The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-22

Hoosier writes: Enclosed find $40, which
| return TO the government, having beaten
her out of that amount in minor ways
from time to time" 1t is q French wo-
man, sorry for smuggling, probably, who
RENTS 1926, with the words, "C'est
pour lie tresorie" scrubbed on a scrap of
paper.
VERY CAREFUL ABOUT IT.
The person who sent $4,000 to the con-
science fund the other day was very care
full about il He mailed at the same time
Sl,500 to the Secretary of the Treasury,
5000 to the United States treasurer and
800 to the assistant treasurer at New
York. He claimed that the sum men
toned completed n payment of 800, 900
made by him as double restitution for
$4,000, of which he had defrauded the
government dnring the war. Whether
this statement was true or not cannot
possibly be ascertained, owing to the
fact that no separate account has over
been kept of contributions to this fund.
This is unfortunate, because IL leaves an
opening through which dishonest individ-
uals might asperse the integrity of gov
eminent officials.
In forwarding money to the conscience
fund the senders FREQ uently request that
acknowledgement shall be made by publ
cation in the newspapers. To do this the
treasury department is not obliged to ad-
vertise, inasmuch as the reporters gather
items Of the sort every day and print
them as news. Very many of the Contri-
buttons are in sums of only a few cents
each. Some people are morbidly consci-
entiOus and undergo tOrtures Of mind in
consequence of such peccadilOcs as using
few sheets of government paper for
private purposes. BY RENTING a few
pennies to the proper quarter they can
save themselves many agonies. Some
times the Enclosure is only two cents.
Probably that signifies repentance for a
postage stamp used twice. Now and
then it happens that q stamp does not get
cancelled on its way through the mails.
Being still perfectly good, there is a
temptation to stick it upon another let
ter.
1t is a melancholy thing to be obliged to
say that the swindles against the govern
ment which bear such fruit of repentance
| seem to be a sadly small percentage of the
multifarious cheats that are practiccd I'M
detected and apparently unregretted by
those who perpetrate them. People every
where are continually trying to get ahead
Of Uncle Sam in one way or another.
Chief Special Agent Jingle of the Treas
ury Department said yesterday that, if
certain New York importers would hand
over to the conscience fund what they
have withheld by fraud in customs du-
| ties, the depleted Golfers of the nation
would be now filed to overlooking. It is
| likely that nearly half Of the Anonymous
contributions referred to are from indi-
viduals who have been tempted to SNUG
gle in a small way. This method Of rob
! bing the government is by far the most
popular
Voyagers returning from across the
! seas fetch gems Concealed III cakes Of
soap, in the followed heels of boots, be-
meath porous plasters and even in rife
cartridges, the powder behind each bull
/ let being removed. The device Of folding
diamonds in a slice OF meat, feeding the
| latter to a dog just before reaching port,
and killing the animal few hours later,
! is familiar one. 1t is actually said that
a pet pelican was landed on one occasion
with a necklace Of rubies in its pouch.
Dolls carried by the children have been
used as hiding places for such treasures,
and customs officers have been obliged to
administer emetics to steamer passengers
and sit down TO wait for swallowed
precious stones TO reappear The govern
ment only eXacts duty of 10 per cent.
on cut diamonds. because if it were
higher, they would all be Struggled and
Uncle Sam would get nothing. Havana
cigars are thrown overheard at quaran-
tine in rubber bags with floats attached
to be picked up by BOATS. The same thing
is done with cans of opium on the Pacific
coast. The canned juice of the poppy is
hidden In the coal on trans-Pacifc steam
ers, or inclosed in followed logs shipped
from Canada to the United States in car
goes of timber
CoUNTERFEITERs NEVER REPENT.
It is believed that counterfeiters,
whose business is to swindle the govern
ment, never repent. At all events, no
contributions from them ever reach the
conscience fund. AS rule, they keep at
the business until they die, save when in
prison Even while in durance vile they
have been known to produce false money
and put it in circulation through confeder-
ates outside. Within three years a luna
tic in an Indiana asylum has uttered
forgeres on the United States currency,
II is a form Of crime most difficult to sup
press. However, owing to the efforts Of
the secret service and to the high arts
tic quality of the engraving of treasury
and bank notes, this kind Of fraud has
almost been put an end to. The great
counterfeiters of former days are passed
away, in Jail, or closely watched.
In the last category is the
celebrated Charles Smith, great
est of all forgers, who, after keep
ing the treasury in alarm for twenty
years, was caught, escaped prison
by turning states evidence, and is now
tsorslriuc for "a buuir mite eoru many in Nayy