The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-06-05
GETTING MONEY BACK.
EaveIy incidents Of the Reasnosion Of
MutIated Notes
MasAinzfor stnr

Washington Star.
Whenever anybody nutiIates a ma
tionai bank OF legal tender note, when
ever anybody comes into possession of 8
worn-out note, or whenever by accident.
or his dog or calf, anybOdy'a money of
this character becomes so far DESTROYED
that 1t viii not pass. he sends it to the
treasurer of the United States. The
mutilated currency goes to the redemp-
ton division sf the treasurer's Office and
there judgment is made on it. This di
vision is in charge Of Mr.. @. b. DavidQe.
II the note is q legal tender and the
mum bers and denomination of it are still
distinguishable, and satisfactory evidence
Is furnished that the other portions of il
will never be presented for redemption,
new note Is issued to the owner OF the
fragments. ii a national bank note. the
name Of the bank must still cling TO all
that is lett of the once crisp and new
piece of paper, and the same evidence be
furnished that no other fragments
o 1t be sent ia before q new one is
issued. Evidence that is considered sat-
lsfaetory IN these cases consists of aft
daVits properly attested as to how the
money became 80 dilapidated, and in
dorssments by responsible persons as to
the person asking reimbursements at
Uncle SANS hands.
Of course every pre- caution is had
against fraud. Quite often a woe>begone
piece of q note will be sent in. and after
the crucial test will turn out to be the
relic OF a counterfeit bill. Sometimes
the sfhdavits accompanying q fragment
OF what was once a greenback, are
manufactured" In such cases the
replies that the sender gets to his
request for redemption sre more pointed
than polite. Very often the simplicity
OF the affidavit, and the accompanying
statement Of the facts, would be alone
surhclent to convince any one of their
genuineness without the additional safe
guard of " character" from some
responsible citizen. The pieces of notes
that pass muster are put into machine
for the purpose and ground TO a pulp,
chemicals being used in the process.
When taken out the pulp is of the con-
sistency OF mortar. It is sold, when
dried, to papersmakeTs. The Iedemp-
ton of mutilated notes amounts to about
q million and half q month. Nstur>
ally there are some rather curious cases
found In this million and a half Plays
full dogs, hungry COWS, mischievous
children, FIRE, water, rats, mice, pigs,
horses, lunaties, pure accidents, and
all, play their parts in providing work
for the some fifty men and women in
Mr.. Davidge's division.
Among the curious cases was that of
the poor old woman in Philadelphia.
She was saving up money in order 10
accumulate enough money TO secure her
admission to some charitable institution.
She had raked together 500. Distrustiui
OF saving banks, she put her money on q
| shelf, we'll concealed. It soon disap-
peared. She was certain that it had
been stolen. Some of her neighbors per-
suaded her to tear up the floor. She did
SO, and, after 3 close search, the fTag>
ments of her $50 dollars were found in a
rats nest, the proprietors of which had
been exercising their nibbling propensi.
fragments and sent them to the treasury,
Most of the money was in national bank
notes, which were mutilated beyond the
possibility of recognition. For them she
could regain nothing. OF the legsl-ten-
der notes but So could be redeemed, 50
the old lady lost 81 by rats
Another case In which there was q
distrust of banks was that of 8 farmer
living in Illinois. He always kept his
money in the house or about his person
A short time ago he had $l1 900 in
his coat pocket. He went to bed, leSv-
ing his coat on chair. His wife COM
planned Of the GOODNESS of the room, and
he got up to stir up the fire. He had
been back in bed but short time, when
the room filed with smoke and the we'll,
known odOr of " something burning"
He jumped up to find his coat pocket
burnt out, and his ST., 900 a charred
mass. Fortunately, there was enough
distinguishable about the notes to secure
him, upon sworn and attested affidavits
OF the facts, q new set complete. He
may patroDizs the banks hereafter.
There is Georgia lawyer of the old
mOss-back school, who is not yet salts
fed with the action of the treasury
toward one of his clients. The client
had $3.50 burnt up, and reliable Wit
nesses to prove its total destruction. He
wrote to the department about it, but
was informed that nothing could be re-
deemed in nothing only, despite the
acknowledged fact that there had once
been something out of which the ques-
ton grew. The lawyer was then ap-
piled TO, and for the past four months
has been trying to convince the treasurer
and Mr.. Davidge that the government
is the unlawful gamer by the destruction
of the money, and that not to replace it
is the most bsrefaced OF swindles. He
quotes law, both statutory and moral,
and spins out mis- arguments at length.
He has not made any perceptible head
way in behalf of his client
Another Georgia man, though neither
his affidavit or statement state 50 directly,
\ Il =. L..
the night before fourteen One-dOllar notes
of his caught fire. He had been down
town, he asserts, and came home sleepy.
He laid down before the parlOr fre-'tis
there he gives himself aWay-and went
to sleep. He doesn't know how long he
slept, but when he awoke his pocket
book was on the hearth nearly destroyed.
He doesn't know how it came there
Seizing it as quickly as possible, he put
out the flame and sends what is left of
his money on to see what can be made
out of it. All fourteen of the bills were
redeemed.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable
cases that has ever come before the
redemption division was the one last
week. It was q Nebraska backwoods-
man, camp fire and 800. The back
woOdsman dropped the pocket.boOk cons
tanning the 500 in the camp fire. Be-
fore he could get it out, the heat so acted
upon it that the book had shriveled up
into a hard burnt ball. The ball was
cracked just as q hickory nut would be
in order to get at its contents. Inside
was found, perfectly intact and I'M
damaged, the twenty ana ten~dOllar bill
that went to make up the bsckwoods-
mans one hundred.
1t was rather curious also about the
money presented by the banks of Chi
csgO for redemption after the great FIRE
Banks keep their money in packages
unfO1ded The hapRs wbic, vvera f,4,Tr4