The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-12
WHERE HONESTY FAILS
MEN OTHERWISE UPRIGHT WILL
TRY TO SWINDLE OUR UNCLE SAM.
Several Notable Instances from the
vision of the Treasury.
indianapolis Journal.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-Why men who
in ordinary business affairs are scrupulously
honest should not hesitate to swindle the
government is one of the problems which
puzzles the department officials at Washing
ton.
There is no doubt that this curious mental
attitude toward the government is very
general The Treasury Department sees
more examples of it than any other of the
departments and of the treasury experience
the redemption division gets a full share.
1t is there that $275, 900 in worn and torn
government currency is sent every year to
be exchanged for fresh, crisp greenbacks or
shining coin. Mr.. Relyea, who has been
chief of the division for ten years, saws it
is a great place to study human nature.
In the redemption division they give you
a whole note for three-ffths of a note of the
same denomination. They give you half
the lace value of a note for a piece of it
greater than two-fifths and less than three
ffths. Finally they replace note entirely,
however small the fragment offered for re-
demption, If the owner can show to the sat-
isfaction of Mr.. Relyea and his assistants
that the remainder of the note was acct
dentally destroyed
Bear these facts in mind:
Less than two-ffths of ten-dollar bill
is worth nothing unless it can be proved
that the remainder of the bill was destroyed
accidentally
More than two-fifths and less than three
ffths of the bill is worth S., but with the
same condition fulfilled it is worth So
Three-ifths of the bill is worth So
Six years ago if one-tenth of a ten-dollar
bill was missing the treasury gave only 50
for it, but it was found that this was unjust
because most of the mutilated bills were
bills of small denominations and most of
the persons who presented them were poor.
So the new rule adopted and it has
worked WELL But it opens up a tempting
avenue for fraud. When L say tempting,
1 do not want to incite any one to crime,
and 1 am quite sure that any one who knew
how few chances there were of escaping
the vigiant eye of Chief Relyea and his
experts would never undertake to impose
on the redemption division Mr.. Relyea and
his staff can scent a fraud as quickly as
a secret-service officer.
AN ALABAMA CASE.
Not long ago a doctor in Alabama sent
to the redemption division one-half of
ten-dollar bill, accompanied by an affidavit
saying that while on a spree he had used
the other half to light cigar. The half
which he forwarded was nicely charred
|
been very plausible if the redemption divi-
sion had not received within twenty-four
hours from an Alabama bank the other half
of the same note. The theory of the treas
ury officials was that while a spree the
doctor haG 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
So 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 smuggling the edge
of the note and saying the other half had
been destroyed. So he calmly committed per-
jury in an attempt to rob Uncle Sam of IS.
short time ago a man in Chicago sent
an affidavit to the treasury, accompanying
the singed half of two twenty dollar bills
and one ten-dollar BILL This affidavit was
typewriter and in perfect form. 1t stated
that the deponent was a commercial trav-
eler; that, returning from a journey, he
had been cleaning out his travelling bag
when inadvertently, he had thrown into
the fire an envelope containing $50 in bills;
that in accordance with section so-and-so
of the law of such a date, he would like
to have the money restored to him, etc.
The clerk who brought this document to
Mr. Relyea commented on it's Iucidity and
completeness.
"The story seems unnatural" said Mr.
Relyea. Hold up the claim for time"
Twenty-four hours later big shipment of
mutilated currency came from the subtreas-
ury at Chicago. Mr.. Relyea asked if there
were any half notes in the shipment In four
or five minutes a clerk brought him the
missing halves of the bills which the Chica-
go man had sent in.
The attempt to defraud was plain. The
matter was put at once in 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 it customary to investigate
cases of the kind; that there was no doubt
he would get the money. The young mans
. fears were lulled to rest. He admitted his
= identity as the maker of the affidavit. He
| was put under arrest, and then the story
I of his crime came out He of decent
: | family, but he had fallen into bad company
e and had been persuaded to attempt the
fraud by older companions. They furnished
the money and prepared the affidavit. They
! cut the bills in half and for one-half OBJ
e tanned $50 The other half they singed and
: | attached them to his affidavit. When he
: | was arrested they fed.
? The gross profit of the swindle could not
; have been more than s25 and in trying to
) beat the government out of that amount
, the young man forfeited his liberty for a
| year and half
THE HONEST KANSAS FARMER.
d. One of the most interesting cases in the
history of the department began in New
York and ended in Kansas. One day a
' money broker on the Bowery sent in for re-
demption the halves of some bills-fifty dol
r lars worth. He received promptly a treas
) TRY draft for $25. Now, half notes are al
! ways a little suspicious. 1t is difficult to
imagine a legitimate reason for cutting a
bill in two pieces. In this case it was de-
> cided to put the half notes away and await
| developments. They came two and a half
, years later from an unexpected quarter A
! Kansas bank sent to the treasury the other
halves of the mutilated notes, the inside
= edges scorched, and with them an elaborate
affidavit. The affiant swore that he was a
farmer; that while harvesting he had hum,
? his coat on a fence; that the brush near
+ the fence had caught fire. and before he
could rescue his coat it haG been badly
{ burned; that bills 'aggregating $50 which
were in the pocket of his coat, were half
destroyed by the fire. and that the frag-
ments ACCOMPANYING the affidavit were all