Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-11-01
TREASURY TRICKS.
OFFICIAL SCAlPERS IN THE VICINITY
OF THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT.
How 10 Collect Unclaimed Interest he
Lead Seal Lock - An Instructed
Board-fourteen ofa FamiIy-jef-
fersons 0esks-lamphere's
Book.
GOVERNMENT PAYING BOOK AGENTS,

day G0:st'e, OF this city, which has made
a speciality OF exposing the shortcom-
iugS OF the treasury officials, printed the
following yesterday:
Not long ago 4 treasury clerk was sent
to prominent real estate dealer, OF this
city, with list OF owners OF unclaimed
interest to the extent O! $4,000. The
proposition was Tor the real estate dealer
to communicate with the interest
owners and ciTrr to collect it for 4 fat
percentage. The dealer declined to un-
dertake the business, through fear vi
probable consequences. The method Of
iraudulently collecting unclaimed inter.
est is like this: When the interest has
accrued on bonds lOr a year or more,
without the owner OF the bonds
being heard from, the conClu-
sion that the owner OF the bonds is dead,
or that the bonds have been destroyed
or stolen, is reasonable. Then a man
as ior instance banker doing business
near the Treasury, operating for some
one i'll the DEPARTMENTS furnished the
official information as TO the bonds, aud
presents himself rs the owners at
toraey. His statement is identical with
the Department knowledge, and on
swearing that the bonds have been lost,
burned, stolen, or that they passed out
o. tie owner possession from any rca.
sonable cause, the attorney is paid the
Interest. This operation involves, rs
You perceive, false perSonatlon, ,atlidavits
and perjury, but it always collects the
unclaimed interest whenever tried.
There is lock used in the Customs
and Internal Revenue Bureaus OF the
Treasury Department known aS
The Lead Zeal Lock"
Ii was adopted by French Years ago. 1t
is used By the Treasury Department on
customs and internal revenue, bonded
warehouses and on cars in connection
with the storage and transportation OF
goods on which there is duty or lax due
the United States. This lock was long
ago abandoned by the railroad COmpan-
les and private users as utterly worth
less. At the last competition ior furnish
ing locks to the Treasury Department
the Collectors OF Customs at Detroit,
Buffalo, and one other, whose name and
location escape. Wer" constituted a
board by French to sit in this city, con-
duet the competition and report IN favor
of the best lock. II special letter
from French to the individual members
OF this board, in advance Of their meet
ing here as board, they were directed
To- report in favor OF the lead seal lock.
farce Oi testing and otherwise passing
upOn the dozen or more locks submit
tel, every one OF which was
superior To- tue lead SEAL and
then reported in favor OF the latter a.
French had desired. One ot the COM
petltOrs appealed from the report OF the
Board to the Secretary o! the Treasury,
who referred it 20 the Chief Clerk,
Power, with instruction to have French
make iull statement regarding the lock
adopted by the Board, its efficiency, &c.
Mr.. French interposed 10 prevent this
being done, and successfully. The lock
is still in use by the department. The
precise amount per annum that French
derives from this source is not known.
French is Something of Nepotist.
too, as he has fourteen Of his family in
the several departments. lie received
as his share ten desks made IN the Cabl.
et.shOp oil the Treasury Department
bv employees OF and from material be
longing to the United States. The
desks were made OF Spanish mahogany,
and were copies OF that on which Jeiler-
son wrote the Declaration OF lndepend-
ence, each costing So or an aggregate
OF $3.50.
Lamphere, the Apportionment Clerk,
and Tinglc, in charge OF the Special
Agents, made Joint trip, pretendedIy
a tour oi inspection, the object OF which
was the sale OF llmphere's book.
They visited the various Gov
ernment offices OF the North
and Fast. They so operated that near
" every Government official on the line
OF their tour bought one or more copies,
the aggregate number sold being several
thousand. This trip was made as an Of
tiral Journey, at a cost TO the United
States of go per day, when it really was
a book agency venture.
There are several facts in connection
with Lamphere's book which will be in
teresting. The book was published by
Appleton q Co, Philadelphia, at a cost
OF fifty cents per copy. Lamphere, or
rather the United States. furnished the
paper. The price is - per copy,
which leaves margin OF - %
per copy TO tine parties prcu-
niarilv nterested-MeSsrs. pton, Pow
ers, Lamphere, Tingle q Co. The sale
of the worthless book has been enor-
nous. For instance, 200 copies, aC-
corIing to vouchers on file, were sold
TO the Internal Revenue Bureau, indie
pendent OF the result oi a letter canvass
made by Lamphere, which
Reached Every Man in the Service
OF the Internal Revenue Bureau
throughout the United States. The
sales to the Customs Bureau netted the
parties interested about $4,000. aside
from the Internal Revenue and Customs
Bureaus, every man IN the Treasury
! Department service who thought he
would advance his interests by buylnga
copy OF this boOk-and large majority
did-invested 8. More than fifteen
| thOl sand copies nave been sold, the
| net profit Oi which was at least $4,000.
| Two women were employed, one from
| the Custodian'S Bureau, the other from
the Third Auditors office, to exert their
| destinations on Congressman to secure
large appropriation in the interest OF
this work, but, though it passed the
| House, it ran against COnkling in the
| Senate, and was incuntinentiy killed.
These women were paid by the United
| States TO forward private interests Tor
months at a time, aud they rendered no
ether work for the money they received.
Requested to Resign.
WASHINGTON. October &l.-Colonel
George Cowie, Chief of the Diplomatic
and Consular Division, Fifth Auditors
office Treasury Department, has re-
signed. Cowie recently passed claim