Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1899-11-02
GAMES OF SHARPERS.
rwo.Are ATTEMPTS TO CHEAT
THE GOVERNMENT.
sch.mes such as the Officials OF sne
p.aemption Division Of the Treas
urv Have to Be Always en- the alert
to Frustrate.

The Indianapolis Journal pTiH'S
.o- from WASHINGTON about the at
,empts, successful and UNSUCCESSFUL
mostly unsuccessful-to cheat the III
ted states Treasury through its re-
demption division. so called Tue Wv
sion which has to do with redeemihs
nartja.ly destroyed government cur
reucy We quote the story OF such
wicked and foolish undertaking:
Not long ago doctor in Aiapalna
sent to the redemption division one-hall
of a ten-dollar bill. accompanied d! an
affidavit saying that while on spree
he had used the other half to Nghl
cigar. The half which he forwarded
was nicely charred along the INNER
edge. and the story would have been
very plausible if the redemption OWL
sion had not received within twenty
four hours from an Alabama panh 'he
other half of the same note.
The theory Of the Treasury officials
was that While more or less intoxicated
the doctor had struggled for the posses
sion of the bill with some one. who hau
WrCSVtu HAIL u IL llVIi AA'iii' '--"N
despoiler had Turned the half into the
hank and received five dollars for 1t:
that the doctor. recovering his senses,
had found the other half in his pocket.
and not wishing to lose his money had
conceived the plan of sngeins the edge
of the note. and saying that the other
half had been destroyed SO he COM
mited perjury in an attempt to rob
Uncle Sam of five dollars.
4 short time ago man In chicago
sent an affidavit to the Treasury. ac-
company!ng the singed half of two
twenty-dol,ar bills and one ten-dollar
bin. This affidavit was typewriter
and in perfect form. 1t stated that the
deponent was a commercial. traveller;
that after returning from a journey he
had been cleaning out his travelling bag.
when. inadvertently, he had thrown
into the fire an envelope containing
fifty dollars in bills; that. in accord
ance 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 docu-
ment to Mr.. Relyea commented on its
luc!dity and completeness.
THE story seems unnatural" said
Mr.. Relyea. Hold up the claim for a
time"
Twenty four hours later big ship
ment Of muti.ated currency came from
the sub-treasur at Chicago Mr.. Rel
yea asked if there We're any halfnotes
in the shipment. In four or five min
utes clerk brought him the missing
halves Of the bills which the Chicago
man had sent in.
The attempt to defraud was plain.
The matter was put at once into the
hands of the Secret Service Bureau.
An agent was sent to Chicago. The
young man who had made the affidavit
was put under arrest. and the story Of
his crime came out. He was Of decent
family. but had fallen into bad COM
pany. and had been persuaded to at
tempt the fraud by oder companions.
They furnished the money and pre-
pared the affidavit They cut the bills
in halves. and for one. half of them OBJ
tanned twenty-five dollars. The other
half they s.nged and attached to his
affidavit. When he was arrested they
fed.
The gross profit Of the swindle could
not have been more than twenty-five
dollars. and in trying to cheat the Gov
eminent out of that amount the young
man forfeited his liberty for year and
q half.