The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-02-22


There is a mine of interesting matter to
be CLEANED from the United States treas
ury by any one who knows where to
search. An old treasury official, now liv
ing in New York city, said There is any
amount of money due people who do not
call for it in the United States treasury.
You see, there have been 10 great loans
made TO the United States in the past go
years. The oldest ever had anything to
do with was that maturing in 1851
think il was. IL is about all paid, but
there Is still nearly Sll0, 900, in principal
and interest, due to somebody. 1t will
probably never be called for. And, speak
ing of that loan of 1896, there was n curl
GUS incident connected with my last refer
ence 10 those old books relating to that
claim. 1t was while Judge Folger was
secretary. One morning an old man came
in to me who was from New England
state. He said that about 20 years ago he
found some old stocks or bonds among the
papers of an uncle--mentioning his name.
| He had been man of national reputation
| for financial ability and made a comfort
| able fortune for those days--that is, from
! 1920 to lS40--and he had come to the
! United States treasury to find out il these
old papers were worth anything As they
seemed to be United States bonds l looked
ut them. They were 10 of the "old debt"
bonds and were indeed curiosties. They
were old and yellow from age, but were
worth, principal and interest, $40, 900 in
gold, for there was 10 years interest due
on them.
"You can imagine the old mans amaze
| 4 .,I hi I
gladly have taken S. 900 for them, said
he, 'and offered them to Boston banker
for less than that, but he rather supercil-
iously and contemptuously declined to buy
them at any figure | took the old man
to see Judge Folger, who was very much
interested in the matter when ! explained
il to him. He had never seen any of the
old loan securities, and after these were
paid and Cancelled | believe he directed
that one of them be framed and preserved.
Well, in less than an hours time the old
New Highlander walked out Of the building
with a check ia his pocket on the New
York subtreasury for $4,000 in gold.
How that smart Boston banker must
have cursed his own Ignorance and stu
pidity when he learned what he had
thrown awayl
"A circumstance very similar to this oc-
Cured in relation to some Texas indem-
nifty bonds-the next oldest of our nation
al ioans-when Mr.. Morrill, was secretary
of the treasury. A prominent southwest
ern man, who had held high command
in the Mexican war and was a Confeder
ate general officer, left among his papers 6
, certificate of Texas indemnity stock, a.
it was called, for $4,000. His widow
visited here soon after her huIland
IL hn,, mob ral, a nm
, consulting the late Mr.. George Riggs con
corning the disposition of some TeXa
lands. knowing that her husband hat
been large holder of these securities, Mr.
Riggs said, Mrs. -, what did Genera
- do with his Texas indemnity stock
Il really don't know the lady answered
Il never heard of any such thing 'B
the way she said a few minutes later,
! saw in IN old envelope ! found among hi
papers not very long ago something whic
had the words Texas indemnity on II
= but / thought it was an old receipt fo
taxes paid on the Texas land.' DO 20
think you can find 1t againT said MI
Riggs, without telling her anything whic
would create expectations that might ne,
er be realized. ooh, yes, she replied.
remember perfectly well where 1 put it
Have it sent to me here, was the neS
suggestion of the banker 1t is as well t
have all the papers relating to this Ian
together In the course of the next fort
Ig night the lady came into the bank, an
l. handing Mr.. Riggs paper said, Here
the tax receipt. However, it was $40
900 Texas indemnity certificate, on whic
five years. interest was due, and the in
IS tense qualification of the lady may
imagined when she was told that the oil
.,f nfiI
gold-which was then ut Il small prC
n mium-to her worldly goods. 1t came jus
in time, too, for she was able with til
money to save a valuable estate in ArkaI
n sas, which otherwise would have been sol
to foreclose mortgage overdue. Nearl
all the Texas indemnity bonds have bee
paid long ago and | do not think thel
tn can be more than S25, 900 which has NJ
- been called for. OF course interest hi
ceased to accrue.
ri 1.-THE next United States loan was thi
OF known in the market as the $50, a bon
that could be paid in five years, or in
after its maturity, as the governmer
might choose. 1t reached the limit seve
ur years ago and has nearly all been pal,
IN 1t was very largely held in Europe. The
remains only about $500, 900 outstanding.
"What percentage of United States bont
do you estimate Will never be presented I,
payment" was asked.
alt is not possible for me to make al
estimate that would be at all accurate
b. was the reply.
"In England about one-quarter of l p
cent is the figure. What becomes of ii
. bonds of course cannot say, but they a
lost or destroyed. The government,
proper proofs being made of the loss
bonds, or of their complete destructio
will issue new ones in their place or p'
the money value of them to the loser. n
very long ago mass of wet green pape
which was nearly pulp, was sent to Il
treasury department with statement pr
perly verified that the ~ gallons
greasy, bad looking and worse smellil
stuff represented large sum in the o
compound interest notes of 1854.
dired the matter and then carefully sep
&c rated it and found that the owners stat
ment was correct. The money was a pa
s of the contents of safe on board of
Mississippi steamer that was burned
X few years ago, and the safe had been
the bottom of the river nearly a year
fore the remnant of the boat not consum
ma