The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-12-05

70 fl,em for a;iiag. mud whch they arc
lighted :he grsenbacks go up III smoke.
The greatest sum ever consumed oy
sre in this country fss s. 600, 600. Ihat
s4ot,f1t went up in smoke at the SUD
treasury, but the government was aoie
L, replace it at ills cost of paper ano
printing. 1t has been estimated INA.
one per cent of all the paper money
issued is lost or destroyed O the oio
fractional currency it is reckoned tnah
S. oOO, 600 has been totally lost
A few days ago an old coiorea man
from across the Potomac in virginia
broucht 10 the treasury an extraoro',
nary looking lump Of metal he sa'o
that it was a lot Of silver dollars,
halves and quarters, which he had pu'
In a tin can some years baek anu hiu
den in the stone wall of a bSrn Dy re-
tnavitg a stone and plastering up tne
oritire. wher recently he took QUO the
box. he found that trickling water hao
rusted it almost away. covering tne
coins with oxide of iron and seeRlns
them together in a mass Assistant
Treasurer whelpley had the lump put
into acid and treated with lye and saw
dust, so that the silver pieces came out
as pret ty and bright as when they were
min,ed. and the old man carried them
away delighted.
One day this week s. note on the
National banh of Rhole Island st
Newport CAME in for redemption. on
the face it looked quite ncw- but the
back was washed perfectly clean, 50
| that not n mark was left Oh II Ihe
| ioI,s of il is that the bureau OF engrsv-
| ing aiopted the brown back for sucn
bills on the ground that it could not oe
washed off. as tllc green back can oe.
1t was intended in this way to prevent
counterfeiters from procuriug treasury
paper by rendering notes of small de-
nominations blank with acids and print
| ing big ONES on them. This is the arst
time that confidence in the indelibiiity
of the brown ink has been disturbed
Even the seal on the front, which Is
done in the same ink. has entirely dis
appeared in the bill described. Whether
tn, thing was done for a Jest or by ac-
cideut the authorities do not pretend to
say.
The new designs soon to be made
for the entire series OF silver certih-
Gates except the one for two dollars al
ready completed will furnish big job
to the bureau of engraving. Only the
backs are to be changed, but the
making of n single one of these money
plates, with all the lettering and geo
metric lathe work involved, is for
n;iAable task 1t is not on this nc
count thu. Chief Engraver Casilear
thinks the proposed alterations un-
wise. His opinion is thnt it is mistake
to change the appearance of currency
more often than is absolutely neces-
sary The people do not readily accept
paper cash that has strange look
To illustrate this Mr.. CasileaT
told how he happened to be in
New York at one time during the war
looking out for q gang of counterfeit
ers. To avoid making his presence in
! the city conspicuous he put up at a
: second-rate hotel where he was I'M
, known For some purpose he handed
5 to the clerk at the desk brand-new
: iifty-ceni note 1t was an issue just out
, with Gen Spinner's portrait on it. the
likeness having been substituted for
picture of Justice with her scales
t which the forgers had initiated very
: successfully.
The clerk looked at the note will
| evident suspicion, and handed it back
: "Inever saw anything like that be
l fore, he said.
: 1T is good. assure you, replle'
u Mr.. Casilear.
Il don't believe it. ;" said the clerk.
Very we'll" rejoined Mr.. Casilear
e 1T doesn't matter, though know it i:
good, because | made it myself"
: The clerk smiled sardOnically.
That is just what occurred to me,
Il he said. Therefore / refused to &C
cept it."
MIR. Casilear felt that the joke wa
: on himself, so he treated himself to
? bottle of soda-water at the bar and lef
for Washington that evening g-Wash
! ingtOn Cor. y. Y. sun.