River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-06-18
UNCLE SANS TREASURY.
The Late Cash Room H0bbery..How
the Room Has Been Open 60 Visitors
--FOrmcr Thefts.
washington Correspondence, June 9th, OF
Chicago Inter ocean,
ALL ABOUT THE AFFAIR.

! the treasury ROBBERY. In departmental
circles the excitement iSvery great, and
each clerk, and especially clerkess, has a
theory of how,when and why it was done.
OF coarse the facts Of the discovery have
been telegraphed all over the country,
and we, who live in the very shadow OF
the department, know no more about the
matter than you Chicago people. The
papers this morning are full of hints and
assurances that the culprits will be ar
rested before night, but fancy all that
is glittcring generality complimentary
to the detective force, for the man who
was plucky enough to steal nearly $780,
900 in broad daylight, under the eyes of
twenty people, would be adroit enough to
hold on to it for awhile, anyhow. Every
visitor to the Treasury remembers
THE CASH ROOM,
that spacious and sunny apartment pan
neled and tloored with no less than twen-
ty different kinds of marble, foreign
and domestic. The counting and
sealing of the packages of money to be
sent away goes on in the northeast part
of the room in a corner screened with
glass partitions, and every bundle is
counted and recounted, sealed and re.
sealed, and done up in such a tangle of
red tape generally that you wonder how
even its rightful owners ever get it. After
six clerks have performed all the pre-
scribed ceremonies over the packages,
these are taken to the elevator, which IS
nothing but piece Of the floor that let's
down into the express Office directly be-
low. This elevatof, which always remind
ed me of the guillotine, is the vault
which adjoins the cash room and commu-
nicates with another vault above and the
room of the Adams Express Company
below. To this waiter the money has
been tracked; there it disappeared, and
as the waiter is dumb waiter, it can {
tell anything about it.
suppose one result Of this disturbance
will be the total exclusion of visitors from
the vault, for the clerks connected with
the vault and cash room very justly
refuse to be responsible for money if
PROCESSION OF STRANGERS
passes in and out daily. All the CASH
room lying behind the counter is sup
posed to be strictly private; even mes
sengers are excluded, and the vault is in
tended to be still more carefully guarded;
but the custom prevails Of admitting peo-
pie by card from the Secretary or Treas
urer to the infinite annoyance of the
clerks and the disappointment of theyisi-
tors. For there is absolutely nothing to
see in the vault; there isn't one cent
visible; true, you know that in those de-
mure brown envelopes and monotonous
yellow boxes, piled tier above tier on
their iron shelves, are millions and mil
lions Of dollars, and the gentleman who,
with Christian resignation, does the hon
ors of the gloomy spot, amiably allows
you to think that some coin he empties
out of canvass bag ion an average
twelve times day., is the "Jef DAVIS
gold '-the gold that was captured on
JEFF; but between you and me, the origi-
nal "Jeff Davis gold was melted up
long ago. All say the same thing when
they get in there:
son MY WHERE'S THE MONEY!"
and then they hold 1000 in coin and
then they say: '0h! amt it awful
heavy" and then they hold a 100000
in paper and they say: "0h! amt it
awful light" just do feel it and then
the patien. cicerone let's them take up a
Sl5,000,000 or S20,000,000 package Of
lsigned coin certificates, and then they
say: ''0h let's run away with it " and
then they 60 on their way rejoicing, and
the much abused clerk in charge looks
up coin and currency and tries to do
some work. Occasionally tourist
makes an original remark. | remember
one very gorgeously appareled bride
| (they are nearly all brides) who only
spoke once while she was in there and
then she looked all around and above
her and said: Don't this look like a
pawnbroker's shopl" We didn't ask
her how she knew.
During Inauguration week visitors
trooped in there at the rate Of 500 day.
All work had to be suspended during the
regulas Office hours. They were adj
rlitted eight at a time, and the clerks re-
lieved each other showing the "Jeff
Davis gold!" and the other lions. A
messenger who came with many Of the
parties was gentleman Of great fuency
Of speech, aud think impaired great
deal Of interesting, il not Original, in
formation to the fortunate hundreds he
escorted.
81 suppose the number Of visitors just
now is very large" one Of the early com
ers said to him. eyes, rather" replied
the guide, graciously, "but it is only a
faint facsimile Of what we shall have
next week."
THIS ROBBERY
is the most serious that has ever occur.
red in the Treasurer's office-indeed,
believe in the whole Department. About
twelve years ago General Spinner had his
suspicious aroused by the sudden increase
Of fortune Of one Of the Registers clerks
who was doing duty in his Office. lie
told the Register, but the man had such
an excellent character that his chief re.
fused 70 doubt him. But the General
worked away at his theory all by himself,
and he found out that, sure enough, the
clerk was stealing stealing every other
day in the week, by taking half notes out
OF packages cancelled for redemption,
piecing them, and presenting them for re.
demption second time. The General
kept his own counsel very dscreetly fer
some time, and II must have cost bis
frank, outspoken nature severe