The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-24
counted for by the following, received short

counted for by the following received short
time Afterwards
"s1R:-Enclosed are One Thousand Dollars
10000 Please place this sum to credit of United
states treasury ~ Is tne PaanGe pI my me
Dept. remitted $500 some weeks since"
The following contain suggestions which, If
received and acted upon by all who were
equally guilty, when in the army, of the same
practises, would go great way towards
fastening an early return to specie payment:
boston, February 10, .-Slr:-.Enclosed is
check for $3.50. j will briefly explain why it Is
there I have been in the u. s. Service and
part of the time with rank which entitled me
ally had but one 1t was the comm on practice
of officers to do this, and the Paymasters were
well aware of II. But though do not think it
exactly wrong to the Govt, it is yet wrong,
and have always regretted doing IL. entered
the army poor and sick-too poor, in fact, to
get along well without a clear conscience.
"But is it right for Government to hold mp
such premium to her officers to evasion OF
the exact truth? ASK tens OF thousands who
"Very respectfully.
JOHN T.. MARKHAM.
"P. S-The above is estimated for seven
months with int at 1910. hardly need say
that the name is assumed. j. NJ"
ITO the Treasury Department, Washington,
ID. C.-I transmit herewith Ninety-one Dollars
ana thirty cents money that my conscience
tells me l cannot keep commuCatton money
for a servant that exacted when 1 was not en-
titled to 1t and not having servant employed.
ing 'contrabands' employed in the Dept. used
one as nay servant and charged for my servant
Interest at 7.3O per cent. Also commutation
for servant for 20 days while was rot on
duty nt and had saIlSo mo servant emPloyed; Don
Many of the letters on file in the Depart
ment are from jocose correspondents, who
have not scrupled to make light of so serious
a matter as to address to the Treasurer pre-
tended conscience letters" whose humor, or
desperate attempts at it, were far in excess
of the money inolosed. Among the best of
these humorous letters is the follOwing-
"Sir-Enclosed please find seventy We cents
(75) fractional currency, won from u. s. Pay
master at draw poker and which am con-
vinced rightfully belongs to Uncle Samuel
have carried IT for nearly six months, and dare
not trust myself with 1t longer. Once in an
unguarded moment. offered it TO the door
sentinel gave a look of reproof from the toe of
his boot which went to my heart-or there
man, and am determined 20 follow the noble
example of many OF my countrymen. Ny con-
science Gals aus I9r reilei ne my & hafSssd nature
can have neither so long as Z carry these terri
BILE Witnesses They haunt rae day and night.
last fifty cent issue which the little children are
buying up for comic valentines. Take it and
do what you can with il. You can at least sell
it for old paper, and let the proceeds apply in
liquidation of the national debt.
"Now can 1 feel a realization OF the proverb
feel an assurance that in years yet to come, it
may be said OF my children (yet TO Gomez. they
were of poor but honest parientsp
please acknowledge receipt through the
morning papers, and request them to put it in
double-leaded lines, just beneath the regular
standing editorial on Reconstruction. Con-
scientifically yours, PRoBITY."
Enclosed in this were a fifty-cent note and
twenty-five cent note, both counterfeit. From
the style and careful punctuation ofthis letter,
and the request that it be inserted in "double-
1a1 lir,nc vuac rfnic aH thaf Nuoc
probably from a correspondent of a newspaper
or some one connected with the press.
"Sir-A clear concience softens the hardest
bed-a proverb says-and as am a poor gov.
much softening-so 1 herewith return money
which 1 cannot conscientiously keep-having
loafed considerably the other day.
"Yours respectfully, G. NJ. H."
| Inclosed in this was fragment little
more than half-of dilapidated five-cent note.
| Here is quiet thrust at Congress-
! Aug. Sth, 1S66.-Sir:-The Enclosed Dilapi-
| dated 10 cent Note is from a Conscience Stricken
| Bounty than he ought to in 1852 and as the last
act Passed by our Noble and Generous Congress
! will get too much under the last act you will
| Oblige him very much by investing the En-
| closed 10 cents Fractional Currency in the
| Great National Soldiers Gift Concert and Draw
! Brick house Or you CAM and give 1t 10 the
| Fenians. Yours truly Ho. b."
! ''to the hondble treasurer of The IT, s. 4,
''please find inclosed 500 due the U. S. post
| Office department consions money from an un-
faithful officer who has repented."
1t was suggested by the matter -of-fact Trea-
surer, who enjoys his joke hugely, that the
writer hadn't thoroughly and entirely repented,
as the inclosure was short IS cents of the
amount stated, and contained $3.50 counterfeit
notes.
Thus much for Conscience as a revenue
officer. 1t will readily be admitted that he hasn t
done his whole duty in this line, and has not
been so successful as Collector as in his role
of Detective. At least so Treasurer Spinner
is convinced. Talking of the conscience let
ters'' ON file in his Office, he once said, no
doubt with as much truth as good humor,
that cit is to be regretted that the workings
of the spirit which animated the writers has
not been more extensively experienced and
obeyed by more important offenders; for
l venture the statement that if all the big
rascals had followed the example ofthe smaller
ones who have contributed to the conscience
fund, we would have extinguished the ma
tional debt long ago."
"'Tis never too late to mend, and some OF
the "big rasoals" may yet take warning,
or become conscience-stricken. - Harper,
MagaSine for August