The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-02
THE MUTILATED MILLION.
The Secret Service Detectives In
vestigating the Mystery.
A Patched Bill Offered at the
Fourth National Bank.

Fourth National Bank.
The exclusive publication In yesterday morn
ing's HERALD OF the discovery OF the vast sum Of
mutiated national bank bills In ragman's shop
In Thirty nth street has caused great deal OF
excitement in all the business portions OF the city.
and particularly In Wall street. where the mystery
was discussed In all It's probable bearings By bank
presidents. bank directors and bank clerks. as
well as by others who are intimately connected
with financial matters Such q stupendous and
seemingly unreasonable murilation OF good money
was never recorded before In the financial history
Of the country.
WHERE DID THE MONEY CONE FRONT
1t was discovered yesterday morning that the
bills, which were OF the denominations OF nvss
twos and ones. had been issued By the SPEAKER
National Bank. OF Canajoharte. Montgomery
county, in this State. The SIGNATURES OF James
Speaker, President, and James Frost. cashier OF
the bank. had been left untouched on all such
fragments as came from the lower portions Of the
bills that were discovered to have been mutilatsd
and TINS unaccountaDle error ON the part Of the
officers of the bank In not canceling their sigma
tures which are always the main features tndt
eating the validity OF any bank bill, led TO the dis
covery OF the name OF the pank In question. A
Telegram was sent from the RERALD once
Canajohare questioning the onncers - to the mean
ing of the discovery OF such an enormous amount
Of their issues in an obscure and out Of the way
rag shop in the city. The cashier, Mr.. James
Frost, returned prompt answer BY telegraph
that neither he nor any other od1cer OF the bank
knew anything whatever about the discovery or
existence OF sucn mutiated bills OF their bank a.
were found in the rag shop In this city. This
statement would seem to upset all reasonable
theories in regard to the finding OF the murlated
currency.
THE TREASURE FINDERS.
1t can hardly be imagined what an intense ex
element there Is in the neighborhood OF Thirty
ninth street and in the immediate vicinity Of the
rag shop, which has suddenly been gilded with all
There are number Of people In the nelp nborhood
who, 1t Is said, have large amounts Of the mutt
lated mone3 In aasir possession stu and retain
ton. 1t Is said tnat many or these
foolish people have been using the glue pot and
the gum arabic brush pretty freely In the vague
hope That they may be able to construct some
complete buls out OF the mutLared fragments OF
the mysterious currency. And this possibility
seems TO ue plausible enough to people VINO are
totany unacquainted with the currency OF the
national banks, and they VIII mold On to Whatever
portions Of tue 'stun'' that they have got, with
an sdea That they are IN possession - OF Of
reaiized. But is might be well for these
badly informed people 10 observe that they are
noi0lng mutllated bills which will bring them
nolhlng but trouble; and the en.ire force OF the
United States secret Service Police, which has lis
work with the in IGNITION OF finding where the
Speaker Bank mutlated currency came from, the
TIE SECRET sRRv1cs At WORK.
The secret service polce Vi the United States
Treasury are just now Ia close lnvesttgatton OF
me msirsr ana 50 lsr sue{ have managed the
now and mas been since last October the Chief OF
the United states secret servtcs Police, having
position. Co.onel Wasnburns u 8 cousin Of
&C. ram washDurns; N whose , Drselncs !sas
Captain wasnburns asIsrminea 10 sscsr:
tain rom the man named ward VINO u
% Ss % M rags g S.s: ssSs Gun
were found. II win be remembered, - was stated
In ysstsrdays HERALD. thas snic man Ward nad
HE.ALD reporter VINO called upon nm late On
TO him IN o lot OF loose rubbish which HAD been
void 10 him few days previous TO Friday evening.
But when Captain Washburns visited him Ward
told Q. dinerent story Altogether as 70 dates and
representative that ne did not know who It was
who nad sold him the lragmentary national bank
ne Wayd sod CAPTAIN wasn
burne rnat he hao purchased 1000 pounds OF ola
rags and waste paper from man named 4 Aadl.
OfDecember last, ana that the mutisted Dotes were
lound among this large collection OF old rags and
miscellaneous rubbish. II Is charitable to suppose
that the rag merchant feared some trouble or 10.
Ierlerence rom the officers OF rhe law in regard
notes on his premises. aud ne seems to have acted
honestly enough. as ne gave the fragments away
Boz now this matters naS gone too ar ano i .
wen suspected that the very staolliry OF the
national bank system may be involved In the pre-
Bumaply careless manner in winch national bank
issues are SAID To be cancelled on presentation for
redemption at Washington.
HOW THEY CANCEL NOTES AT WASHINGTON.
the canceling national bank bills IN the Treas
an act Was passed OrdeTius hat hereafter al
issues OF national bank notes should be cancelled
further crcuaon n ape Tqessury nI puainr az
washington. Before that time the custom mad
been with national banks to cancel their own
Issues on their own premises and then burn
the fragments. A well known public man
and a member of Congress, who died not long
socares that he might not live to It. bu1 others
would live TO fnd that the Cancellation Division
Se n The sa ne
ment IL has been limited In fact and may be YET
SsnS susceptible o. proS that al sSs Haonsl
ssnesllsa, o, q u other vssS: mat .o%s s
Treasury vaults and are gwen TO sKiIIed counter.
letters to- he raised, after cutting. patching and
truth IN this thought the most stern punishment
should follow q rigid iuvesttaation into such
s Hn sss sSsss ssnl Sud IN
rag shop, have their centre rnedallions cus
out, leaving only corners instead ana It u well
known thst thus II not the method IN the Treasury
building oil canceIling notes. oil Of STACK OF
bills cut directly 10 half and being counted each
70 Be- ass ana ssh 4: Ss
are burned In the Treasury furnscsA
cARELEso wonKNAN5ufP.
Dec. sonally 10 10 said that the drsught In the
furnaces will blow up uucharred halves OIL bills
and that these fragments fail N vacant lois and
Iut them together again. The Chief Operator ct
tue secret service hesdquarters, IN blsecker
street. stated yesterday TO the HERALD reporter
tnat there was no possibility OF raising the ffag.
mens oil the spraker Bank bills 20 bills OF
higher denominations than they were originally
executed LOT. But tnen, 1t 70 evident that tnsy
have never been cancelled at the Treasury De-