The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-10
MONEY.
1t Is Sent to Washington in All Shapes
for Redemption.
Washington Star.

Washington Star.
Something very queer reached the re-
demption division of the treasury one day
this week. OF all the curiosities that have
ever come into that bureau the following
may fairly be considered the most remarka-
BILE: 1t was a thin sheet of sterling silver,
into which had been rolled q ten-dollar sill
yer certificate, so that the particles of the
bill were to a large extent incorporated
with the superfces of the metal.
The ten-dollar certificate was a brand
new one, not long from the treasury. That
oddly metamorphosed remains. 1t was the
property of a workman in a silverware fac
tory. 1t so CHANGED that he had it in his
hand while rolling out a sheet of the metal.
He dropped it. and it passed with the silver
beneath the roller, with the effect that has
been described. There was only one thing
to do, and that was to forward the silver
plate in statu quo to the Treasury Depart
ment. This he has done. He will get back
together with the silver sheet. though the
chief of the redemption division, Mr.. Rel
yea, would like to keep the latter for a
souvenir.
The most interesting person in the en-
ploy of the treasury is Mrs. Brown, who
knows more about burned money than any
other individual living. 1t is marvellous to
see her take a handful of charred frag-
ments of banknotes, and, pasting them piece
them into recognizable shape, so that the
loser may be reimbursed by Uncle Sam.
Only the other day an old woman named
Mrs. Groth died in Rockford, H., leaving
all of her property to her niece Lizzie. For
some reason-perhaps because the death
was from a contagious disease-the cloth
pious task had been accomplished 1t oc-
Cured to Lizzie that perhaps there might
have been some money In the pockets. So
enough, she found a few bits Of what had
been greenbacks. She sent them to the re-
demption division, and they were identified
as amounting to SIS.
A few weeks ago the Farmers and Mer-
chants Bank at Mansfield, ILL.,, was en-
f4r11 I~r b11r o1n ~ T1nxv 1aot -Dx-I A. --r-
with dynamite, incidentally blowing several
packages of notes into small bits, which
Were forwarded to the treasury at Wash
quantity of the stuff yesterday in a big
envelope, and it looked as though the job
of putting the pieces together would be no
small one. This particular kind of work,
however, has become familiar, owing to the
growing popularity of dynamite among rob-
up money have been received within the
last few months.
Mrs. Brown is equally we'll acquainted
with the work Of the puppy dog which
gets a chew at the family wad; also with
the results accomplished by the omnivorous
goat and the almost equally indiscriminate
baby. A half-digested roll of bills may be
recovered from the stomach of a goat, as
has been done in more than one instance,
but the infant affords a more serious prob
lem.
However. these causes of destructive ac-
cident to paper money are not in IL at this
season with the GEOGRAPHICALLY the par
lor stove-in which people will persist in
boarding their cash, considering it more
safe than the bank. Somebody, ignorant or
forgetful of the presence of the precious
contents, lights the stove. and up go the
household savings in smoke. This is usu-
ally final, 1t is rarely that the stove gives
up anything that can be redeemed. though
people often send in small packages Of un-
recognizable ashes, together with afidavits,
stating the manner and amount CT the loss.
Casualties of this description are reported
to the redemption division at q rate ex-
eeed'ng one a day during this time of the
year.