Evening star., 1936-12-13
No. l..
The Howard Barr Case.

TROM the very first. the United
- States Secret Service was baf-
fed. Some one with the same
Il artistic ability of Jim the PEN
man was engaged in the business OF
making one dollar notes look like ten:
two dollar notes resemble twenties,
and five-dollar bills become hundreds.
When Secret Service experts in the
Treasury Department see q phony bill
they usually know the maker-for
each counterfeiter or note-raiser has
certain characteristics. Not in this
case, however. This was a newcomer
to the field so far as the Secret Service
knew. They had never seen the work
before until it began to show up
around Nashville and Memphis, Tenn.
Though members of the Secret
Service had come in contact with
many artists in the course of long
careers, all those who saw the new
series of raised bank notes paid tribute
to the ability of the unknown counter
feiter.
Here" Chief Moran said. "is one
Of the best in the business. Get him!"
There seemed to be no way to get
the man; no clue to his whereabouts.
He was in hiding. Then one day three
men were picked up in one day, all
passing the same brand Of bills.
Taken to police stations in Mem
phis the men we're found to be ex-
convicts recently paroled from the
State Prison at Nashville.
Gould it be-" Secret Service men
asked, that these notes are made in
PRISON."
That's just where they started
from-the State Penitentiary at Nash
vile. Though the ex-convicts arrest
ed would not "squeal." Secret Service
agents followed a hunch.
A IL men coming out Of the peni-
tentiary on discharge or parole
were watched. Nearly each one Of
them had in his possession raised
notes which he attempted to pass,
and, in most cases. did pass. There
was the tipoff. Those notes were
being raised in cell.
With the cooperation of State Of
ficials. the United States Secret Serv-
ice went to work in the Tennessee
Penitentiary. They tracked down a
counterfeiter, who, for two years, had
baffied the best detectives in the
country.
Finally, after a process OF elimina-
ton. they settled their attention on
one Howard Barr, a man in his early
sos doing 20 years for grand larceny.
Barr. before being convicted, was
one of those sidewalk pen-and-ink
artiSts-a fellow with q little table and
cards and ink. He wrote your name
with all kinds of fourishes on calling
cards, with birds and flowers and
finery-filigree work. On the side
Barr was also a show card writer.
clever at lettering 1t looked like this
might be the man.
He was the man. In his idle mo-
ments and without regular occupation,
Barr found life behind the bars rather
monotonous. So he conceived the idea
Of decorating Uncle Sans currency.
With special erasers he worked out a
plan to remove most of the identifying
characters from a dollar bill-and re-
place them with those of the $40
note.
A 50 bill became a 20 under Barr's
skillful operation. His touch raised
the ordinary S to the aristocratic 100.
Without market inside prison walls
for these wares. Barr contacted out
going prisoners. On businesslike
basis, he sold them the raised notes
for a certain quantity Of good coin
and currency.
Only those who could keep secrets
were permitted to get in on the racket
Barr, through association with the
prisoners, hand-picked his men. By
ooeying his instructions they found
little dificulty passing the raised bills
to unsuspecting persons. In that way
Barr kept at his new-found trade.
Not even the prison officials knew
what their artistic guest was doing
until Secret Service got on the job.
Then prison officials refused to believe
such q thing could happen in a we'll
regulated penitentiary.
Still at intervals the notes showed
up-and the arrest of ex-convicts
paved the pathway back to the pen.
The accusing finger pointed always to
Barr. He was placed under close sur
veillance One day prison ofncials
and Secret Service men discovered in
his cell q complete assortment Of ma
terials-inks, erasers. pens and artists
tools that might be used in note
raising.
This confirmed the belief of Secret
Service agents that Barr was their
man. Still, they could not get any
direct evidence on him. Barr knew
the boys were now on his trail. He
temporarily discontinued work. For q
month or two all was quiet on the
prison tier where Barr lived.
Then a new series OF notes made
their appearance. All bore the ear
marks Of Barr's handiwork. Observa-
tion Of Barr was further increased.
Aroused at being baffied, Secret
Service men and prison officials crept
up to Barr's cell while he had his
back to the grated door. They caught
him In the act Of raising a 81 bill to q
10. Before the agents could actually
capture his work, Barr swallowed the
bilEfresh ink and all
Nov it became q battle of wits.
= Barr had actual proof that he
was being watched. His equipment
had been taken away from him. He
lay quietly in his cell planning.