The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1894-12-29
POETRY ON BANK NOTES.
The Itch For ScribbIing Spares Not Evel
the Paper Used For Money.

The Itch For s%crIbbIing Spares Not Even
the Paper Used For Money.
Much of the writing found on old
bank notes is due to the love of scrib-
bling possessed by many persons.
Much of it is ridiculous rhyme un-
worthy of repetition, but occasion
ally it is smart and opposite to the
purpose of bank notes. A sample or
two of such writings may be given.
On an English pound note appeared
the following:
Ye ugly, dirty little scrap!
To look at, hardly worth a rap.
And yet I'll give my hearty vote
None can produce a sweeter note.
Another inscription:
It's odd that any man should wish
A dirty, scrabbit rag like this,
Yet mony a ane would cut a caper
To get a wheen sic bits O. paper.
A contribution to bank note litera.
ture is found in Lockhart's Life of
Scott Lady Louisa Stuart sent the
great novelist a copy of some lines
which were written on a guinea note
then in possession of Lady Douglas.
They We're as follows:
Farewell, my note, and whereso'er We wend
Shun gaudy scenes and be the poor mans
friend.
You've left a poor man go to one as Door.
And drive despair and hunger from his door.
Sir Walter expressed himself as
very much pleased with these lines.
Bank notes have not now so long an
existence as formerly. They are
withdrawn from circulation when.
ever their external appearance is un-
satisfactory and are consigned to the
flames, the close retort being most
commonly used in their destruction.
Several banks have big occasional
burnings, while others have m
II burnings for smaller amounts.
When notes are presented for pay
ment in a defective condition from
whatever cause it is the practice of
some banks to pay according to the
proportion of the note which is pre-
sentcd. Notes T destroyed in vari-
u ways. Dogs, cattle, sheep and
cats chew them. Laundresses have
been known to wash their patrons
garments containing notes, reducing
them in the process to a sad state of
pulp. Hens have picked at them,
pigs have gulped them, mice have
nibbled them. An odd story is told
in this connection.
Not long ago a $40 note was sent
to the United States treasury for re-
demption. Accompanying it was an
affidavit saying that the owner had
put it in a cigar box, where mice had
got at it and nibbled it. The note
was a counterfeit. Not only that,
but it had been through the treasury
here at some previous time and had
been stamped with the word "bad'
in letters cut out of the paper. But
the alleged mice had almost obliter-
ated the letters by nibbling around
them. 1t was a queer way for mice
to behave, to say the least. A de-
tective OF the service was sent to
look the matter up. He investigated
the case fully and reported that it
was all right-in short, that the note
had been submitted for redemption
in good faith.
The owner, it appears, was an old
German sailor of respectable charac-
ter. Nevertheless, he would go on
an occasional spree. Waking up one
morning after a night of dissipation
he found all his money gone except
this note for 500. Somebody had
doubtless passed it off on him. He
noticed nothing wrong about it and
put it into the cigar box in which he
kept not only his ready money, but
also bird seed for his pet canary.
Mice, attracted by the bird seed,
visited the box and incidentally
chewed up the note. On finding it
partly destroyed the sailor forward
ed it to the treasury at Washington.
The case is interesting chiefly as an
illustration of the way in which an
appearance of fraud may sometimes
mislead. Bankers Magazine.