St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-14
DOLLARS OF OUR DADDIEs.
Thousands Of Them Stolen From
Packages in Transit.

LuOuSaUSlS Ot otOtCu
Packages in Transit.
Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13.-The treasury
officials have discovered that they have
been robbed of new silver dollars. To
what extent or by whom they do not
yet know. The secret service detectives
are making an investigation. The mint
at New Orleans has been overloaded
with new silver coin, and to relieve it
the department. is shipping millions of
dollars to Washington to be stored in
the new slfter vault in the treasury
court yard. The money is shipped in
sealed wooden boxes, each containing
two bags of thousand dollars
each. When one of these boxes
was opened at the department a
day or two ago it was found to
contain nothing but shot. A second
box was opened and one of the bags
in 1t was found to contain nothing
more valuable than lead. The matter
was at once reported to the secretary
and by him referred to the secret
service officers, who are making a
careful and active investigation. The
boxes are carefully sealed before they
leave the mint and are guarded on the
train. They are taken from the depot
at Washington TO the treasury build
ing in large express wagon, Gagged in
on all sides with heavy steel wire, and
guarded by representatives of the eX-
press company and of the treasury, who
are heavily armed and sit on the boxes
within the cage. Every care that can
be thought of is taken to guard against
loss, and the detectives are puzzled to
know how it was possible to substitute
the shot for silver dollars. 1t is impoS-
sible at this time to tell how extensive
the robbery has been. The loss was
first brought to the attention of Act
ing Secretary Thompson on Wednes-
dayn morning, the day after
the election, and he put the detectives
at work on the case. Investigation
showed that small amounts had been
taken from each of number of boxes.
The department will probably hold that
the express company is responsible, but
it will take some time to learn the ex-
tent of the loss. The robbery was dis
covered when the seals of the boxes
were examined. 1t was found that in
stead of the government seal put on at
New Orleans. the wax bore the impress
sion Of silver quarter. the original
seal had been broken, the money alb
stracted, and by this method or hiding
the fraud had been resorted to. Mr..
Bell, chief of the secret service, believes
that the thieving was done after the
boxes left the mint, and before they
were delivered at the treasury depart
ment. He says that the express COM
pany is responsible; that if the official
clerks doing UP the packages had done
the stealing They would certainly have
used the government seal to fasten the
boxes again.
SHIFTING THE RESPONSIBILITY.
NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 13.-Sub-treas-
urer Flower says that as the shipments
of silvery to Washington were made
direct from the mint and did
not pass through his hands
he can say nothing that will throw light
on the substitution of lead for silver ell
route. Supt. Montegute, of the mint,
says the packages were all care
fully sealed with the govern
ment seal and the substitution
could not have been made in the mint,
and the boxes sealed with some other
stamp without detection. The express
agent would not have received such
packages. The substitution must be
made on the road.