The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-03-16
MUTILATED MONEY.
The Work of Redeeming Disfig-
ured Greenbacks.
Bills Sent to Washington to I'm
dergO Maceration.

"What shall I do with this tcn-dollar
bin?"
The speaker held in his hand a legal
tender note issued some time during the
recent war. 1t bore all the marks of
time-honOrcd wear and tear. The latter
was even more conspicuous, as the nu-
merous crcases made by its many holders
had worn themselves through and even
the edges of the note had become badly
frayed. Its color was so disguised with
the dirt of handling that it required close
observation to determine what it was.
1t had been offered to many trades
men, but they had one and all refused
to accept it in payment for goods. Yet
it was a good representative of value re-
ceIved by the United States Govern
ment, which promised on it to pay the
amount of ten dollars on demand. At
ter repeating the above question more
than once, a by-standcr suggested that
it should be taken to the New York
Sub Treasury on Wall street, and there
the owner could find out if it could be
redeemed. The suggestion was fol-
lowed. There the holder was rendered,
without hesitation, bright, new and crisp
bills of a smaller denomination in ex-
change and which he gladly received.
a reporter of the Mail and Express,
who was standing near, asked if such ex-
change was a common occurrence. The
superintendent of the mutilated money
department, Mr.. George W. Marion, said:
ut would almost seem as if all the
mutilated currency of the country came
through this Sub-Treasury. We never
receive less than about $3.50, 600 worth
in a day and often the amount exceeds
$4,000 The notes, or bills as they
are more frequently called, are presented
in all stages of mutilation, caused by
nav" H>''SC III iitHbiHS. htiCiiiIlS anu
bankers send us the largest amounts.
They receive them, if anyway decent,
/ from their customers and then send them
here for redemption"
do You get many in as bad condition
as that just prcsentcd.'
"Yes, very often. But they generally
come as this one did, singly. Notes that
have been saturated with water from
some cause are often presented for re-
demption. There is no occasion for any
person to lose money through mutilation
or other damage if the notes are only
distinguishable. When presented for
redemption they will always be ex-
changed with new United States notes of
such denominations as the owner may
desire"
"What do you do with the mutilated
notes?'
They are sorted and done up in pack
ages of the different denominations. A
thousand notes usually form a bundle.
If one-dollar bills, it will represent
$1,000; if two-dollar bills, $1,000, and
so on. The work of sorting is done by
clerks specially assigned to the duty.
Should they detect, as they occasionally
do, counterfeits in any package sent by
a bank or merchant, they are thrown out
branded and sent back to the person
from whom they came. When the mu-
tilated notes are done up in the bundles
they are packed solidly in large, GOV.
cred basket and sent on to Washington
to undergo the process of maceration."
'Do you take any account of the mu-
tilated notes by their numbers?"
1--WE would have no time to do that
When it is considered how many ART
handled each day, it will be easily seer
that such a process would require {
larger force of clerks than could bC
spared for the purpose. This may, how.
ever, be done in Washington before note:
are destroyed Mail and Express.