The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-08-26

BACK from the WIGS Oh NEW OIlCdAS
and Mexico" greeted Mitchell. Presi-
dent OF the Bankers Protective Asso-
citation, as Poe stepped into his private
room, unannounced, the second day
after his return from Mexico.
Il was just on the point of calling
you up" continued Mitchell.
Saved you nickel, them drawled
Christopher Poe. dropping into a
chair, and beginning to fan himself
slowly with his hat What's new?
You look as though you'd just side
stepped bomb"
Something interesting" Mitchell
announced, glancing uneasily at the
door, trifie open. Rising abruptly,
he stepped over, and shut it securely
Coming back, he reached out mechan-
IDEALLY, as though he had made the
same motion a hundred times that
day, and drew from a pigeon-hole a
handful of crisp five-dollar bills, thrust
ing them into Poe's fingers with nerv-
Gus quickness.
lis this hush money, or donation
TO the head Office boy of the Bankers
Protective, which capacity / so hum
bly, FLIP" asked Poe, lifting highly
arched eyebrow, and holding it CULVER
ering for a questioning momeEt.
Look it over" said Mitchell, turn
ing sidewise, and drumming nervously
on magnifying-glass he had dropped
at Poe's entrance.
Christopher Poe separated one Of
the bills from the package, held it 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 magnifying-lens from
MitchelPs fingers, and studied the bill
for full minute. Then he looked up
and smiled.
"Why. it's at least a millimeter
out. Nobody's ever been able to get
old General Jacksons 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 sew
eral banks for q week or more. Think
of it! Just discovered today. Good
looking bill, isn't it? Paper fine, print
has the proper snap; everything right
but that jaw; it's just hair less than
a millimeter too long, as you noticed.
knew it wouldn't escape you"
How much of the stuff is out?"
Nearly twenty thousand is I'M"
cried Mitchell. Its a fine mess! God
knows how much is out! Think of it!
Think of New York banks being fooled
on punches of this stuff; they've
taken in twenty thousand dollars, and
the roll you have there contains sam
pies of it all"
But it's the best paper I've ever
scent" exclaimed Christopher Poe,
slightly flushed, having turned again
to the bill. 1.-THE counterfeiter hasn't
missed on a thing but that jaw, and
how any man could duplicate that is
more than 1 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
it can stand the extra millimeter and
escape notice. But that paper is what
worries me. 1t looks just like the real
thing. That fellow must have got
hold of a batch of the real stuff some
where. Measurements are exactly
right. The two scatter-silk lines run
ming through the bill are correct By
George, here's a mystery worth
mans troubled"
tits a remarkable BILL" replied
Mitchell. do you notice the web
stitching on the back is exactly right,
1907"
Poe turned the certificate over.
Remarkable" he exclaimed, hav-
ing examined the green and white
webbing, put on with the effect of
fan-tracery in the cathedrals, in in
tricate design, difficult to initiate.
There's nothing else out of proper
lion but Jackson's jaw" queried
Christopher Poe, glancing at the fine
printing on the green back OF the
note, which begins: This note is a
legal tender at its face value
mo, they didn't report anything
else, and / haven't found thing"
Poe paid no attention to the reply;
ne seemed deeply interested in the
printing, reading it carefully through
the magnifier. Suddenly, right at the
end, he stopped, and looked at Mitchell
uuizzically.
Handing Mitchell the bill and point
Ing to the printing, he queried:
Have you read this?"
mo, dare say that's all right. The
fellow wouldn't likely be such a
sarewd engraver and make any mis-
AXE on the plain printing"
Suppose you read it, then" Poe
landed him the bill and picked up
another. holding it far from his eyes,