The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-05
ROMANCES OF MONEY
They Are Always Turning Up in the
Redemption Department.
FIFTY DOLLARS CUT IN HALF
That Made Two Halves of One Bill
and One of the Halves Got a
Farmer Into Trouble
Bank In q Stove.

washington Cor. of Philadelphia Times.
The redemption division Of the treas
ury Is forever productive of new TO
mances. Hardly a week passes that
something odd and novel does not turn
ND there. Not seldom II Is not an in
ctdert chat might afford to a novelist
Q. theme for a romance. Spoiled money
which people naturally are anxious to
have replnced. brings to hight many
phases of human nature. both comic
and tragic.
Only hast week one OF these romances
reached Its denouement 1t had been
running along for more than two years.
for st was as far back as September,
1893. that a New York dealer In old
cotns and currency sent to the treas
ury the equivalent OF SIS. 1t was in a
rather queer shape, consisting of the
right -hand halves of one $40 and two
$40 bills. 1t wes evident that the orig
snal notes had been deliberately cut
dn two with a knife or a pair or scis-
eors.
OF course, the half notes were re-
deemed. the treasury returning SIS in
crisp, new bills to the New York dealer.
Under the law, a spoiled note Is re-
deemable at full value II as much as
three -fifths of 1T is presented. II the
fragment is less than three-fifths and
half of the face rs paid for 1t. Less than
two-fifths of a bill is worth nothing,
unless 1t cam be proved that the bal
ance has been destroyed. Such proof
must consist in a thoroughly credible
story. supported by the affidavit or the
loser and by the testimony of reputa-
ble citizens as to his character. Even
with such precautions the government
d sometimes cheated without a doubt,
but. though fraud Of this kind is fire.
Quently attempted. 1t Is almost certain
to be found out and punished.
Ordinarily the spoiled money that has
been redeemed Is promptly destroyed
by boiling and grinding 1t into pulp.
But In any case that looks suspicious
che fragments are filed away and pre-
served, to cover the possibility that
something may turn up later to shed
Night on the puzzle. This is what was
done with the halves of $50 received
from the New York dealer. They were
put on a shelf for reference, and for
the time being the matter dropped out
of sight. Two years elapsed, and they
were practically forgotten, until the
other day a fresh consignment. con-
sisting of the left-hamd halves of one
$40 and two $40 bills reached the treas
ury. They came all the way from
Kansas. and the explanation accompa-
nylng them was clear and succinct
enough.
A well-to-do farmer in Kansas pre-
scented at his own bank the three half
notes described. which bore marks of
burning along the edges toward the
middle of each bill. He explained that
he had been engaged in burning brush
in a field. He had taken off his waist
coat and hung IL ON the fence. 1t fell
down. and. in his absence from the
spot, the fire, spreading through the
grass, partly burned the waistcoSt and
the money in the pocket. The cashier
of the bank, being a notary public,
wrote out an affidavit reciting these
circumstances, which the farmer sign
ed and swore to. The affidavit was
then Forwarded to Washington with
claim for the full value of the damaged
bills-$50
On the face of II the story was en-
tirely credible and we'll calculated to
accomplish its purpose; but there was
contingency on which the farmer
could hardly have reckoned. What
cause had he to imagine that the other
halves OF those same notes might be
on shelf in the redemption division
OF the treasury? Mr.. Relyea, the chief,
went to the files and put his hand upon
them in a moment. The halves sent in
by the New York dealer and those re-
ceived from the Kansas farmer had
belonged to the same bill originally.
The artless agriculturalist had caught
himself In his own trap.
The matter was at once put into the
hands OF the United States district at
torney for Kansas. That official began
an investigation, but hesitated to pros
ecute the supposed guilty man because
the latter was an old settler, a large
property owner and bore an unim-
peached character. Nevertheless, the
treasury insisted on pushing the case.
and a warrant was issued for the far
mer's arrest on the charge OF trying to
defraud the government. Mr.. Relyea
was notified that he would be required
TO appear with the halved notes and
the original affidavit, which were ex-
pected to furnish complete evidence of
perjury Oh the part OF the accused
Last week. however. he received a
telegram from the district attorney,
stating that the farmer had pleaded
guilty.
The story seems to end at this point;
but a very interesting part of IL re-
mains as yet wholly enveloped In mys-
terry. How did IL happen that the I'M
fortunate person in Kansas become
possessed OF those halves OF $50? Only
one theory suggests itself. The ire
pressible activity OF the green goods
propaganda is well known. 1t is safe
to say that no well-to-do farmer in
the United States has failed TO receive
inviting circulars offering counterfeit
money. printed from stolen govern
ment plates and OF so excellent a quail
ity as TO be beyond detection by ex-
perts. OF course. the green goods peo-
pie have no counterfeits to sell: all