The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1893-02-10

the first portion had been destroyed. In
this way the government protects itself
entirely, and at the same time does
what it can TO shield its creditors and
protect them from loss.
Very few people know the law on
the subject, the general opinion being
that when money is too badly used up
To be kept in circulation it is practi-
cally useless. A man came into the st.
Louis sub-treasury not long since and
showed a number of badly uscd-up
bills, as he asked if they were worth
anything. The officers were busy a
the time. and, as the bills were quite
badly mutilated, ne was told to come
back at five o'clock and the matter
would be looked into As he went ont
the door he remarked to a friend that
he guessed it wasn't worth while, as it
probably wouldn't t amount to anything,
and so he never came back. The same
sort of an incident came under the OBJ
servation of Il. Barlow, the notary
public in Cashier Hayes Office at the
post Office, about a month ago. A gen.
tleman who had fallen into the river
had so completely saturated his clothes
that when he was pulling some paper
out of one of his pockets forgetting
thirty dollars in currency he tore the
money all to pieces and had only wet,
soggy mass left. He was referred by
the treasury department to Mr.. Barlow
in order to furnish a necessary affida-
Wit, and. when he found it would take
some little time, work and patience, he
said he wanted to start to Philadelphia
that night, and he guessed he wouldn't
take the trouble on the slim chance of
getting anything. In this and all sim
liar cases the real feeling of the appli-
cant almost invariably is that any ef-
fort to regain what is lost is simply
time thrown away, and so he dismisses
the matter.
Mr. Barlow, mentioned above as be-
ing connected with the cashiers Office
in the post office department, has a
great many applications for assistance
IN getting mutilated currency re-
deemed, and as he prepares the afli-
davits for the parties he makes him
self thoroughly acquainted with the
circumstances of each, and can narrate
some interesting cases. An old man
living ont in this county came in one
day heartbroken over the loss of sew
eral thousand dollars which he had
placed under the hearth for safekeep-
ing, and which mice had almost totally
destroyed 1t took some correspond
ence, but he finally got new bills for
the old ones. Another man had twist
ed up wad of paper without looking
at it and lighted his cigar. when he
found that his new cigar-lighter was a
ten-dollar bill. An interesting case was
that Of an old negro from down in one
Of the adjoining counties, who was at
buying ticket home. He had a roll
of bills in his hands and a
couple of St. Louis toughs jumped
on him and tried to rob him.
In the scramble that ensued the bills
were torn to shreds and the pieces
strcwn over the floor, but the old ne
gro held onto most of his wealth, while
the thieves, failing in their attempt.
made their escape. The Africans s
walls over his misfortune brought the
suggestion from some one that maybe
the treasury officials would help him,
and he went up to inquire. A few
afiidavits and n little time brought him
an entirely new lot of bills in exchange
for the pieces. Mary Davis, an elderly
negro woman living over on Morgan
street. came to Mr. Barlow some
months ago lin a peck o trouble" She
had a twenty-dollar bill, which she
was treasuring as the apple of her eye,
and being about to make a visit one
Sunday afternoon she thought the best
place for her fortune would be in the
oven of her stove. where she carefully
placed it. Returning late in the even
ing she built fire without thinking
of her treasure, and it was some time
afterwards that she attracted the at
tention of the household and her
neighbors by dashing water over the
hot stove and screaming at the top of
her voice. The charred remains of the
bill were nearly destroyed by the
water, but enough was saved to sat
isfy the government as to the truth of
the story. and Mary got brand new
twenty dollar biz.
Perhaps the most interesting ease
that has come up before the depart
ment in st. Louis was the one of young
Miss H., which was taken before Mr..
Barlow for an affidavit some months
ago. Her father, who lives out on Dor
cas- street, and is an employe in one of
the wholesale drug houses, had made
her presents of little sums till she had
sixtyfive or seventy dollars saved
up. Her pet dog one day got hold of
it, and when his young mistress came
in it was all torn to pieces and most of
it chewed into pulp. She was in terri
bic distress, and not wishing her papa