Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-13
FrvEs1oo NOTES MADE oFFOUR.
A Gentleman from Canada Offers SSOO
of the stuff at the Sub-Treasury.

of the stuff at the sub treasury.
More than year ago, says the New
York San of Tuesday, the United States
Treasury Department made a rule for
the redemption at face value of mutt
lated legal-tender notes when not less
than two-thirds of any note was pre-
scented. Taking advantage of the rule
swindlers began the systematic mutlla-
tion of United States paper money as a
business for profit. In the past few weeks
a great number of fraudulently mutt
lated national bank notes, green
backs and silver certificates have been
sent to the Sub-TTeasury, the place
OF redemption in this city. MOST oil tnls
money came from banks and banking
houses which had received it in the regu-
lar course of business. The notes were
made up each Of parts of different notes,
skilfully pasted together with paper on
the back, and each OF them short one-ntth
or one-tenth of the proper amount OF ma
terial, the savings from five or ten such
compilations going to make another COM
posite note. The Treasury officials send
such stuff back to the offices and banks
that forward it.
On Friday the sub-Treasury received
from two banks two $40 silver certificates
for redemption. Both had been purposeiy
mutilated. When silver certificates are
issued they are numbered on the upper
right hand corner and the lower LETT mana
corner. On genuine mutllated Dill the
| two numbers, of course, should cores
| pond. On these two bills TREY differed.
| Yesterday afternoon there came 10 the
| sub-Treasury medium sized young man.
who produced a roll of mutilated notes
| that he said he wanted exchanged for new
money. He wore a gold chain and sill
yer watch. His clothes were ordinary
and worm His hat and shoes were poor,
and he wore no OVercOat. His roll OF
notes was counted, and found to contain,
apparently, $500. but all in traudulentlY
| mutilated bills. The denominations were
all higher than $40.
Capt. Tom Sampson, the government
detective, was called and took the young
man into custody. The prisoner said he
was William Mitchell, broker, and tina
he had bought the money at discount.
| He would not tell where or of whom he
| purchased it. Subsequently be said that
he came from Canada and had arrived in
| the city Yesterday, after travelling through
Massachusetts and New Hampshire, buy
ing up mutilated money. He did not tell
| what places he had visited or the names
| of the hotels he had stopped at, although
he was questioned on these points. In his
pockets were found $4,000 in good money.
He was asked for a reference, and named
Edward James, who, he said, was pri-
vate detective at Ottawa, Canada. He
afterward said that the Rev. DR.. Hull, an
Episcopal Bishop, and the Hon. William
Hull, a member of the Canadian Parlia-
ment. knew him and could vOuch for his
integrity, as could Mr.. GriersOn, a MEL
chant.
Chief DrummOnd, of the Secret Service,
examined Mitchell, but could get no sat
isfactOry explanation of how he got the
| mutilated notes. He consulted the Dis
trict Attorney, but no statute could be
found on which the prisoner could be de-
tanned. Mitchell was let 20, after prom
Using to return to-day, by which time the
officers expect to know more about him.
The $1,000 found on him was deposited in
bank pending his return.
Chief DrummOnd says that the $500 in
notes that he sought to have redeemed
| were undoubtedly mutilated by some one
with intent to defraud. They were all
torn exactly in the same way.
In mutilating money the swindlers take
four notes, usually of high denomination,
and tear them in such a way that they
can, by pasting, make i've notes of them.
With four good 800 notes they construct
five that will pass a casual inspection.