on the bottom. Make him write il
Tor you again, and compare the two. If
the man is not entitled to the money you
will see him edging toward the door by
this time. A forger cannot look you in
the eye and defend bad check"
Mr.. Burns has poor opinion OF the
men who take up counterfeiting, forgery
and safe blowing as business. "There
is nothing so futile as crime" he says.
"People ask me sometimes if there are
any clever crooks. | don't know OF any.
The ones have known were all caught.
But so far as is known, nc one has ever
perpetrated fraud on the Government
currency system and made good with it.
The counterfeiter is like any other crim-
inal; he cannot work without leaving
traces of his activity. If crime appears
to be a mystery it is not because the
perpetrators left no clues, but because no
one has happened 10 find them.
"The cleverest criminals have ever
known were the two photo mechanical
engravers who counterfeitcd the Govern
ment's 800 note bearing the Monroe
head. These men spent two years IN
preparing for their masterpiece. They
were so careful that they thought they
had covered all their tracks. They avoid
ed the commonest pitfall by using genuine
banknote paper, and their work was so
perfect that most OF the 1reaSury'S ex-
perts pronounced the counterfeit bills
genuine. You may remember that the
Government had 10 redeem all OF the
bills of this issue because il could not tell
which were real and which counterfeited.
These men spent 1920, 600 for their own
paper mill, and never relaxed their vigil
ance for moment, but they were caught
and why? Because, as say, no man
can commit crime without slipping up on
something.
"These men solved their greatest prob
lem by working out process for bleach
ing 81 bills, which gave them their white
paper 10 work on. They avoided errors
OF engraving by using photography and
printing from steel plates. Their bills
were as good as those printed by the
Government, but for one small thing. In
trying TO match the color OF small red
seal the counterfeters worked for months
mixing their own inks. BY the time they
had made 1000 combinations or more
they had simplified their methods, with
the result that when they evolved the
correct shade OF red they neglected to
boil the ingredients. A few weeks after
the first bill was put into circulation
clerk at the Sub-Treasury applied wet
thumb to the seal and it smudged. That
opened the investigation that led to the
counterfeiters' conviction.
1.-The bankers organization have done
much TO discourage safe blowing. We
employ yeggmen on our force, whose
business it is TO mingle with crooks and
get into their confidence. The American
Bankers Association never stops pursuit
OF a criminal who has robbed one Of its
members. Many safe = blowers give a
wide berth to any bank carrying men,
bership in the association for that reason.
The crook who robs bank has very
slim chance OF ever enjoying the money
he gets. His egotiSm usually leads him
into talking about his work, if he has moi
been caught, and we are quickly after
him."