The Clumsy Counterfeiter of Jackson Street
A man is caught red-handed trying to pass a crudely altered banknote in a local saloon.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A man who gave the police the name of R. S. Scarland was arrested yesterday by Officer M. T. Powers upon a charge of uttering counterfeit money. He endeavored to pass a raised $2 bill for $10. Scarland entered a Jackson street saloon yesterday, and, tossing a bill on the counter, called for a drink. The bartender started to make the change, but at a glance saw that the bill was raised from $2, and handed it back. Scarland examined it carefully, and, appearing to be greatly surprised, paid for the drink with silver. The bartender was suspicious, followed Scarland and saw him enter a second-hand store. Officer Powers came up, was told the circumstances and went into the second-hand store and arrested Scarland as he was endeavoring to have the bogus bill changed. The bill was raised by means of the figure 10 being pasted over the figure 2 wherever it appeared on the bill. The work was very clumsily done, and the bill could not have been passed upon any one accustomed to handling money. For several weeks past complaints have been coming into police headquarters to the effect that a fellow who answers Scarland's description has been issuing checks on banks where he had no money on deposit.
“The work was very clumsily done, and the bill could not have been passed upon any one accustomed to handling money.”
Counterfeiting remains a persistent, if digitally evolved, challenge in Seattle’s local economy. While 'raised' bills are a relic of the 19th century, the anxiety of small business owners facing fraud at the counter remains a constant across the decades.
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