The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1896-12-31

war as mere boys, II are therefore ~"
in the prime of life. They are thorough
IT, trained and reliable. Very few treas
NV watchmen have been discharged for
negligence since the foundation Of the
Government. The possibility of a raid
rnon the treasury is regarded as remote,
h,t the watch force is disciplined to
stand by for such a raid at any time.
Among the old Treasury Department
Watchmen there is Il tradition that the
,amented Jesse James made seven dis
tinrt tours. on seven separate OCCASIONS,
Of the Treasury Department. with an eye
10 business. This legend they relate to
visitors, who, after having handled 4
n,ckage of greenhacks. said to contain
S5WW.1OO. are willing to believe any
thing. If Mr.. James really did make
such visits, he found his presence i'll
stantly known to twenty-five men of eX-
ceedingly determined appearance, the ma
iority of whom had done too much picket
and patrol duty during the war to be
caught mapping in times of peace, each
armed with a persuasive seven-chambered
army pistol. and zone looking as if he
would hesitate the fractional part of a
second to use it if occasion required. Once
the United States Treasurer himself,
while providing about the vaults on a mid
night tour of personal inspection, was
challenged and halted, and forced to hold
III both hands, under menac of a leveled
rife. until his captor. who did not know
him. had sent for the lieutenant to iden-
tify him.
To observe the fashion with which the
night watchmcn ''cover' their posts, it
might easily be thought that the secret
service is in constant receipt of informa-
ton as to contemplated treasury robber-
les. Yet never Il dollar has ever been
taken from the treasury by force. A
sneak thief once got in his work to the eX-
tent Of 100000 in bills. which he expert
~ plucked from one of the tables in the
redemption division. But there has never
been a hold-up. The secret service knows
that many celebrated cracksmen. includ-
ing Little Jimmy" Hope. who successful
ly pulled off the great Manhattan Bank
robbery. have from time to time contem-
plated the conversion of a few millions of
treasury money to their private use, but
they all thought better of it. They de-
oided the undertaking to be of too colossal
a character.
Down to the incumbency of Secretary
Folger there would. it is claimed, have
beer no great difficulty for accomplished
and nervy cracksmen of the frs, cank to
have done a bit of nightwork in the big
marble cash repository of the Govern
.m.eA... When Mr.. Folger took the reins
Of tie treasury the watch actually de-
leilded on common police whistles. He
completely changed and reorganized the
system. An elaborate electrical alarm
system was introduced, the force of
Watchmen was greatly amplitied, and the
OLD iron safes were replaced by the mod
'rh steel affairs with intricate combina-
tons. The gold and silver vaults were
gwen steel castings around their common
shells of masonry. and fitted with time
locks. If there were no watch force on
constant guard at the Treasury Depart
ment. however. burglars could do about
as they chose with the safes in the Treas
ury Building. The safes are as good as
any made, but even manufacturers of
safes are compelled to reluctantly admit
mat the safe has not yet been devised