Counterfeit Money: The "green goods" business exposed for the benefit of all who have dishonest inclinations. — John Shaqi
Counterfeit Money: The "green goods" business exposed for the benefit of all who have dishonest inclinations.Anonymous
History
Counterfeit Money: The "green goods" business exposed for the benefit of all who have dishonest inclinations.
Anonymous
Counterfeits and counterfeiting
Here is a statement about the extensive mailing of “green goods”
circulars. The story was told by Van Buren before the Lexow committee
in 1894.
Benjamin D. Van Buren, a discharged chief clerk of the Jersey City post
office, told a startling story.
“I was chief mailing clerk,” said Mr. Van Buren. “My attention was
first called to the green goods business about eight years ago. The
first thing that I noticed was the hiring of boxes by green goods
men. I knew them by sight only. This lasted two or three months. Then
my attention was attracted to some stories in the newspapers about
the stopping of circulars at the New York post office. Large amounts
of mail were stopped there. Then came some men with big bundles of
circulars without the “return” stamp on them. I suspected they were
green goods circulars stopped at the New York post office. I went to
Postmaster Dickerson with my suspicions, and he told me to keep a
strict watch and see if I could find an envelope open. I did in a few
days, and found one of the regular circulars in it. I gave it to the
assistant postmaster, who took it to Inspector James in New York. Then
Postmaster Dickerson ordered me to send the matter out. Later on it was
discussed with Inspector Egerton of Philadelphia, who has charge of
the postal district in which Jersey City is located; and the rule went
forth to forward at once, regardless of character. Immense quantities
of green goods circulars were then handled from that office. After
a time the circulars came in such quantities that they were not put
through the windows, but taken around to the back door, the same as
other big users of the mails. Postage stamps were sold in big lots by
the assistant postmaster to the green goods men. I should say they must
have bought $500 or $600 worth a day.”
New Dodges.
The following interesting story appeared in the _New York Herald_
of February 10, 1895, and indicates that there has been but little
cessation in the “green goods” business:
Mr. Hace Ead, of Texas, who comes on to New York every spring to buy
“green goods,” and who each time takes home a valise full of bricks,
but who, nevertheless, returns to the business again, hoping against
hope, will have no more difficulty in making his purchases this year
than he had last. The “green goods” men are still at their games,
flooding the country with circulars and disposing of bags of rubbish at
fabulous prices.
The revelations before the Lexow committee did not have the effect of
driving the “sharps” into legitimate occupations. While the testimony
was being given against them they kept in retreat in Jersey City, but
even during the hearing of the “green goods” witnesses, “come-ons” were
arriving in shoals at all the Jersey City depots, and the brick maker
who supplies the swindlers at wholesale prices made his usual daily
deliveries at their offices. The bricks, carefully wrapped up in paper,
were distributed to the four corners of the United States.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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