The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-16
Washington Letter in the Sun.

b1IIs.
Washington Letter in the Sun.
WHY men who in ordinary business
affails are scrurulously honest do not
hesitate to swindle the government Is
one of the problems which puzzle the
department officials at WuShinGtor'
There is no doubt that this curious
mental attitude toward the govern
ment is very general The Treasury
department sees more examples OF 1t
than any other of the departments,
and of the Treasury experience the re-
demption division gets full share. 1t
is there that s275.000,00o in worn and
torn government currency is sent every
year to be exchanged for fresh, crisp
greenbacks or shining coin. Mr.. Rei-
yea, who has been chief of the division
for ten years, says it is a great place
to study human nature.
In the redemption division they give
you a whole note for three-fifths of a
note of the same denomination. They
give you half the face value of a note
for piece of it greater than two-ffths
and less than ree-fifths. Finally
they replace a note entirely however
small the fragment offered for redcmp-
tiuiL if tho owner can show to the sat
Isfaction Of Mr.. Relyea and his assist
ants that the remainder of the note
was accidentally destroyed.
Bear these facts i'm mind: Less than
two-fifths of a $40 bill is worth moth
ing unless it can be proved that the
remainder of the bill was destroyed
accidentally. More than twO-liftns and
less than three-flfths of the bill is
worth $5 but with the same condition
fulfilled it is worth $40. Thrccfifths
OF the bill is worth $40.
Six years ago, if one-tenth of a 80
bill was missing, the treasury gave
only 50 for it, but ii was found that
this was unjust because most Of the
mutilated bills were bills of small de-
nomination, and most of the persons
who presented them were poor So the
new rule was adopted, and Il has work.
ed well. But it opens up a tempting
avenue for fraud, although any one
who knew how few chances there are
of escaping the eye of Chief Relyea
and his experts would never under
take to impose on the redemption divi-
sion. Mr.. Relyea and his staff can
scent a fraud as quickly as a secret
service officer.
INSTANCES.
Not long ago a doctor i'm Alabama
sent to the redemption division one
half of a $40 bill, accompanied by an
affidavit saying that while on a spree
he had used the other half to light a
cigar. The half which he forwarded
was nicely charred along the inner
edge. The story would have been very
plausible If the redemption division had
not received within twenty-four hours
from an Alabama bank the other half
of the same note. The theory of the
treasury officials was that while on a
spree the doctor had struggled for the
possession of the bill with some one,
who had wrested half of it from him;
that the despoiler had turned the half
into the bank and received S. for it:
that the doctor, recovering his senses,
had found the other half in his pocket,
and, not wanting to lose his money,
had conceived the plan of singing the
edge of the note and saying the other
half had been destroyed. So he calm
ly committed perjury in an attempt to
rob Uncle Sam of IS.
a short time ago a man in Chicago
sent an affidavit to the treasury aC-
companying the snged half of two $2O
bills and one $40 bill This affidavit
was typewriter and In perfect form.
1t stated that the deponent was a
commercial traveller; that, returning
from a journey, he had been cleaning
out his travelling bag. when inadVert-
entity he had thrown into the hpc an
envelope containing $50 in bills; that,
in accordance with section so-and- so
of the law of such a date, he would
like 10 have the money restored to him,
etc.
The clerk who brought this docu-
ment to Mr.. Relyea commented on its
completeness.
THE story seems unnatural" said
Mr.. Relyea. Hold up the claim for a
time"
Twenty-four hours later a big ship
ment of mutilated currency came from
the sub-treasury at Chicago. Mr.. Rel
yea asked if there were any half notes
in the shipment. In four or five min
rtes a clerk brought him the miss
ing halves of the bills which the Chi
cagO man had sent in.
The attempt to defraud was plain.
The matter was put at once i'm the
hands of the Secret Service bureau.
An agent was sent to Chicago. He
found the young man who had made
the affidavit, though it was made under
a false name. He told the young man
that ii was customary to investigate
cases of the kind: that there was no
doubt he would get the money The
young mans fears were lullcd to rest.
He admitted his identity as the maker
of the affidavit. He was put under ar
rest, and then the story of his crime
came out. He was of decent family,
but he had fallen into bad company,
and had been persuaded to attempt the
fraud by older companions. They fur
nished the money and prepared the
affidavit, They cut the bills in half,
and for one half obtained $25 The
other half they singed and attached
them to his affidavit. When he was
arrested they fled.
The gross profit of the swindle could
-