Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-28
RoaBING THE GovERNMENr.
HOW . Treasury Officlal vsas SsAs.
pecsed OF Double Theft.

How q Treasury Osncial vsas sas-
pecsed Of Double Then.
SIGNING ~ARRANrs-prTfIcuLfY OF THrRvrso FROM
TIE rREAsunY-THH OFFICIALS oroRY-H0w A
MISSING PACKAGE OF FRACTIONAL crRaRNcr WAS
FINALLY ForND-A ctRvER DETECTIVE DEfncrKp.
Almost any day during the past ten years. ex-
cepting sundays and holidays, person passing
through the corridors OF the Treasury Department
upon Slancing Into q certain cheery-lookfng room
through the partly opene door, might have seen
man whose alert eye contrasted strangely with
MS placid countenance, sitting at uesk, pen In
| hand, signing his name TO bits OF paper. For
| nidaole looking bundles OF these papers almost
covered the large ONCE desk They are warrants
upon the Treasury, ana the onlcial, by afxing his
name Is executing almost the last formality neces-
sary to give the papers value hardly second 70 that
placed upon United States Treasury notes. And
the aggregate value OF the warrants signed by the
qulet:ookng gentleman on almost any day of the
year is enough 10 make ones palm ttngle GOV.
etously. Into tn room one day entered ST Ar
reporter. The Official bade his visitor good day
With smile, and again bent over his DESK With
mock slyness the reporter picked up one OF the
packages OF warrants and thrust It Into his over
coat pocket. The writer did not raise his head,
nor did his eyes appear to turn from his work. but
he remarked, with a smile,
"THEY WILL OF NO SERVICE TO roc"
Laying down his pen and wiping his glasses he
the apparent value Of these papers, that am
rather careless in allowing them to lie around In
tnls fashion. The same idea seemed 10 have
struck another person. am tolerably certain ne
was an empoye in the DepartmeDt-who made on
with package OF the warrants one day when my
back was turned for moment think It was an
employee for the reason that the same bundle was
found outside OF this door on tn very next morn.
ing before the general public was admitted to the
building. Why did he return them9 Because he
learned over night what you would soon have dis
covered II you mad seen Mt to carry or that pack
age-that the warrants are valueless unless coun-
taking into consideration the vast sums OF
money that pass daily through this branch Of the
Departm ent, thefts and losses are inevitable,
suppose" remarked the reporter.
Losses are rare; thefts even more 80 replied
the oHlc1aL 81 know OF but one case OF theft OF
any magnitude that has occurred since have been
In tne service. Losses Will occur sometimes. Of
course l have peculiarly vivid recollection Of
one that happened during the last war, and nearly
the first issue by the Government OF the paper
| fractional currency now SO rarely seen, the story
may interest you, said the Official az be Tilted bis
continued:
THE OFFICIALS STORY.
81 was young man-hardly more than Q lad
at the time, but as had managed to secure the
liking and confidence OF Gen. Spinner, then Treas
urer, had been holding for some months q posi-
ZION OF great responsibility 10 the cashiers once
Upon counting the cash one day at the close OF OF.
nee hours 1t was found to be short to the amount
several times and the books had been examined it
became pretty clear to US that the missing money
was one OF the packages or new fractional cur
rency which we had just received for issue that
day. Then the fact was recalled that the only
payment OF that kind OF money made during the
day mad been made by me in cashing the draft OF
| an Army paymaster. He had called for an unu-
sually large sum-something like $50 600 as rec
ollect it-and TO facilitate his payments OF small
ana ODD sums to solCi rs, he had asked particu-
iariy for large proportion OF the new small cur
rency notes. 1t Was possible OF course that he
had been given the missing package along with his
own Dy an error
BEGINNING THE SEARCH.
