Smyrna times., 1879-05-28
Curiosities of Currency Redemption.

Whenever anybody mutiiates a national
bank or legal tender note, whenever any
body comes into possession of wornout
note, or whenever by accident Gnybody's
money or this character becomes so far
destroyed that it will not pass, he sends it
to the Treasurer of the United States. The
mutilated currency goes to the redemption
division of the Treasurer's Office, and there
judgment is passed on it. OF course every
precaution is had against fraud. Quite
otter woe-be-gone piece of a note will be
sent in, and after the crucial test will turn
out to be the relic of counterfeit bill
Sometimes the afidavits accompanying a
fragment of what was once a greenback are
manufactured" In such cases the replies
that the sender gets to his request for re-
demption are more pointed than polite.
Among the curious cases that have come
up, says the Washington Star, was that of
the poor old woman in Philadelphia. She
was saving money in order to accumulate
enough to secure her admission to some char
table institution, and had got together sos.
Distrustful of savings banks, she put her
money on a shelf, we'll concealed. 1t soon
disappeared. She was certain that it had
been stolen. Some of her neighbors per.
suaded her to tear up the floor. She did
of her sos were found in a rats nest, the
proprietors Of which had been exercising
their nibblng propensities on the money.
She gathered up the fragments and sent
| them to the Treasury. Most of the money
was in national bank notes, which were
mutiliated beyond the possibility of recog-
| milton. For them she could regain moth.
ing. Of the legal tender notes but $S could
be redeemed, so the old lady lost $57 by
rats.
Another case in which there was dis.
| trust of banks was that Of farmer living
in Illinois. He always kept his money in
the house or about his person. A short
time ago he had $ll 900 in ready cash and
carried it in in his coat pocket. He went
to bed, leaving his coat on a chair His
wife complained of the GOODNESS of the
room, and he got up to stir the fire. He
had been back in bed but a short time
when the room filled with smoke and the
well-known odor of something burning
He jumped up to find his coat pocket burnt
out and his $ll 900 charred mass. For
tunately there was enough distinguishablt
about the notes to secure him, upon hi
sworn and attested affidavits of the facts
a new set complete. He may patronize the
banks hereafter.
| FernapS one OF Jne most remarkable
cases that has ever come before the re
demption division occurred last week.
Nebraska backwoodsman dropped hi
pocketboolS containing one hundred dol
lars into the camp fire. Before he coulC
get it out the heat had so acted on it tha
the book had shrivelled up into harc
burnt ball. He did not attempt to open il
but sent it on with statement of the facts
The ball was cracked just as hickory nu
would be in order to get at its content:
Inside was found, perfectly intact and un
damaged, the twenty and ten-dollar bill
that went to make up the one hundred do
lars.
The old boot figures quite frequently. !
Tennessee man put $l35 into boot an
secreted his boot in his smokehoust
When he went back for it he lost his bea
ings and could not find it. Six month
afterward he stumbled across the old boo
exactly where he left it. The money insid
had furnished nourishment for cockroach,
and wood lice. A handful of small piec,
~ was all that was left to tell the tale. Sen,
d ing them on to the Treasury they were e
y amined, fixed together and enough we
y identified to give the man $50.