The New York herald., 1922-01-29

tually some of the women found themselves
supplanted in his favor by other women,
and they didn't hesitate to help us when
we were looking up Wilkens record. How
ever, as hard as they worked to accomplish
his downfall, they succeeded in doing no
more than harassing him. He had not
placed himself at the mercy of any one
woman.
First he made the necessary paper. Just
how well he worked will be apparent in a
few minutes. Then he set about utilizing
his book learned etching and engraving.
Little by little he added to his equipment.
He never used camera. In this fact alone
he stands conspicuous among counterfeit
ers. So far as I know, he was the only
counterfeiter of any ability at all who did
not first photograph the bank note he was
about to counterfeit and work from that.
But Wilken was original in this, as he
was in other things. He merely took
dollar silver certificate and started out to
duplicate it. His first productions were
not so good He fell short of success in
aging the bills. The plates were good, the
impressions fine and the weight of the
paper was correct. But the bills were too
stiff; their newness was too apparent.
There was about then sickness and
cleanliness that attracted attention.
Chemical Solution Made
For Aging His Bills
Within month or so, however, he
struck upon chemical solution that aged
his bills; that is, the bills were made to
look like those which had been in circula-
ton. He must have been somewhat ner-
vous the first time he started out to float
them, but he got away with it.
Within three years he disposed Of 5000
Of these bogus dollar bills He worked
alone. He had plenty of time. He was
satisfied with small returns to begin with.
When the one dollar bills demonstrated
his proficiency there would be time enough
to branch out
Long before he stopped making one dol
lar bills he started making fives. If you
will study the samples of his work that
have here you will understand why and
how he got away with it. They are the
best counterfeits this country has ever
seen. You could pass them in ninety-nine
shops and stores in hundred.
He disposed of 5000 of these five dollar
notes, and only twice was he detected
Once in New York druggist refused to
take one. The druggist had been warned
of counterfeit bills and suspected this one.
Wilken was most solicitous.
A counterfeit? He was so sorry. Sorry
for himself, really, for he was a working
man to whom five dollar bills were not too
rIo fu1 prf To
would turn the bogus bill sover to a bank
and the bank could turn 1t in to the Secret
Service.
So our hero gives the druggist another
five. genuine one? Not at all. He takes
bis nerve in hand and hands the sagacious
druggist another spurious one. The drug
gist is satisfied.
And that was that
Again in Buffalo he was asked by
haberdasher where he got the bill he ten
dered in payment for couple of pairs of
socks. How should he know? Counterfeit?
That was his misfortune. Would the haber-
dasher accept his apologies and please take
this bill instead? 1t was quite all right
The haberdasher was so sorry to draw the
attention of a customer to an embarrassing
situation. But the gentleman would un.
derstand. And while apologies were being
exchanged Wilken bowed himself out OF the
store with the change for another bogus
Dill in his pocket.
1t required nerve, that sort of thing It
took suave gentleman to get away with 1t.
Those were the only occasions wherein
Wilken had the last trouble. In fact, 4.
worked so well that he started in making
ten dollar bills. Such success! Here was
the scrub advertising craftsman living at
the Waldorf-Astoria, the New willard, the
Statler, the Jefferson, the Blackstone and
other Of the countrys best hotels. It was
too good to last. Wilken was too young
TO handle it. The brilliant young brain
was travelling too fast There we're too
many women and too much carnival gen.
orally.
Secret Service Starts Work
In Tracing Bogus Bills
But before we get to that let me explain
thai all this was not done without the
Treasury Department being informed
Banks began turning in the bills in dis
ccncerting numbers. And we started out
in large numbers to find the maker and cir