Year: 1866

Before the telegraph came into
use the counterfeiters-or "horse-
dealers" as they call themselves
drove much better trade than
they do now. When they had
started good bill it would run
two or three days-or week even
before the public generally
would find it out. But now-a-
DAYS, or since we have had the
telegraph all over the city New
York;, they find themselves
brought up with a short turn
Deputy Carpenter has arranged a
plan which spoils their fun COM
pletely. just as soon as informa-
ton is received at any station
that counterfeit has been ordered,
that station communicates direct
ly with headquarters, giving a
description of the bill, from head
quarters the news is telegraphed
Immediately to every station In
the city; the patfolmen are called
in, the captain or sergeant reads
the description to them, and they
60 back at once to their beats and
warn all the shop-keepers-in fact,
everybody likely to receive money
in business-that such a bill is
out. So, in an hour after a coun-
terfeiter starts anew bill, the whole
island is on the lookout against it.


But ten or twelve years ago
there was no such preventive sys-
TEN, and counterfeiting fourished:
1t was regular trade. | could
show you a man who rides in his
carriage OH Broadway, who has
made fortune by counterfeiting,
and has retired-at least, we have
very good reasons for thinking so.
He was a manufacturer, and sup
piled the country trade; and, by
the way, that reminds me OF a
good story I'll tell you, about how
one of these country "horse-deal-
ers" got .took in.'' Itwas while |
was with Chief Matsell, say about
ten years ago.


Amessenger came down late one
afternoon from one of the up
town wards, asking me to come up
and see if I could recognize a
couple of fellows they had arrest
ed on suspicion. They could not
find any bad bills on them, but
thought they might have disposed
of them in some way while being
arrested. They have plenty of
ways OF getting rid of the stuff
when they find it dangerous; you
have heard of the young fellow
who swallowed some bills, and
they had to send officer lpecac af-
ter them!


Well, / had worked good deal
among counterfeiters, and they
thought l might know them; so l
went up. took look at them
through a hole in a curtain-they
hadn't been put in the cells, but
were detained in the sitting room
and | thought ! had seen them
somewhere; still, 1 couldn't fix
them. However, | determined to
know more about them before they
were let 60, and it did not take
me long to arrange a little plan
that worked first rate.


They were told that somebody
had been sent for to recognize
them, and that he couldn't come
till next morning; so they must
make themselves comfortable In
shock" over night. They swore
about it a good deal at first-de-
clared they'd make trouble for any
body that turned key on them;
but, finally, they submitted, as, OF
course, they had to do. But be-
fore they were taken down into
their cells, 1 had the gas turned
down pretty low, and had got COM
fortably arranged in a cell between
the two selected for them. The
door of my cell was left a little on
the swing, as if nobody was IN IT.
and when they were brought down
they were hustled into their cells
so promptly that they hadn't a
chance to look into mine as they
went by; besides, / was under the
bunk, my head towards the door,
and an old coal basket hid IN the
end. There was no one else IN the
cells, and / arranged with the ser