Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-05-23
DAMAGED MONEY.
Interesting Work Of the Govern.
ment Redemption bureau.
Singular Ways In Which Treasury Notes
Have Been Lost or Destroyed-Few
Attempts at Fraud-A Persistent
Pennsylvania Correspondent

Have Been Lost or DestrOyed-Few
Attempts at Fraud-A Persistent
Pennsylvania Correspondent.
When small portion of United
States note is returned to the Treasury
with sufficient proof that the remainder
of it has gone out of existence, the
Treasury will give the full value of the
original note. Naturally the greatest
destruction of money is wrought by
fire, and bits of bills with charred
edges are constantly coming in for re-
demption.
But several instances have occurred
where men, in their desperation at
their loss, have simply boxed up lot
OF ashes, in which there was not the
slightest trace of the original material,
and demanded hundreds and thousands
OF dollars for them. Such requests are,
OF course, refused, and the senders are
informed that their only recourse is to
ask Congress by special act to indem-
Nifty them.
The extreme limit in this direction
was reached in a recent case which is
still pending. A Texan wrote to the
Treasurer that certain large amount
OF money belonging to him had been
burned and that he had forwarded the
remains by express in box. The
box came all right, properly wrapped
and with seals unbroken. but when it
was opened there was absolutely
nothing but air inside of it. EVIDENT
ly that was all that was left of the
mans money, but the department sent
him letter inquiring whether that
was his meaning Of it or if he had for
gotten to put in the pieces. His reply
has not yet been received.
Next to fire the young baby is put
down in the department as the most
destructive agent Innumerable affi-
davits are received in which John
Jones. or whatever his name may be-,
"being duly sworn, deposes and says, d"
that his infant son did chew up and
swallow the missing portion of certain
IS bills, and that the said missing por-
tions were thereby wholly destroyed
and are now no longer in existence.
The fashion of keeping small pet
dogs has often been the cause of many
solemn affidavits being sent to the de-
partment Your pug and your. poodle
seem to take especial delight in masti.
eating the fruit and the reward of the
many days of severe toll of the head
OF the house.
The fancy of mice for $40 bills as
lining for luxurious nests has been
impressed upon the redemption bureau
by long series of examples. Only a
few days ago several hundred dollars
worth of nest lining was redeemed foi
Southern man who had for many
years given up all idea of finding his
missing treasure There was 500 Of
it in the first place, notes OF almost the
first issue made by the Government
early in war times. 1t had beer
hidden away in place supposed to be
secure and had disappeared. A quar-
ter of century later, in repairing the
porch of the old house, the nest OF the
wealthy mouse had been discovered
and enough of the fragments recovered
10 secure more than half of the orig
inal deposit.
Also from the South come most o.
the mouldy, worm-eaten bills which
have been hidden in bottles or buried
in the earth for years. There are mo-
so many savings banks in the South q:
in thrifty New England, and hiding
places are used.
But the habit Of using the parlor OF
kitchen stove as safety deposit vaul
is not confined to any one section o
the country. Neither is the custom
OF burning up this treasure by some
other member of the family who is al
unaware of its value. Years ago tn,
clerks in the redemption bureau
ceased to declaim upon the stupidit,
of such people. 1t has become mat
ter of course with them, and they ex
pecs about so many letters every weel
from people who have warmed 81 pal
of hands with $1,000 worth of silve
certificates.
Evidence of family row crops GU
in queer way in the bureau occa
sionally. Mr.. Blank sends on the hal
of q $40 note with torn edge and al
affidavit that the remainder of tn
note has been destroyed. Present.,
comes the other half with a CORE
spondingly ragged edge and an affida
Wit from Mrs. Blank that the first hal
has been destroyed. Then the re
deception bureau people know tia
there has been an exciting time owe
money in the Blank family, and Their
Is before them vivid picture OF Blanl
clinging to one end Of the Dote and hi
wife to the other end UNITY 1t parts i
the middle.