The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-01
PENITENTIAL sOPs.
Novelties in Recent Contributions to
Treasury Conscience Fund.

tue sDlSSeSt faymenb VI To NOW 8l4,'
225-Since 1881 Total of S2S9, 913 or
Account of Conscience-Queer Ways In
tances.
Correspondence of the Boston Transcript.
Washington, April 23.-The smallest contri-
button to Uncle Sans cons cience fund re-
ceived up to date was delivered at the treas
ury on Saturday last, April II. Its amount
was one cent, and accompan ying it was a
brief scrawl saying 'This morning pur-
chase a package of newspaper wrappers
which overran.one, and enclose penny to
balance account The communication was
signed Honesty" and it is easy TO imagine
the feeling of virtue which must have pulled
up the sender after performing this noble
deed. The treasury, however, would nave
liked it better if he had kept the money, be-
cause the receipt of it rendered necessary
the making out of voucher transferring 1t
formally to the national funds. This had to
be signed in due form by the assistant treas
urer of the United States, after which the
documents were filed. Record of the item
was also made in the book in which the ac-
counts of the conscience fund are kept.
This fund was opened by the register of
the treasury in the year 1911, in order tto
show from time to time the receipts of mon
ey by the government from unknown per-
sons.' All contributions to it are covered
into the national funds as miscellaneous
receipt and, according to law, may be
used like any other assets. Remittances
son account of conscience are received
very frequently; sometimes, indeed, as often
as two or there times week. AS a rule the
Often they are ilIiterate, ana a disguised
hand is apt to be employed. In some cases
it is evident that the illiteracy is assumed
to help the disguise. Not seldom the money
is forwarded by clergymen at the request of
penitents Usually there is no clew to the
latter except a postmark.
1t might be imagined that such contribu
tons could not be of sufficient moment to
pay for the trouble they give. This is very
far from being the case, however. From
1911 up to the first day Of last January the
total remittances to the fund had amounted
to S2s9, 913-quite tidy little sum from the
point of view of poor old gentleman like
Uncle SAM who is living beyond his means.
During the last year the largest amount thus
far recorded was received. 1t was S14,2o5,
and was forwarded from London by our con-
sui general there. The consul general had it
from Rev. Prebendary Barff, vicar Of ST.
Giles Church, Cripplegate, London. The
clergyman declined to say where it came
from, and gave no other information except
that the cash was rightfully due to the
United States Treasury from one of his own
parishioners.
1t must be a remarkably severe stroke of
conscience that obliges a person to give up
S14,225. Nearly all the contributions of the
kind are very small, most of them being on
ly few pennies. 1t was an unusually frank
though long delinquent debtor who walked
into the office of the Secretary of the Treas
nry on the twenty-first day of last January
and handed him personally $3.50 in bills, re-
questing that his name should not be mem
toned. Much more typical is the case of a
woman residing in Lamar, Tex, who not
long ago wrote saying: Enclosed find five
cents, which l wish to refund, as / used a
cancelled stamp when it took three cents to
send letter. Possibly the extra two cents
was for interest Most contributors are sat-
lsfied with repaying the principal of what
they owe, but now and then the self-accus-
Ing monitor demands the addition of the
legal usury.
A remittance of five cents is signed by
"One who wishes to i've Christian life. .
Fifty dollars representing an over payment
made years ago by the government, is from
some who has striven to do right In an
other case the sender of 81 is inspired to the
act by the fact that he has tbecome Chris
m - TbiS last ic
duties. Most people do not hesitate to eyade
the payment of such duties, but now and
then somebody is seized within stroke of
conscience afterwards. Probably from
foreigner is a contribution of So, accom-
panied by slip of paper ON which the
words 'sTo the chonshinsons fund.- are writ
ten. Somebody RESTING in Baltimore for
wards $50, with a scrawl which reads: SIN
ternal Revenue; fruit distillery; of long
standing
In June last a Connecticut ex-soldier sent
thirty cents worth of postage stamps to pay
for sugar stolen by him during his servi ce
as guard over certain commissary stores
during the war. He stated that the sum re-
mitted represented principal and compound
interest. Inasmuch as sugar was then worth
about twelve cents d pound, the officials
have been somewhat puzzled to imagine
Just what quantity of the saccharine luxury
was taken. Ninety-five cents in postage
stamps comes evidently from a woman; it
has to be converted into currency before it
can be transferred to the fund. Printed in
pencil on an envelope which contained $780,
is the the inscription: 'May be due u s. !;
don't wish any doubt so enclose this From
New York city not long ago arrived the sum
of $135.56, accompanied by statement to
the effect that the money was due on dia-
monds which had been struggled through
the custom house there.
The biggest conscience contribution up to
the date of the receipt of the $14225 already
mentioned was $4,000. This was forwarded
in a very strange fashion, the halves of
eight $1,000 United States notes being sent
with the letter, saying that the remitter
would furnish the other halves as soon as
the first ones were acknowledged in the
press. Remittances to the fund are ALWAYS
acknowledged in the newspapers of the city
of Washington, and, no exception being
made in this case, the Complementary
halves came along in due time. 1t is be-
lieved that good many of the sums re-
ceived in this way are from persons in a
morbid state of mind. Not really owing the