Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-04-28

| Successfully Handled by His Ex-
| perts-SkiIIfuI Work In the Treas
| ury Redemption Bureau.
| One of the most interesting depart
ments in the United States treasury
! is that devoted TO the redemption of
! mutilated currency. To it are sent all
varieties of bills i'll every conceivable
stage of mutildtion. Ii is seldom that
the experts cannot decipher the burn
ed crisps or piece together the myriad
fragments. The collection is Il Curl
Gus one, changing every day with
Kaleidoscope rapidly.
! The burning of a note usually brings
out its design in u sort of metallic re-
, lief upon its surface, and by means of
glass and other implements and also
Il full and complete knowledge of the
intricate designs, no two denomina-
tions being alike. on every note issued
their face value is learned with in
credible deXterity.
Some arrive in fairly good condition,
some shrunken and water soaked, 9th
ers scorched black and twisted out of
shape; many are merely thin, tiny
black flakes, and in one case now I'M
der consideration the evidence consists
of small handful of black powder,
which the affiant swears was $50, acct
dentally blown into the fire.
Often the mischief has been done by
mice, handfuls of the tiniest of pieces
attesting the evil ways of the rodent.
Babies are another source of trouble,
maniacs, victims of drunken frenzy,
plowshares, sawmills-in fact. the
strangest and most unheard of acct
dents are occurring all the time. But
in great ajorfty of cases the money
has been burned, for n common prac-
tice among people who are their own
bankers seems to be the keeping of
their funds in unused stoves. A cold
day comes, the fire is lighted by some
unSuspecting person who didn't know
it was loaded" and the owner sudden
ly finds that he had money TO burn in
spite of himself.
In one instance a man having $1,000
in government bonds, besides notes
and gold, kept them in Il tomato can
which he placed in the elbow of his
parlor stove. While he was blowing
his fields company arrived. his wife
had a fire kindled, and shortly he made
the unpleasant discovery that his rich
es had taken wings. Had he sent the
money just as it came from the stove,
wrapped in cotton, it might have been
saved, but in endeavOring to separate
it it became so churned and ground up
that the department was able to identi-
fy only about $1,000 for him.
An old woman who had accumulated
about 5000 was one night at her devo-
lions, when the candle in some mystic
rious manner was overturned in the
midst of the money. Now. history does
not relate why it was there or whether
she was returning thanks or paying 4
bit of homage to Mammon, but ut any
rate it was destroyed, and as she threw
the ashes away and at the instigat ton
of her friends picked them out again
there was only enough left to return
about 500 to her.
But much more fortunate were an
old couple in the west. The man had |
been n soldier, and by the long accu- |
mutation of years they had saved Il lit |
tie sum, when one day the wife i'll GO |
ing to look at it found that the mice |
had left only a pile of carefully sawed |
fragments. Almost distracted, she took |
it to the bank, reporting that the last |
time she had counted it the sum had |
been 1910, mostly in tens and twenties. |
1t was sent here, the tiny bits sorted |
and arranged as only experts can ar |
range them, and the necessary three |
ffthS of every note was found. But |
the best of all was that instead of 1919 |
it was discovered that the old peoples |
savings amounted to $3.50, which |
amount was finally sent to them, much |
TO their joy.
OF course the greatest precaution is
necessary, and the affidavits must
leave no doubt as to the utter and en-
tire destruction of the missing parts of
the notes. In one case of this kind n |
farmer sent from Kansas some green
backs amounting to $50 only half of |
each note being intact. The rest. he
declared in 4 strong affidavit. had been
destroyed and ALSO stated in what man.
ner, but on consulting the books it was
found that one-half the sum had al
ready been paid to another person who
had sent the other halves of the notes
from another part of the country. Con-
sequently but SO was returned to him.
Thereupon the cashier who had /
transacted the business for the farmer
wrote such an indignant letter, saying
the government had impugned the hon
esty of the claimant and that he would
prove him in the right, that the affair
was put into the hands of the secret
service. the proofs exhibited and the
imprudent farmer fined $1,000 for false
York Tribune
} Christening Florida.