Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-11-16

The $500 contribution sent to the
conscience fund of the treasury the
| other day was the largest, save one,
that has been received in seven years.
Just about that long ago the halves of
eight $1,000 bills came by mail with an
anonymous note, saying that the other
halves would be forwarded if ac-
acknowledgements of the first batch was
made III the newspapers. This was
! done: and Uncle Sam was richer by
$1,000, says the Washington Star. No
explanation was offered, and the affair
remains u mystery. The exception
above noted was 'wad' of S4,995,
simply folded in a sheet of paper, with
the word Conscience" scrawled on
it. On one occasion Postmaster Gener-
al Wanamal>er got a letter with $1,000
in it and the written words:
This is the balance of interest [
owe on the sum Of money | stole from
the government in 1860. l have now
paid principal and interest-in all
SIT 800. No man his suffered for his
crime more than /, and now l pray
i the Lords forgiveness for my sin"
Letters with Enclosures intended for
the conscience fund are usually address
ed to the secretary of the treasury. By
him they are sent to the pubic moneys
! division, which makes note of the
amounts and deposits them with the
| treasurer Of the United States. The
sums received are almost always in
cash, with now and then Il draft.
They are never accompanied by the
names of the senders, except once in
Il while in the cases of persons who
| have made mistakes as to payments of
| customs duties. The written commune
cations relating to them are very brief
as q rule. If otherwise, they contain
elaborate apologies and appeals.
| Some of them are funny. For eX-
ample, one conscience-Stricken person
wrote not long ago from Suspension
Bridge, saying:
Since the emancipation of negroes
[ have taken two pairs of shoes of a
ship that the gunboats captured. /
tuck the shoes while she lay at Key
West"
The letter was signed An Irisll
Man, and with it was inclosed $3.50
Another correspondent sends $500 ''in
set lement of incom toX.' His note,
address ed to the conscience burough'
of the treasury, explains that when the
TO l1n nt
able to state his income without injur-
ing his business. Only the other day
Il remittance of So 40 was received from
a man who felt sorry for ''having beat.
en- his passage on Il government train
during the war" Another sum of 500
came from an individual who regretted
having been q party to 1tain under
valuations in the matter OF customs
duties. 1t was pOstmarked London
and was signed "One who is suffering
Wrapping two postage stamps was a
scrap of paper with the words, Money
that belongs to the government"
smaUa5sSsmgaaaeo S.netAOetao
The great majority of such contrib
utlons are small amounts. To con
sbins" 81. Another persons sends s.
| to the "conshions fund.- One old sol
der is a regular customer. He for
wards S. from time to time ION account
of 500 which / obtained by unfaiIneSs
seventeen OF eighteen years ago, and
which l hope to Equidate. I give my
God the benefit of the doubt" A draft
for $107 Oh New York, received from
st. Louis the other day, and addressed
to Mr.. B. Carlisle" was folded in a
sheet Of paper which bore simply the
word delinquent" 1t was handed
correspondent writes, please credit
the inclosed % cents to G. f., and
oblge." In a Eeat feminine hand is
an anonymous missive which says: "a
lady who recently swore to a statement
which she now finds to be wrong sends
to you S27."
On several occasions it has happened
that people have cut bills into two,
sending One-half to the treasury and
the other half to the treasurer Of the
t United States for the sake of safety.
There are persons who do not enter
government officials One man for.
Warded $40 to the conscience fund a
while ago, saying Pay this money
where it belongs and keep your re-
cord clear" A repentant Hoosier
writes: Enclosed find $40, which l
return to the government, having beat
en- her out of that amount in minor
ways from time to time" 1t is a
French woman, sorry for smuggling,
probably, who RENTS S1.26, with the
words ''Cest pour lie tresorie'' scrubbed
Oh a scrap of paper.
The person who sent $500 to the
conscience fund the other day was
very careful about it, He mailed at
the same time 800 to the secretary
of the treasury, 5000 to the United
States treasurer and 800 to the assist.
ant treasurer at New York. He claim.
ed that the sum mentioned completed
a payment of $4,000 made by him as
double restitution for $4,000, of which
he had defrauded the government dur
ING the war. Whether this statement
was true or not can not possibly be
aScertained, owing to the fact that no
separate account has ever been kept Of
contributions to this fund. This is IN
fortunate, because it leaves an open
ing through which dishonest individuals
might asperse the integrity of govern