The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-04-24
REVELATIONS FOLIO WING
ARREST OF IFS PERSONS AS
TONISHED COUNTRY.
MONEY SYSTEM is DEFENDED
Country Protected From Swindlers
By Astute Detectives, Who Have
Had Unusual Experiences. Law
Breakers Always Caught.

Breakers Always Caught'
The recent raids by the United
States secret service on gang OF
counterfeiters with nationwide rami-
hcations. resulting in the arrest OF
about rs persons, .astonished the
country by the revelations OF the clev-
er counterfeiting scheme. Less than
$4,000 in bogus money had been cir
culated. however, according TO VIII
liam H. Moran, chief OF the secret
service, before the gang was rounded
Defense Is Thorough.
The estimates that $l0,000,000 in
counterfeit money was circulated are
wild exaggeration," said Inspector
Palma. in charge OF this particular
case The governments system OF
defense against iInitators of currency
is so thoroughly and efficiently organ
lied that it is virtually impossible
even for The most artistic counterfeit
to gain any considerable circulation"
Counterfeiting is not the fine and
difficult art it used to be in the days
of steel engraving, according to Mr..
Moran. The processes are so various
now that there are many kinds Of
counterfeits. Many OF them are crude,
their merit as limitations lying III a
good general appearance. Any bank
clerk would probably recognize them
offhand as "phoney."
Work Was Second Rate.
in the past, on occasions, the gov
ernment has been obliged to match its
wits against those OF really clever
counterfeiters, whose limitations were
so good that only an expert could dis
tinguish them from genuine money"
said Mr.. Moran. There was no such
trouble in the recent raids. The work
was second rate"
One OF the tricks used by the gang
was that OF bleaching one-dollar bills,
to get the governments notes OF larg-
er denominations. Many years ago
this same method Wa employed by
an exceedingly clever counterfeiter
named Pete Mccartney.
Played Clever Trick.
McCartney's trick gave the govern
ment a good deal of trouble. He went
about delivering a lecture on How
to Detect Counterfeit Money" and at
the box-office his own bogus stuff was
passed out as change to ticket buyers.
The paper money manufactured by
the big New York gang just recently
rounded Up had what the secret SER
vice officials call a good general ap
pearance" This was its most danger
Gus characteristic, as notes as a rule
pass from hand to hand without close
scrutiny.
Smudge Gave Him Away.
The currency turned out by the ia
nous pen-and-ink forger, Emanuel
Ninger, was circulated by him through
a period of 20 years before he was
finally caught. His work was highly
"impressionistc," and, while the imi-
tated engraving would not bear ex-
animation, the general effect was good.
Ringer could make a hundred dollar
bill in two weeks, and he might still
be going on with the business but
for the moist fingers OF girl cashier,
which smudged the note he handed
her. That struck her as suspicious, and
his arrest followed.
Women Are Implicated.
There are always women associated
with every gang OF counterfeiters. To
the wives, daughters and sweethearts
OF the criminals is naturally assigned
the task of showing the queer" which
means passing the bogus money in
shops and other places As a rule,
however. these women are not pun
ished when caught, the law assuming
humanely that they have done wrong
under duress.
Often, doubtless, this is too charita-
BILE a view. q was a woman who in
vented the Ingenious scheme for dig
ging the inside out OF gold pieces with
a drill. She removed the interior OF
the gold coin, filled the shell with
lead and sealed the opening with gold
"Art" Showed Progress.
Like other arts, that of counterfeit
ing progresses. Allied with it is what
used to be known as coin clipping,
in which the rims are pared off. and
in which methods have been vastly i'm
proved Chemistry has been OF great
service to counterfeiters, especially il