The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-01-25

some little time, work patichco. NJ
eaid Re wanted 10 start 70 Philadelphia
that night and he guessed he wouldn't
take the trouble on the slim chance Of
rettine 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 SC 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 afB-
davis for the parties he makes him
self thoroughly acquainted with the
circumstances Of each, and can narrate
some interesting cases. An old man
living out in this county came In one
day heartbrokcn over the loss Of sew
erai Thousand dollars which he had
placed under the hearth for safc-kccp-
ing. and which mice had almost totally
DESTROYED IT took some correspond.
ence, but he finally got new bills for
the old ones Another man had twist
ed M a we'd Of paper without looking
at II and lighted his cigar, when he
found that his new cigar-lighter was n
ten-dollar bill. An interesting case was
that Of nm old negro from down in one
OF the adjoining counties, who was at
the Union depot about n year ago
buying a 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
strewn 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
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
afRdnvits and q little time brought him
an entirely new lot Of bills in exchange
for the pieces. Mary Davis, an elderly
negro woman living ovcr on Morgan
street, came to Mr.. Barlow some
mouths ago ina peck q trouble" She
had q twenty2dollar 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
! wen of her stove, where she carefully
placed it Returning late in the even
ing she built a fire without thinking
of her treasure, and It was some time
afk--~wn.Ia k1ok - Ak-Sk.1 49, a
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 a brand new
twenty-dollar bill
Perhaps the most interesting case
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
sixty-fve or seventy dollars saved
up Her pet dog one day got hold OF
It, and when his young mistress came
In 1t was all torn to pieces and most Of
It chewed into pulp. She was In terri
Bile distress, and not wishing her papa
TO know Of her loss, she, at the sug-
gesticn Of a friend, applied to the sub
treasury. Part of the pieces were
large enough to come within the three
dfths rule, and so about one-third Of
the amount was cashed at once. The
rest had to go through the process OF
satisfactory proof, but in due time she
received draft from Washington for
the full amount.
Instances like the foregoing could be
given In great numbers, though the in
stances in which the losers pocket
their losses, to use an old but commo
expression, are much more numerous.
The moun range all the way from a
one dollar bill Tower which sum one
man Of some means spent two months
OF correspondence a year or so agol NJ
TO packages containing thousands Of
dollars. Perhaps the largest amount
ever redeemed at st Louis after total
destruction was the instance which oc-
Cured about four months ago. The
treasury at Washington had shipped
by express to the s~ub-treasury at thai
point a package of currency amounting
to forty thousand dollars. The expires.
car with all its contents was burned
and the express company was response
BILE for the loss Of the forty Thousand
dollars under its contract. Realizing
this, the company took Chief Clerl
Kicker Of the ssub-treasury ant
had him present when the safe wat
opened very carefully, and the charree
remains Of the money examined. The
packages could be plainly seen anc
identified as to the amounts, as pape
when burned will sometimes retain it,
lettering, and so these bundles d
burned paper were carefully shipped TX
washington, from which point forty
Thousand dollars in crisp new bill
came back.
when we realize the immense amour
OF money that is lost or destroyed ever
year, and never found or made GOOD
We can appreciate what q snmsS nclt
Sam has constantly accommodating fol
the right side of his profit and loss dc
count Of curse many losses occui
which are total and cannot be made
good, because it would be PRACTICAL,
impossible in some Of the eases 10 sat
lsfy the United States treasurer to sucl
an extern as TO preclude the posi-
bility Of fraud But there are ais
many losses Of money occurring all til,