News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-11-12
UNCLE SANS TREASURE.
HOW LARGE SUMS ARE CAKRIEU
FROM ONE CITY TO ANoTHEE.

Millions Conveyed I'm SatcheIs-smes-
sengers Prepared 10 Repe1 HoD-
bers-Attacks on Treasure Trains
A United States treasury employe SAID
to Washington Star reporter; VI course
the department has to be very mystic
rious about the movements OF money.
When big transfer is contemplated, II
is always kept a profound secret, ana
many millions of dollars have been taken
in and out of the treasury without any
body's knowing about it until it was all
over. 1t is kept secret even from the
EMPLOYEES in the department. except
those WHO are selected to take charge OF
the transfer. And it isn't a very delight
full thing to be selected for this trust.
have known men to become SO nervous
when they had the responsibility on their
minds. that they couldn't sleep at night,
or if they slept, they would dream OF
highwaymen and road agents chasing
them through dark woods or along mar
row mountain paths. Burglars and foot
pads sat upon their bedposts az night.
know of one case in particular where q
man had been making several trips with
large sums of money, one after another,
and he was affected in this way. The
men selected for such duty are not gen
eralIy as nervous as that, however.
1.-THE great bulk of the money trans
ferred from one depository to another"
continued the treasury man, "has been
shut in iron safes by Adams Express
company. But there have been oc-
casions when large sums of money nave
been sent by private messenger. Three
or four trusted men, whose courage ana
promptitude could be relied upon, have
been furnished with travelling bags and
sent off with millions of bonds or green
backs. They have generally Travelled at
night. Fortified with good revolvers in
their hir,pockets, they have taken their
handbags and gone to the depot in quito
an ordinary sort of way, taken sleeper
and gone on their journey without
awakening tho least suspicion OF the
great wealth they carried. During the
funding period this was done a great deal:
Millions of dollars in bonds were carTied
to New York in this way. The men
selected for the duty would take
sleeper for New York, carrying million
dollars or more in satchel. They would
arrive at New York in the morning and
90 to the Astor House like ordinary trav-
elers, and stay there until the sub-treas-
ury was opened. Then they would go
there and deposit their bonds and get
the old bonds in the place of them. 1t
was always relief when they got safe
inside the sub treasury, for the responsl-
bility was very great. On the return the
risk was not SO great. as the old bonds
were Cancelled before leaving the sub
treasury. When the Lewis will case was
decided in favor of the United States, by
which the government got about mil
lion dollars in bonds, treasury official
went over to New Jersey after the bonds
and brought them to the treasury at
Washington in his travelling bag
Lewis. YOU know, was an eccentric New
JERSEY gentleman who left large for
tune to the United States to help pay Oh
the public debt.
especial messengers have frequently
been employed to carry money way out
West. where they had to travei py sIage
over wild plains and mountains. IHey
never had TO carry so much money, put
II was more perilous. In 1871 hlgn
treasury official carried $500, 900 to Car
son CITY and Santa Fe, travelling through
that wild country in stage COACH
These trips are dangerous enough to De
romantic, and you may be sure the gov
ernment didn't notify the road agents
to be on hand. That same year party
of six took $3, 200, 900 in greenbacks to
San Francisco and brought back the
same amount in gold. The year before
thev took about the same amount. spec
ial trains were employed on these occa-
sions. but the transfers were conducted
with the same secrecy. SaIes were
nlaced in the cars and hunks built over
them. and at st. Louis file OF soldiers
were taken on board. All these Trips
| were full of risk and romance, and IL 1t
| wasn't that nothing of the KIND ls
done any more wouldn't dare tell you
about il.
.Tn the main the Adams Express COM
| pany is used as a means of transportation
! for money by the treasury, and has been
! for MANY wears. In the earlier days, be-
! fore the Atlantic and Pacific were con-
nected by railroad. gold from California
used to be conveyed by steamer on a
very perilous voyage around the cape
One vessel, with treasure OF million
dollars on board went down and has
never been found. On account OF the
danger of vessels being lost, money. has
never been sent by water when there was
any other way of conveying it.
NAttempts have been made to rob ex-
press trains loaded with money, but they
have seldom been to any degree success
full and the government has never been
the loser. A band of masked robbers
attacked a treasure train in Indiana, cut
it loose from the eng inc and ran it down
into the woods, where they proceeded to
rob it. The move was quite successful
for the moment, but the gang was finally
captured, some of them being caught In
Canada. One of the most ingenious
robberies was that of train carrying
money from here to Boston. There was
collusion between the baggagemaster OF
the train and the thieves, so that when
they reached certain convenient station
big safe containing large amount OF
money was thrown from the car, and
wooden imitation of it, made for the
purpose, put in its place. On the rest OF
the Journey the bogus safe standing
among the rest was not distinguished
from the genuine article, and the robbery
was not discovered until the train reached
Boston. The robbers, however, were
caught and the money all recovered
The greatest risk is taken by the Wells,
Fargo company, who run the stage lines
through the wild West. where the cars
do not run. They have had many thrill
inc experiences with road agents, and in
the earlier times have been frequently
robbed. 1t is very seldom that coin has
been sent through the mails. and never,
until Treasurer Jordan attempted IL,
were any large quantities sent, and the
load of silver dollars on the Swatara Is
said to be the largest that was ever
trusted upon a ship"