The Portland daily press., 1879-05-21
Currency Curiosities.
Some Curious Cases which Come Before
the United States Treasurer.

Whenever anybody mutilates national bank
or legal tender note, whenever anybody comes
into possession of worn out note, or whenever
by accident anybody's money of 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 re-
demption division of the Treasurer's office, and
there judgment is passed ON it. Of course ev-
cry precaution is had against fraud Quite Of
ten woebegone piece of a note will be sent in,
and after the crucial test will turn out to be
the relic of a counterfeit bill. Sometimes the
afidayits accompanying fragment of what
was once greenback are manufactured
In such cases the replies that the sender gets
to his request for redemption are more pointed
than polite.
Among the curious cases which have come
up, says the Washington Star, was that of
poor old woman in Philadelphia. She was
saving money in order to accumulate enough
to secure her admission to some charitable in
stitution, and had got together 500. Distrust-
full of savings banks, she put her money on
shelf, well concealed. 1t soon disappeared.
She was certain it had been stolen Some of
her neighbors persuaded her to tear up the
floor. She did so, and, after close search, the
VI pOo Wtrt IOuuu Ill ID neSU,
the proprietors of which had been exercising
their nibbling 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 mutilated be-
yond the possibility of recognition. For them
she could regain nothing OF the legal-tender
notes but So could be redeemed so the old la
dy lost $57 by rats.
Another case in which there was a distrust
of banks was that of a farmer living in Illinois.
In o1xxrox Eorafh ,,,nr in, fhn
about his person. A short time ago he had
81 900 in ready cash and carried it in his coat
pocket. He went to bed, leaving his coat on
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 short time when
the room filled with smoke and the well-known
odor of something burning" He Jumped I'D
to find his coat pocket burned out and his SILL
600 a charred mass Fortunately there was
enough distinguishable about the notes to Sc
cure him, upon his sworn and attested affida-
Wit OF the facts, new set complete. He may
patronize the banks hereafter.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable cases
that has ever come before the redemption divi-
woodsman dropped his pocket-book, containing
one hundred dollars into the camp fire. Be-
fore he could get it out the heat had. so acted
on it that the book had shrivelled up into a
hard burnt ball. He did not attempt to open
1t, but sent it on with statement of the facts
The ball was cracked, just as a hickory nut
would be, in. order to get at its contents. In
side was found, perfectly intact and undam-
aged, the twenty and ten dollar bills that went
to make up the one hundred dollars.
The old boot figures quite frequently. A Ten
nessee man put $135 into boot and secreted
his boot in the smoke-house. When he went
back for it he lost his bearings and could not
find it. Six months afterwards he stumbled
across the old boot exactly where he had left
it, The money inside had furnished nourish-
ment for cOckrOacheS and wood lice A hand
full of small pieces was all that was left to tell
the tale. Sending them on to the Treasury
they were examined, fixed together and enough
were identified to give the man $50