Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-21
IS IT ANOTHER ROBBERY?
A Redeemed Bank Note Presented {
the Treasury Second Time.

Yesterday morning the officials Of the United
States Treasurer's Office were considerably as
tonished by the presentation by Washington
bank for redemption S20 national bank note
among q number of others that already bore
the marks Of the cancellation that is always
made on bank notes in preparing them for re-
demption. The note at first glance appeared
good, but q second examination showed that
the pieces that had been cut from the note
in cancellation had been carefully pasted back
80 that the note had the appearance of being
good. Two corners had been clipped of and a
circular hole punched in the center,
but all Of these pieces had been
replaced. Immediately upon this dis
covery the note was confscated and
the bank people notified that, as it had already
already been receipted for by the controller Of
the currency, in whose Office the maceration
or destruction of the bank notes takes place,
and 1t was accordingly sent there with the sug-
gestion that, as it was apparent a fraud had
been perpetrated,
AN INVESTIGATION
into the matter would be advisable The fact
that the treasurer held receipt for the note
from the controller was good proof that the
fraud or theft had NOT occurred in the Office of
the former.
1t is said that the clerks in the redemption
division of the latter Office were told to remain
at their desks at o'clock, and that prelimi-
nary investigation was held, the result Of which
10 kept secret. In fact there is q pail of Sc
crecy in the,controller's Office this morning that
10 almost suffocating. Acting Controller Abra-
hams was stalking up and down the floor medi-
tatively when STAR reporter asked him for
information.
II cannot say anything about the matter, /" he
replied, except that have begun an investi-
CATION. l cannot say any more. It is a deli
cate matter, and do not want to give out any
information, as that would be telling folks what
to lookout for"
THE COURSE
Of national bank notes presented to the Treas
urer is q long one. They are counted in the
Treasurer's Office, where the corners are cut
Of. Then they 60 to the controller of the cur
rency, who counts them and gives the Treas
urer q receipt. After this they are sent to the
currency division of the Secretary's Office,
where they are counted and punched and then
returned to the controller. The agent of the
bank of issue then counts them, and in his
presence the notes are placed in the macerator
by special committee for this purpose.
THE IMMEDIATE LOSS
Of go will fall upon the bank teller who took
the note, unless he knows who presented it;
but there are grave doubts at the Treasury a.
to whether this note il the only one 90 treated.
It may be that there are many others out id
circulation coming from this same source, and
II viii be one Of the objects Of the investiga-
ton to discover whether this note got out in
the way Of an accident or II there 10 loop hole
somewhere through which cancelled notes have
been finding their way out in large numbers.
In the meantime the clerks in the redemption
division Of the controllers Office are holding
their breath.