By the time we had reached this conclusion it
was dark, but without loss Of time, and In the
company OF another employe, proceeded TO the
boarding-house where the paymaster lodged. He
was no. IN. With increasing anxiety we turned to
look VI his clerk. VINO lived near by. Alter time
| we found him. and he Joined in the hunt for his
CHIEF, which finally led 10 his discovery at thea
Yer, where he was enjoying the play: Upon hear
| Ing OF the loss, the paymaster readily accompa-
MED US 10 mis- rooms, and dragging leather trunk
from beneath his bed, opened It, and said: "There
men," We hurriedly counted the packages They
were OF the proper number, and after we mad
| taken the pains TO open every bundle and count
the contents, in the vain hope that the I?issiny
| notes might be found in one OF them, we were
| compelled to return to the Treasury empty
handed.
J SUSPECTED.
On the way 1t began to dawn upon me- from
|
might, With some reason be suspected OF having
stolen the missing notes. He did not say anything
openly TO that effect, but suggested That SO small
| package could readily be carried Off under a
mans coat without exciting attention, and then
| he inquired WHERE / had gone when left the De.
partment about midday, and II anyone had gone
| with me.
SO 1t happened that l was not altogether un
| prepared wnen l entered the office about mid
OF the military detective Service nor to be told
after hearing OF our failure that he wished to talk
10 me privately; Nevertheless l was not pre-.
pared to meet calmly his searching examination.
1t is popular fallacy that innocence will always
come out triumphant from trial of that KIND
That man had the most pi rcing eyes ever saw,
and when, sitting just the width OF a narrow
| table distant from me and looking squarely into
my eyes. he began 10 ply me with questions about
/ my habits, the circumstances attending the
handling OF the currency and other matters that
| indicated clearly that he suspected me Of tine
| theft, am convinced that nobody ever looked
more like guilty man than myself. l felt hot
| nushes pass over my face, my eyes Would waver
beneath his Keen glance, and Involuntary starts
followed several questions that betrayed the
knowledge he had already acquired Of my per-
Sonai habits and places or resort.
| sHADowED.
Nor was / much comforted when I started for
my home to notice shadow" following my foot.
| steps and to discover upon reaching my room that
| every corner OF my trunk, bureau and wardrobe
thoroughly searched by detectives in nv absence.
never was 50 miserable at any time in my life as
| 10.
| already suffering cruelty from unjust suspicion
when another blow fell upon me, by one or those
accidents that tend to verify the old proverb that
| ''misfortunes never come singly."
| ANOTHER ROBBERY.
| On the very night on which had called upon
| the paymaster In anxiety to recount his cash
| that oflcer was robbed. An honest old house
| servant awoke him from his sleep in the early
morning. holding In his hand q lot OF fractional
| currency which he said he had discovered on the
| ash pile In the alley way. Upon investigation it
was found that the officers room had beeL entered
while be was asleep with his son, young lad: the
| sole-leather trunk split open with q keen knife
and all Ut the large sum OF money drawn on the
preceding day stolen. There was great hue and
privately In our ONCE, that Is that had called ct
! the paymaster'S rooms and counted his CASH
| came to be publicly known, and I soon
| learned With anguish that was now suspected
| Of having roUbed him, or OF having given
Information OF his possession OF the money
There was some small amount Of satisfaction TO
| be derived from the fact that my companion in
the visit was also under suspicion, but his load
Was small In comparison TO my own, Tor the
reason that people were more ready to believe evil
| OF man against whom was already charged the
| money missing from the Treasury. found that
| was being Systematically tracked by detectives
| and l remember very wei the bitter amuSe.
| ment used to seek In trying TO worry my perse.
| cutOrs BY long night walks, making sudden turns
at dark corners, entering one door OF hotel and
emerging quiet from another, and other devices
| would gladly h we resigned but that was I'M.
| possible while under suspicion. And felt sure
| that would not be dismissed until the matter
| was cleared up.
Time ran on without the production of any eyi.
clew to The real robbers, until finally tue paymas
| ter. q gallant offlcial he WAS. too nndno himSaf