n printed, the plates, some one hundred in number, should
be taken from the Treasury Department, conveyed to the Navy Yard, and
melted. Now, it so happened that the plates from which the one, two, and
five dollar bills had been printed, were not destroyed. How it was
brought about, we, as a matter of prudence, do not state. It is enough
to know that the plates are still preserved uninjured, and we trust their
whereabouts will never be known, except to us."

Formerly this business was carried on through the Post-office, the
rascals sending their victims the photographic cards of the currency of
the United States, which sell on the streets for a penny or two apiece.
The Government, however, suddenly put a stop to this by seizing the
letters addressed to the swindlers, and returning them, with the money
enclosed, to the writers. Now the knaves are careful to caution their
correspondents to send money by express, and to prepay the charges. Very
many of these circulars are successful. The money is sent in advance, or
the "queer" is shipped C.O.D. In the latter case, the box is delivered
on payment of the charges, and the money thus secured to the swindler, as
it is the plain duty of the express company to forward it to the sender
of the C.O.D. The box, upon being opened by the victim, is found to
contain old paper, or bits of iron or stone.

As a matter of course, only dishonest men will answer these circulars, or
consent to buy money known to be counterfeit. The world is full of such,
however, and large sums are annually received by the New York swindlers
in answer to their circulars. The victim, in the majority of instances,
is afraid to expose the trick. The police of the city are fully informed
as to the names, appearance, and residence, of each of these swindlers,
but are powerless to interfere with them. They do not issue counterfeit
money, and are not, therefore, liable to the charge of counterfeiting.
They screen themselves from the charge of obtaining money under false
pretences by never transacting their business in person. Everything is
done by letter, and even the C.O.D. part of the business is managed in
such a way as to make identification impossible.

The country newspapers are filled with advertisements of cheap sewing
machines, which range in price from one to ten dollars. The men who
insert these advertisements are among the most unprincipled swindlers in
New York. Sometimes they pocket the