The Washington times., 1922-04-30
OFFICIALS KEEP
STRICT WATCH
| FOR BAD MONEY

THEIR DEEDS co UNsUNo
During Past Year 1,o25 coun-
terfeiters and Check Rails
ers Were Caught.
BY w. BRUCE MACNAMEE.
Universal Service.
Tucked away in a dark corner
Of the big Treasury building
there is an inconspicuous little Of
flee whose occupants are en-
trusted with one of the most i'm
portant tasks Of the Govern
ment.
There is no sign on the door,
and the handful of executives
and clerks inside give no out
ward indication of the tremen-
dous responsibility of their work.
Force Kept Busy.
But their task Is nothing less than
preventing the spurious duplication
Of Sc, ,0OO, 900, 900 OF money in circula-
ton throughout the country.
The unprecedented activities of
counterfeiters during the past year
have kept this force of Secret Service
operatives on their toes every min
ute. but so successful have been
their methods Of running down the
men who print their own" that the
amount of counterfeit money actually
in circulation amounts to compare
lively few thousand dollars.
Although replete with enough ro-
nance and thrills to fill q dozen de-
tective novels, the Secret Service op-
erations are so little written about
that they are almost hearsay. The
very nature of the service has here
tofore prevented publication OF It's
workings, which are probably the
most interesting in the Government
service.
Everybody with a dollar in his
pocket wants to know that 1t is
genuine. That's where the Secret
Service comes in, and, take 1t from
those who know. "counterfeiting
doesn't pay" Always the long arm
of the law descends upon the coun-
terfeSter, often with such disconcert-
ing swiftness that his pile of fake
notes or coins are "pinched" with
him. Here's the way it's done:
How They Work.
John Smith, for instance, a teller
In the Blankville Bank, reports the
finding of a $40 bill that looks
bad He Immediately reports 1t to
the Secret Service. An agent calls
on John Smith as soon as he can get
to him. The bill Is examined. Its
denomination and workmanship are
studied, and a minute description
and warning flashed to every bank
In the vicinity.
Sooner or later. for the counter
feiter must repeat. a second similar
bill appears. II in the same town,
the Secret Service/knows that their
man is stationary. II the spurious
note is turned up elsewhere, 1t means
that the counterfeiter is on the move.
In the first case a tracer is sent out
and the bad bill is inevitably traced
back to its maker. In the case of
migratory 'passers," the Secret Serv-
ice operative tries to get ahead Of
him and mail" him when he arrives
In new town.
These methods have stood the test
of time, and the accuracy of detec-
tion is deadly. During the last year
,025 counterfeiters and check rails
ers were arrested-the greatest num-
Der in the history of the service.
Counterfeit notes amounting to 1896,
ss3 were seized, s12,293.53 in coun-
terfeit coins. III counterfeit note
plates, IA engraved dies and 4S sets
Of molds for coin counterfeiting.
The Latest Scheme.
Within the past year the activities
Of bootleggers has developed an en-
tirely new criminal industry with
which the service has been called
upon to cope-the counterfeiting of
internal revenue strip stamps re-
quired on bottled in bond" liquor.
Secret service agents arrested dur
ing the year many persons engaged
In this crime, and seized truck loads
of these counterfeit stamps and
labels counterfeiting the trademarks
of popular brands of whiskies and
gins. In many instances 1t was
found that these counterfeit stamps
were being used on poisonous con-
coctions which were being sold by
booteggets as bottled in bond"
whiskies.
An entirely new phase OF the boot
Logging situation has arisen within
the last few months. Bootleggers
along isolated stretches of the Cana.
dian border are counterfeiting and
using the bogus money to buy their
supplies in Canada. This situation is
causing the secret service consider
able concern, because of the diff
Guilty in reaching counterfeiting
plants sequestered in desolate wood.
land.
An instance of this kind recently
took place in the mountain country
of northern Alabama, but the moon.
sinners" squealed and the secret
service walked in and captured the
men who were buying their supplies
Of hooch with bad money; another
Illustration of the old maxim that
when thieves fall out, honest men
profit"
The swift and effective detective
work of the secret service is rein
forced by the courts. Heavy sentences
are usually imposed upon those who
try to make their own money. Any.
where from eight to sixty years is
imposed upon those malefactors, in
n. l.