St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-13
Value Of the Services Of Fe-
males in the Treasury
Department.
They Do More Work and Bet
ter Work Than the Men
Beside Them.
Their Great Skill. in the De-
lection Of Counterfeit
Bills.
Some Prominent Women Who
Have Served Uncle Sam
d. as Clerks.

At a meeting held here recently in
honor OF the late Gen. Francis E. Spin
ner. formerly treasurer of the United
States, says Washington correspond
ent of the Boston Journal, Secretary
Foster paid tribute to him that was
we'll deserved. Attention was especial
Iy called to the fact that Gen. Spinner
was one of the first to recognize the
merits of women as department clerks,
and to give them positions in the sery-
ice. From Gen. Spinner's day the en-
ployment of women in the department
has become general.
In many branches of the treasury
service women have arisen to the pro-
ficiency of experts. This is especially
true as to the Office of the treasurer of
the United States, where the most ex-
pert, rapid and accurate counters Of
mutilated currency and detectOrs of
counterfeit money are women. A wonI-
an detected the first counterfeit S1G0
bill of very dangerous issue. When
called upon to explain why she thought
it was counterfeit, her answer was: 81
knew it waS.' 1t took day or two for
the engrayers and cashiers TO make a
detailed explanation so that bank Off
Gals could understand the reason.
However, it was discovered that the
same cashiers and bank officials had re-
ceiyed good many of the bills, while
the woman had detected that they
were counterfeit. Gen. Spinner,
when treasurer of the United States,
once said: "A man will examine
note Systematically and adduce logic
ally from the imperfect engraving,
blurred vignette or indiStInct signature
that it is counterfeit, and he will be
wrong four cases out of ten. A woman
picks up a note, looks at it in an appar-
emily careless manner, after her own
fashion, and says: That is counterfeit
'Why?' the division chief will ask, and
she will be sure to answer. Because it
is and she is right eleven cases out of
twelve" 1t would be wrong to say
these discoveries are the result of
chance. They come from keen per-
ception, fine eyeSight, delicate touch
and long acquaintance with the wor K.
There is in one of the bureaus to-day
woman whose division chief says that
her daily average of work is nearly
three times that of a man who has been
assigned to the same duty, and who sits
in the same room, yet the man gets
twice the pay.
The most skillful persons to identify
the notes and bonds which We're de-
faced and charred in the great Chicago
fire were women. There was one mass
of charred paper from the Chicago fire
amounting to S165,000. consisting of
legal tenders, national bank and frac-
tional notes. bonds and coupons. They
were so charred that they would crum-
bic at the touch. This black mass was
given to six ladies for identification,
and in the course OF time they accom-
plished their task. Other like amounts
from that city were in like manner sue
eeSSfully identified. A year later eighty
three cases of money, similarly charred.
came from the great Boston fire. One
case was found by these same six ladies
TO contain $4,000. How they did it is
described in this manner by one OF
them:
after unpaeking the money from the
raw cotton in which it travelled, as zeal
ously swathed as the most precious jew
elry, the ladies separated each small
piece with thin knives made for the
purpose; then laying the blackened
fragments OH sheets of blotting paper
value, genuIneneSs and nature of the
note. Magnifying glasses were pro-
vided. but seldom used, except for the
deciphering of coupon numbers or other
minute details. The pieces were then
pasted on thin paper, the bank notes
returned to their respective banks, and
the United States money put in sealed
envelopes and delivered to a committee
of four, who superintendent the final
burning. The amount of all the money
from the two cities identified was
81, 226, 81, or over Is per cent of the
whole"
Six months were required to identify
the money saved from these two fires.
Some of the women are employed on
what are known as affidavit cases"
eases where money is too badly IN
jured to be redeemed in the usual man
ner. One of these expert women clerks
saved the government S1S0,000 once.
This money was lost in paymaster'S
trunk, which was sunk at the bottom of
the Mississippi river, lay there for
many months, and was almost mass of
pulp when it arrived at the treasury.
The express company. which was re-
spOnsible for this money, presented the
clerk with $500.
A good many distinguished women
have at different times been compelled
to seek employment in the government
service. Mrs. Stephen Douglas, the
widow of the Little Giant" reduced
to poverty by her husbands unfortunate
speculations, for time held a clerkShip
in the treasury. During the lifetime of
her husband she was a brilliant leader
in society, and while in the treasury
married an army officer of high stand
ing. The daughter of a decayed Wash
ington FAMILY was married from the
treasury to wealthy German baron. A
niece of Gen. John Sedgwick once held
a place there. Mrs. Commodore Vain
wright, a descendant of Franklin, and
two granddaughter of Jefferson have
been clerks in the government service.
Mrs. Attorney General Brewster was
clerk in the bureau of the internal
revenue in the treasury department,
and Mr.. Brewster, then Philadelphia
lawyer, occasionally came to see her
when she was a clerk. She was the
orphan daughter of Robert J. Walker,
once secretary of the treasury. A fe-
male cousin of Gen. Rawlings, formerly
secretary of war, and cousin of Will
lam a. Seward have held government
clerkshipS. e AL
The daughters or Chlef Justice fancy
were employed in the treasury until
friends of their father raised fund for
their support. Gov. Fairchild, of Wis
consin. married his wife from the treas
ury. A sister of Gen. Robert Ould was
a long time in the treasury. The poet
ess. Florence Percy" held a place in
the quartermaster generals office until
she was married. Some of the more
prominent women writers of Washing
ton were once treasury clerks. The
daughter of Pettigrew King, tie noted
governor of South Carolina, was long a
clerk in the postof1ice department. The
list could be made very long one.
A New Extravaganza.
New York Tribune.
Among the extravagances of the hour