Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-06-08
\ Mystery.
THE DIE Is CAST.

NASHlNGIpN, June D.-1pOrSt w
Bell, an Ohio man, who has for some
time held the position of Custodian OF
the plates, dies, &c, at the Bureau o1
Engraving and Printing, was yesterday
relieved by the Secretary of the Treas
ury. The circumstances surrounding
this step are as follows:
On Tuesday evening last Mr.. Cast
lear, superintendent of the bureau, rs
he was quitting the building, saw a lit
tie parcel lying on the table which at
tracted his attention. 1t was done up
! in newspaper. He opened the pack
age, and found within two dies They
were dies of the figure ten, made by
the geometric lathe-Uork. They were
among the choicest and supposedly
most previously guarded, of the bu-
reau's plates and dies. No one vas in
the building Mt the time besides Mr..
CASTELAR, and the Waterman. The Gus
todian, Mr.. G. w. Pcll, had.gone home.
+, By the system of protection adopted
the custodian is responsible directly to
the secretary cf the treasury. He and
the secretary al me know the comhina-
ton of the safe. He is responsible for
the safety of the plates and dies. He
receives orders from no one but the
secretary. In the morning it is his
duty to open the safe and take there
from such plates and dies as he may
be requested to deliver on requisition
of the superintendent He receives
receipts for these. In the evening he
must see that all plates and dies given
out are returned, and he gives receipts
therefor. The receipts are compared,
and when this is done the safes are
locked.
On Thursday evening Bell receipted
for the plates and dies, of all Of them,
including these two that Casilear found.
The latter FASTENED at once to the
chief Of the bureau and told him the
G.. oumstances and delivered tie dies
to him. The two went to Secretary
Folger and gave him the dies and told
him the story. The secretary was
much astonished and alarmed. In the
first place the discovery of the dies
showed that it was possible to abstract
the dies from the safe, notwithstand-
ing they had all been accounted for un.
der the safe guards adopted. In the
second place, these dies with the geo.
metric lathe-work are most difficult
bits of engraving to successfully coun-
terfeit The secretary decided at once
that the dies must be destroyed. They
were out. Nobody knew wether they
had been used or probably not;
but absolute safety required their de-
struction. On Friday morning Secre-
tary Folger went to Mr.. Bell and asked
| for these two dies. Mr.. Bell reporte
that while his receipts were all right
he was unable TO find the dies he
professed the greatest astonisnment
that they should be missing. No ex-
plapation was made to him. In the
evening he was about to close the safe
when he received orders that he could
not do 80 until he had reported about
the missing dies, or given some explana-
ton for their absence. Of course he
could not do thls--at least could not
return the missing dies; and later in
the evening the secretary sent a trust
ed official over to the bureau with a
new combination for the safe. The
safe was locked by the new combina-
ton, and yesterday Mr.. Bell was dis
charged, although he professed entire
ignorance as to how the dies could
have been removed.
The discovery mas shaken the faith Of
the secretary in the integrity with which
other dies have been kept. Although
an investigation has been going on for
two days, the secretary, as yet, has been
wholly unable to find any clew as to
the manner in which the dies were alb
stracted They must either have been
left where hey were through fear OF
discovery, or by accident to some part
Of plan for removing them safely from
the building, where every one is sc
closely watched. The investigation will
be carried on as closely as possible