The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-04-04
Burnt Greenbacks

The identification and restoration of
notes which have been burnt is a diff
cult and interesting operation. Every
one has observed that a printed paper
after having been burnt, if not subject
ed to a strong draft or roughly handled,
retains its original form, and that the
printing is distinct and legibIe, and
appears as if it had been raised or en-
bossed on the paper, but that if it is
touched ever so gently it crumbles into
dust. Notes in this condition are fire.
quently received at the Department for
redemption. The counter subjects each
note and fragment of a note to a care
full inspection in a strong light, under a
powerful glass, until she determines
the denomination and issue, and then
pastes it upon a piece of thin, tough
paper in order that it may be safely
handled. But this FASTING, by destroy
ing the raised or embossed appearance,
at once and forever precIudes all chance
of again identifying the kind or demon
nation of the note. HencefOrth it is
but plain, black piece Of paper, Civ
ing no indication that it ever repre-
| scented money. It is therefore very ne
| cessary that the counter should be quite
sure that her Judgment is correct be-
fore the note is pasted upon the paper.
She must also,-a most difficult task
| determine whether the note is genuine
or counterfeit. And yet counterfeits
are. discovered by these experts among
the charred remains of notes with al
most as much certainty as among per-
feet notes. Charred notes of National
banks have occasionally come into the
possession of the Department, and have
been restored in this manner and re-
turned for redemption to the banks
that issued them, accompanied by the
afidavits of the counters that they
were the remains of notes of the banks
to which they were returned. In most
cases they were promptly and cheer
fully redeemed. But occasionally a
surIy bank officer, unable or unwilling
to trace any resemblance to bank notes
or at least to the notes of his bank, Ill
the plain black pieces of paper return.
ed to him, and influenced perhaps by g
desire to effect little saving for the
stockholders, refused to redeem and
challenged the Department to the
proof. All positive ocular proof having
been destroyed when the notes were re
stored and pasted, the Department was
compelled to submit to the loss.
Once some of these experts were
granted leaves of absence, without pay
| from the government, for the purpose
of restoring a large quantity of burnt
money belonging to Adams Express
Company. This was permitted partly
because it was known that there was nc
one else who could perform the service,
without which the company would be
subjected to great loss, but principally
because the company offered to pay
them much more for their time and
labor than they were receiving from the
government, and it was thought that
their long and faithful services Justly
entitled them to this addition 30 THEN
meager salaries. .The money was taken
! from safes recovered from the wreck OF
a burnt steamer which had beer lying
for four or five years at the bottom Of
the Mississippi, and the notes We're SC
burnt. decayed, and damaged as to be
absolut " worthless, unless identified
and restored. Yet nearly every note o.
the one hundred and eighty-one thou
sand dollars in United States and Ma
tional Bank 1iotes recovered was re
stored with unerring certainty and re
deemed at its full face value. The
Chicago and Boston fires have for the
last year and half furnished burn
notes enough to keep all the experts o.
the Office pretty constantly employed
,Scyi6HeF'S.