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


inclosue is only > cents. Probably that
signifies repentance tor a postage
stamp used twice Now and then it
happens that i stamp does not get can
Ce4ed on its way through the mails.
Being still perfectly good, there is
temptation to stick il upon another
letter.
1t is 4 melancholy thing to be obliged
to say that the SwindleS against the
government which bear such fruit of
repentance seem to be a sadly small
percentage of the maltifarious cheats
that are pr1lctiCed undetected and APP
parently unregretted by those who per-
petrate them. People everywhere are
continually trying to get ahead OF Uncle
Sam in one way or another. Chief
SPECIAL Agent Tingle Of the treasury
department said yesterday that if car-
tain New York importers would hand
CH er to the conscience fund what they
had withheld by fraud in customs
duties the depleted Golfers of the ma
ton would be now filed to overflow
ing. 1t is likely that nearly half the
anonymous contributions referred to
are from individuals who have been
tempted to smuggle in Il small way
This method of robbing the government
is by far the most popular.
NOyagers returning from across the
seas fetch gems concealed i'll cakes of
soap, in the followed heels Of boots,
beneath porous plasters and even in
rifle cartridges, the powder behind
each bullet being removed. The device
of folding diamonds in a slice of meat,
feeding the latter to 4 dog just before
reaching port, and killing the animal
a few hours later, is a familiar one 1t
is actually said that pet pelican was
landed on one occasion with a necklace
of rubies in its pouch. Dolls carried
by little children have been used us
hiding places for such treasures, and
customs officers have been obliged to
administer emetics to steamer pas
sergerS and sit down TO wait for swat
lowed precious stones to reappear.
The government only eXacts a duty Of
10 per cent. ON cut diamonds, because,
struggled and Uncle Sam would get
nothing. Havana cigars are thrown
overheard at quarantine i'll 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-Pacific steamers,
or inclosed in followed logs shipped
from Canada to the United States in.
cargoes Of timber.
1t is believed that counterfeiters,
whose business it is to Swindle the
government, never repent. At all
events, no contributions from them ever
reach the conscience fund. As a 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 colfederates out
side. Within three years Il lunatic in
an Indiana asylum has uttered fOrgel1eS
on the United States currency. 1t is
a form Of crime most difficult to sup
press. However, owing to the efforts
of the secret service and to the high
quality of the engraving of treasury
and bank notes, this kind of fraud has
almost been put an end TO. Tie great
counterfeiters of former days are pass
ed away, in jail, or closely watched. In
the last category is the celebrated
Charles Smith, greatest of all forgers,
who, after keeping the treasury i'll
alarm for twenty years, was caught,
! escaped prison by turning states evil
dence, and is now working for 4 bank
note company in New York. His form
er colleague, BrOckWay, is living in
Brooklyn on a fortune acquired in
the nefa1ious occupation, having serv-
ed his sentence Pete Mccartney.
who invented the plan of washing the
ink from real 81 bills to get fiber paper
to print $500 bills Oh, is dead Dead
likewise is One-eyed Thompson, who
was the first man to send an explosive
box for the purpose of blowing up an
enemy. His fad was for turning s.
notes into fifties With the arrest Of
the greatest living expert in that line
last year the industry Of raising notes
to higher denominations has been
brought practically to an end. The
mysterious pen-and-ink bills, executed
by IN initiative genius, still turn up
from time to time, to the annoyance
of the authorities; but they seem to be
produced only at the rate Of about two
a year, rather for the amusement of
their author than for profit.
Uncle Sam loses a considerable sum
every year by the dishonesty of post
masters, who help themselves from the
funds obtained by the sale of money
orders and stamps. They get into fl
nancial difficulties and borrow the
cash. expecting to replace it. Such oc-
currences are particularly likely to
cy like the present. In most Instances
of the sort, however, the government
is made whole by the bonds of the de-
linquent officials. 1t is quite different
in the case of burgla1+zed post-offices.
Several hundred of them are robbed
every year There was one instance in
Minneapolis, seven years ago, where
thieves got into the postoffice at night
and cracked the safe Directly in front
Of the safe was a big plate glass win
dow, but it was covered with frost. so
that nobody could see through it from
the outside. The robbers got away
with 100000 2-cent stamps and 100000
1-cent stamps. Only about one-third
Of the booty was recovered. All post