Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-06-03
ROBBERY AT THE TREASURY.
A Package OF $4,000 stolen.

one had Just stolen 81 800, all in new five
hundred dollar bills. The Treasurer was as
white as sheet, and the Acting Secretary's
eyes fairly bulged out with surprise. After
lie latter had recovered from the shock OF
the startling Intelligence, il being his first
experience with any news of the kind, Gen
spinner narrated the circumstances attend
ing the loss.
THE PACKAGES COUNTED AND SEALED.
III is the custom OF the TreasureT's office to
keep It's cash in the vaults. What is neeteI
10 redeem the national bank notes and to use
IN the exchange OF old legal tenders for new
isIdetermined each day, a requisition made
iOf the amount, and IL il sent from the wants
INTO tie cash room. IL is here counted and
receipted for in bnlk. Then the money
needed Tor the various transactions with
other banks is counted and placed in seiq-
rate piles ny itself. Each pile is again
counted and placed in an enVeiope. Tnen IL
rs passed to the first sealer vino again counts
Inc amount, and places a strip over the eDvn-
lore, with his initials, If il is aScertained 20
be correct. The envelope is then taken and
sealed with three seals in red wax. Then il
goes TO a clerk who superScribe il and makes
up schedule of the various packages Thus
superscribed. Toward the close of business
hours each day the schedule is sent TO the
olhcer In charge of the Adams Express com
pahy, directly under the cash room in the
Treasury building, and the money is sent
down on an elevator To the express Office be-
low, and by that office it is received for ship
ment Nhen the money leaves the cash
room Tor the express Office two EMPLOYEES
always accompany and guard II until Major
whitney, the express agent, or his receiving
clerk gives a Tecei pt for 10.
TUE LOST PACKAGE.
quite recently the National Park Bank of
Mew York city, sent on To the UBitel States
treasurer 81 $50 in Old legal tender notes
which they desired 10 have exchanged FIR
new ones. In the course OF business the notes
Tor exchange were intended to have been
shipped yesterday. The money was coupfed
IL went through the channels explained
above The package was placed i'm an enyr-
lope, sealed, counted, SuperNcribed and Sche-
duied. All the employees who attend to these
detaiis are sure of this. Then all the money
Including this and other large amounts was
placed on the elevator and accompanied by
two OF the clerks was sent TO the Adams EN-
press office.
HOW 1T TURNED UP MISSING.
When IL arrived there the receiving clerk
OF me express company took the schedule
and began checking Off the packages to as
certain if the amounts Were all right. This
he did. and when through cried out There
Is a package Short He became q little ner-
vons' anu the Treasnrer's clerks who were
waiting for receipt became more SD. Itwas
again scheduled off and still il was short. A
third check with the schedule resulted in the
same discrepancy, and il became painful
TACT mat S4I 800, which was supposed TO have
come from up stairs on the elevator. either
didn't come down, or else it was abstracted
IN the express office or on the transit down
and the express office
THREE UNHAPPY EMPLOYEES.
There were three men in the Treasury
DUlHllbS WHO were Iilen 4il1utGeI unhappy.
All of them are believed to be fiISn OF honesty.
but still the loss worried them, IL well it
might. There was but one thing, however,
10 DO, and that was TO communicate the facts
AZ once TO their superior officer sThe two EN-
rloyeS Of The Treasurer's office haStened up
Stairs and communicated the discrepancy to
Assistant Treasurer Wyman. who lost no
time i'm apprising General Spinner. The old
the revelation, while Mr.. Wyman looked.
even If me did not feel, sick at heart. Gen.
spinner. when well over the first shock. went
up TO Mr.. COnant, told him the story, and he
TOO was Startled for the moment. 4 quiet
consultation was then held and Major wash
burn, chief of the secret service force was
sent for, who went 10 work at once to clear
way the mystery.
WHAT WAS DONE LAST NIGHT.
His first order was to have the money sent
nom the express office back to The ca Sh room.
This was done at once. Then acting upon
the reasonable SuppOSitiOn that there might
nave been an error as 10 the doing mp Of all
the packages, he had the whole amount of
TIE intended shipments for the day recount
Ell. This was done, and developed the fact
bat The error was not here, because the
mount was short the identical amount
whlch was said 10 have been in the missing
package. When the daily cash tranSartions
of the office were balanced. the stubborn fact
OF deficit of S47 800 was still apparent This
LED 10 but one conclusion, and That was that
me money had been done up, scheduled and
sealed; and was then stolen.
BUT HOW?
IL bafileS human Judgment 10 get a sure
clue as TO how the money was stolen. There
IL cry, however; that it might
have been taken in this way: The
open court yard OF the Treasury. Tugfe the
windows are protected by wire screen
which reaches about half the length of the
window. Between the upper part and the
screen, in warm weather, there is usually an
aperature to admit air. This was the
case yesterday. Now, il m ght have been
possible for Two cOnfederateS 10 have ope-
rated in this manner: First, the package to
be thrown out of the window by the inside
man and received by the one on the outside.
The package. being made up of fve-hundrei
dollar bills, could easily have been passed
through the aperture, although il il ONLY
about six inches in width. From the cash
room windows to the court yard below is a
distance of only twelve or fifteen feet luoSt
under the express office and opening on the
courtyard are the two windows in the cook
room OF the restaurant This is usually occu
pied BY two cOlOred men. 1t might have
been possible for an outsider 10 nave passed
rom the court yard, through these windows
INTO The cook room and reached the corridors
without beng observed. The stubborn fact
remains That in such case the inside man
would have TO be an employe i'm The cash
room TO secure the package.
20 GEN. SPINNER
Inc loss Just at this time affects General
Spinner more seriously than il would have
dome had II come unon him sc;,Ia fine ago
with the close of the present month he is to
retire from office, and Il was ms eAitS5sss SEQ
wish that all might run smo0,t'F WIN t5
oihce until he bid it final adieu, AT two
O'Clock yesterday he was in the best of spirits
and remarked TO friend, We'll. / have only
twenty-ntue more days OF official life and il
gratifies me to anticipate that shall leave
the responsible position hold with clean
sheet The loss of course annoys him very
much. Under the law ne is res Onslble but
congress heretofore has made good to him
deialcations by his clerks. What particularly
glieves him is his fear that the robbery mas
been committed by one of his favored en-
ployes.
RESULT OF THE ROBBERY.
With previous Secretaries of the Treasury
II mas been custom to show visitors through
the vaults containing the gold and currency,
and also To take them through III
Bureau of Engraving and Printing. When
Secretary Bristow came into Office he cur
tailed this privilege very much; still, every
day, even now, more or less are shown
through. While not one in ten thousand who
are accorded the privilege may be dishonest
still ii Is within the range OF possibility TO
nave this courtesy extended to dishonest
persons, where preliminary visits might
enable them to see the place, and await the
htting opportunity TO commit robbery
The loss OF yesterday will undoubtedly lead
10 Inc issuance OF an order prohibiting Wis
ltors In portions of the building where
the money is made and kept.
- A q