The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-11
THIEVES
The Quarter of a Million Dollars
OF the Conscience Fund.
RELIGION AS A DETECTIVE
Conseiencc-Strieken Army Officers and How
Ihey Refund Extra Pay--IIanor and
Pathos of Crime.

WASHINGTON, May s, 1890. : Especial
correspondence of TIE HERALD = The
conscience fund of the treasury Depart
ment now amounts to more than quarter
OF million dollars. Every week, AID
nearly every Gay, Treasurer Huston re
ceiySs one or more envelopes containing
money from parsons who do not sigl their
nai;ies and Of whose identity the notes
accompanying the Enclosures give no sign
In2 amounts sent range all the way from
cents TO hundreds of dollars, and the ma
ios:ty CT the notes state that the money
righifAiiy belongs to the United States, and
has been wrongfuliy taken froni it. Some
OF Tie writer give anonymous signatures.
Many sign themselves "Conscieace."
Scores ;llix tho WORD PROSTITUTION" to the
disguised hand which taey write, and afew
give no signatures whatever. Some are
like the following, which was written on q
half-page of foolscap iaclosing 500 bill
and bearing in the middle Of sheet of
paper these words:
''From one who wishes to observe here
after the commandment: Thou shalt net
steal'n
This was all. There was not even dash
in the way Of signature. Another letter
inclosing $3.50 read rs follows:
"a troubled conscience seads S12.aG
which he stole from She government. lie
is sorry for his faults, and viii send the
rest till all is paid"
Another written by an illiterate man,
and dated Chicago contained Sl4, and the
sender writes:
'.Nr. Treasures, r,ease except this from
one making lis pease with God and appro
rriate it to the use Of The government. II
belongs to the United States.
(Signea) "REsTITUTloN.n
THE HISTORY OF TIE CONSCIENCE FUND.
The government began its conscience
fund in 1911, and during that year $3.50 was
covered into the treasury under it. From
that time ON till the close of the war thC
amounts received were small, except il
1890 when they amounted to $1,000. Dur
ing the war they jumped rapidly upward
and at the time of the settlement of the
accounts at the close of the war there was
large increase through conscience
stricken paymasters and suffers, so tina
in 1865, $4,000 were sent in, and in 1861
Sl2, 600. In 1873, S293, 900 were received, ant
the amounts come in now at the rate o.
81 GOO a year. The total in 1883 ha:
amounted to S241, 900, and now in 1890 i
reaches considerably over $3.50, 900. l spen
some hours to day locking over the grea
packages Of letters which have been re
ceived containing conscience money.
find many of them full of pathos, and ever
one, if it could speak, could tell its story o
crime. The biggest amount ever received
from one man was $1,000. 1t came in thu
cheapest of MANILA envelopes, wrapped
up in one-fourth Of a sheet of dirty note
paper upon which was written the follow
ing:
''Hon. Hugh McCulloch: The inclosed i
money that rightfully belongs to tn
United States, though the world would sa,
] came honestly by it. 1 count, however,
clear conscience of more value than none
can represent or express
The money sent was in treasury notes o
1900 and under.
oNsCIENCE-sTRICKEN ARMY OFFICERS.
Some of the letters received from tn
army officers are Interesting and they shoy
that the soldiers conscience is well deve
oped. Here is one received at the close O
war:
s'TRoY, New York, 1867
Enclosed find Stl2, which l was paid fc
q horse lost in the service of the Unite
States, but which WAS lost partly throug
my fault. ] have never felt fully Statistic
when thinking of this affair, and l sha
ever hereafter feel better in mind to hav
refunded this amount TO the government
lind the way of religion narrow and tn
gate straight.
yours truly,
(Signed) PROSTITUTION"
Another officer writes at about the san
time stating that he was an officer in tt
United States army and was entitled
Two servants, but that he used only or
while drawing the salary for two. He say
his custom was unknown to the payma
tiers, and it was regular thing with tho
sands of officers. He inclosed $3.50 in b
letter. and states that he entered the arm
poor AID left it poor and sick, ''too poo
II fac:, to get along without clear CO.
science which he cannot have as long as
retains this extra money" His letter
not alEeeC.
necticut:
s'iIon. Hugh McCuIloch, Secretary of Il
Treasury, Washington, d. c.:
sf3ear Sir:--Inclosed please fine a chez
for fTl.s dollars (S50.00l which is honest
due the government by me: about thr
years ago the paymaster gave me over II
Just pay eighty dollars $4,000. Since til
time | nave never had an opportunity
make any restitution. l was soldier
the lime. / assure you, dear sir il h
troubled me more than a little. / still ov
thirty dollars (s.'GU0), which intend pa
ing this summer After it is paid Sd:
feel that have ccne nothing but VIII
ought 10 have been done. Not soul sa'
God and myself knows that l kept Il
money or that il was ever paid me. | am
Catholic, ard ss sach it is my duty TO p:
back what IS Justly due. do rot wish
siga ing ua-e TO this, and sir beg of Y,
that you VII 90 me the favor of not spea
ing OF II 10 any person whereby it migl
get into the public press.
Hoping, dear sir. that you will look ia
orably on this, remain, yours respectful
SOLDIER. -
sMUGGLERS' LETTERS.
There are hundreds OF such letters, a
those received from smugglers are quite
numerous Ladies who have scugrl
jewclry, gloves and Paris dresses past {
custom officers at New York on their I
turn from Europe, become conscenc
stricken; and inclose money to the ire;
urer Of tue United States. Here is o
containing So 81. which represents the d.i
on toe kid gloves of New York lady W
say ste IS sorry ~ trouble the secretary
the treasury about the matter, but she dc
not know where else to send IL. Here 3
$500 frcni Chicago. which represents ext
tariff dates uuiawfully evaded and he
is Baltimore hardware man who says
has cheated Cncle sam out of S310 in duti
and enreSes the amount liz gold. The
ter. which is unsigned, states that
writer is anxious to deal fairly with all me-
and wishes to be at peace with God and
country.
RESTITUTION BIZ INsTALLMENT.