Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-11-18

7 age stamps spoiled ia ne printing ara
now reduced 10 pulp. like the redeem
/ ed paner money. Formerly they were
burned, but the person in charge Of The
work eight years ago saved out sever
ii thousand dollars worth of them
and sold them al a discount for his own
I emolument Because thu postotfice de-
parment has been unable 10 procure
an indelible ink for cancr.lation. some
stamps are doubtless washed and r.
used, but not many.
/ Another IA aiOn in which the treas
/ ury is swindled Is by using internal
revenue stamps more than once. The
\ disuller may attach stamp On the TOD
o- whisky barrel with poor mualage
/ Or very short taclls. 50 that il can b.
/ readily removed afterWard The GOV
I eminent gauger cancels it with series
Of black lines across IT, This shows
/ that the tax has been paid Tu,. bar
\ rel goes 10 q wholesale dealer ana is
/ empueA He is obliged by law 10 de
! stroy the stamp. Instead OF dong 50
( he removes 1t intact and returns il 70
\ the distiller to be placed upon another
/ barrel. Or be may take out the bead
/ Of the barrel with the stamp Oh IT,
drop it into the empty receptacle, pur
a fresh head in, anu ship the barrel
back to the distiller The latter r-iills
/ the barrel and puts the stamped head
/ on II again, thus ma.-.ng IL appear that
( the contents have paid the tax
From the fact that the government
spends 10000 a year running down
/ Illicit distilleTs in the mountain regions
Of the south alone 1t may be imagined
what an enormous loss tLc-. Operations
cause to Uncle sam. The moonshiner
apparently never gets cons itnce strik-
en- At all events, be does uJJ exhibit
such feelings in any way more palpaAe
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
y. The makers and sellers Of tobacco
in various forms are So strictly
watched that it Is very hard for
them TO succeed in ar, dishonest trick
Now and then Il dealer in cigars. who
runs a factory of one man power, win
keep ming his boxes as they are
empued, 50 as to AVOID paying the tax,
but the stealing is Oh a petty scale.
The gold coins Of the realm are
'sWeated' by means OF Il simple appa-
rltus consisting Of an electric battery.
a solution Of cyanide OF potash, and i
copper wire The wire both ends Of
which are Impressed in the solution.
has lump Of zinc at one end and q
$50 piece fastened to the other II is
connected with the battery. ana, The
current being turned ON. the gold from
the coin is deposited upon the zinc
After as much of the metal has been
removed rs Is considered prudent the
gold piroc is restored TO circulation
The same process can be applied TO
silver dollars though it hardy pays
However this fraud does not IN the
end rob Uncle sam, because such coins
on reaching the treasury are stamped
light, and thrown out
4 fraud ON the government Of q
comparatively innocent sort IS often
praciced in the army. \ Iuartermast-
or finds his store short by 100 tent
pins, five anvils and fourteen sledge-
hammers. Very likely it is not his
fault; such things viii happen Pres
emily q soldier deserts from the troop
and disappears. Incidentally to the
report Of the desertiou sent to Wash
ington mention is made Of 100 tent pins
five anyiLs and fourteen sledgehammers
as having disappeared with the delin-
quent The latter is supposed to have
walked fifty miles across The country
with those articles. This squares the
quartcrI. ilster, who would otherwise
be obliged to pay for the missing
things
While the recipient of 80 many con
tributions due to conscience, Uncle
Sam is frequently appealed to for sums
of money which he IS supposed to owe
10 individuals. People often put in
claims for great amounts which they
imagine to have bcen deposited in the
TREASURY by their ancestors These
deposits they believe 10 have grown -
fabulous size, with accumulated inter
est 1t is difficult TO persuade snch per
sons that they are deceived rs it is to
upset the delusioLs of those who have
faith in gigantic inhcritanoes await
Ing them in the Bank OF England
IT PROVED TO BE SERIOUS FUN
One evening last week Miss Elizabeth
Clark of Newport News, Va, attended
a social gathering at the house Of DR..
Taylor Of Hampton Roads. Among the
guests was a justice Of the peace named
Haskins During the evening the con
versation turned upon the duties OF
Justice Hasiins, and some one suggest
cd that he try his hand in tying the
uuptial knot Miss Clark and DR.. Tay
Tor agreed to play the parts Of bride
and bridegroom, and Justice Hasllins,
after asking the usual questions, which
were p Jperly answered, pronounced
the couple man and wife. The affair
was looked on rs a mere incident OF
the evenings entertainment until today