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

barrel. Or he may take out the head
of the barrel with the stamp on it,
drop it into the empty receptacle. nut
n fresh head in, and ship the barrel
back to the distiEer. The latter refills
the barrel and puts the stamped head
on it again. thus ma--.ng it appear thai
the contents have paid the tax.
From the fact that the government
spends 100000 a year running down
Illicit dlstiuers in the mountain regions
OF the south alone it may be imagined
what an enormous loss their operations
cause to Uncle Sam. The moonshiner
apparently never gets conscience strik-
en-. At all events, he does not exhibit
such feelings in any way more palpahe
than by shooting revenue agents
Licensed manufacturers of spirits
swindle the treasury out of vast sum
annually by producing more liquor than
they acknowledge and selling it secret
~. The makers and sellers of tobacco
III various forms are so strictly
watched that it is very hard for
them to succeed in any dishonest trick.
Now and then 4 dealer in cigars. who
runs 4 factory of one man power, will
Keep uiung his boxes as they are
empued, so rs to avoid paying the tax,
but the stealing is on petty scale.
The gold coins of the realm are
'sWeated' by means of a simple appa-
rltus consisting of an electric battery,
4 solution Of cyanide of potash. and Il
copper wire. The wire. both ends Of
which are immersed in the solution,
has lump of zinc at one end and a
S2O piece fastened to the other 1t is
connected with the battery, and. the
current being turned on, the GOLD from
the coin IS deposited upon the zinc
After as much of the metal has been
removed as is considered prudent the
gold piece is restored to circulation
The same process can be applied to
silver dollars though it hardly pays.
However, this fraud does not III the
end rob Uncle Sam. because such coins
on reaching the treasury are stamped
light" and thrown out
A fraud on the government of n
comparatively innocent sort is often
pracuced IN the army. A luartermast-
er finds his store short by 100 tent
pins, five anvilS and fourteen sledge-
hammers. Very likely it is not his
fault; such things will happen. Pres
entity soldier deserts from the troop
and disappears. incidentally to the
report of the desertion sent to Wash
ingtOn mention is made of 100 tent pins,
five anvils and fourteen sledgehammers
rs having disappeared with the delin-
Quent. The latter is supposed to have
walked fifty miles across the country
with those articles. This squares the
quarternaster, who would otherwise
be obliged to pay for the missing
things
While the recipient of so many con-
trlbu1OnS due to conscience, Uncle
Sam is frequently appealed to for sums
OF money which he is supposed to owe
to individuals. People often put in
claims for great amounts which they
imagine to have been deposited in the
Treasury by their ancestors. These
deposits they believe to have grown to
fabulous size, with accumulated inter-
est. 1t is difficult to persuade such per-
sons that they are deceived as it is to
upset the deluSiOLS of those who have
faith in gigantic inheritances await
ing them in the Bank Of England.