Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-08-24

The oldtime treasury department
! watchmen tell bucolie visitors that the
laxlented Jesse James made seven dis
tinct tours of the treasury departemnt,
with, presumably, an eye to business.
The rural sightseers, after being per-
mitted to handle packages of green
| backs said to contain S10,000,0 900 are
willing to believe anything. AS the
late Mr.. James never held up the treas
ury department, and as his eminent
biographers explicitly state that he
never penetrated east OF the Allegheny
mountains the old watchmans yarn
may be said to be somewhat deficient
in moorings.
1t wouldn't be an easy matter to
loot the treasury vaults. Not Il dor
lar has ever been taken from the
treasury by force. A sneak thief
once got in his work to the extent of
100000, which he pucked from one of
the tables of the redemption division
before the place was properly safe
guarded But there has never been a
hold-up nor an attempt at one. An ac-
count was once printed OF the alleged
discovery of plot, engineered by ex-
pert burglars to penetrate to the
treasury building by means OF the I'M
! derground electrical conduits sur
rounding the edifice.
Once in the building these robbers
were TO crack the safes, remove their
contents and place them in light rub
| Der bags and to float these bags along
the conduits, which were to be flooded
for the purpose, TO their pals in walt
! ing at the conduit openings. The
watchmen had a laugh over this story
when they read it. About week
after its publication. however, the
iron cover of the electrical conduit
right outside the main entrance TO the
| treasury went up in the air with a
roar along toward o'clock in the
mornig. Some of the watchmen thought
that the plot was about to be carried
out and for the first time in many
years all the watchmen were sum
moned from their posts to the main
door. The watchmen grinned sheep
ishly at one another when the cause
Of the alarm was ascertained.
One Of the former treasurers Of the
United States was a somewhat nervous
man. He was not quite certain that
it would be practically impossible for a
band of brigands to loot the treasury.
He wanted to make sure that it would
never be necessary for him to appeal
to congress to have a debt of a few
millions removed from his shoulders,
for of course the United States treas
| vaults. So, for nearly a month, nc
slept in a room in the treasury depart
ment One night he slipped off his
shoes, put on a pair of carpet slippers
and began a tour OF the corridors in
order to satisfy himself that the watch
men were performing their duty. He
hadn't glided % feet from the door of
his room before he heard a Halt"
that sounded like the snap of loose
iib. Ten feet ahead of him a man
had q beard on his heart with pistol
The treasurer's hands went up.
Not guilty: search me-" he said.
I'm the treasurer.
Treasurer hey?" said the watch
man. Il don't know that. Just keep
on pointing upward until get some
body to identify you"
The Waterman touched button, and
in few moments the night lieutenant
of the watch came along and released
the treasurer from his predicament.
Although the treasury has never
been held up, the secret service people
know that many celebrated cracksmen
\ have from time TO time contemplated
the conversion of a few millions Of the
/ treasury money 10 their own use. All
of the cracksmen. however seem to
have decided that the undertaking was
of too colossal a character.
Down to the incumbency Of Score
tary Folger, It has been said there
would have been no great difficulty for
accomplished and nervy Craeksmen OF
the first rank 10 do a good bit Of nigh,
work in the big marble cash repository
OF the government When Mr. Folger
took the reins OF the treasury there
was not an electrical alarm In the
building The watchmen We're isolated
and had no facilities for calling for
help other than ordinary police
whistles, the sound OK which would re.
! echo throughout the labyrinthine cor.
rIdors I'm SO bew.Aering a fashion that
4. took from Is minutes 10 half ar
hour for u searching party from the