The evening times., 1900-03-19
REDEEMING WORN MONEY
The SkillfHi Work OF United
States Treasury Bureau.
INITIATED and Burned Currency Re
placed by New is>ues-submitted
i'm Every Conceivable Bad tondi-
tion-ENamined ny Experts-Tricks
Attempted on the Department.

One of The most interesting departments
in The United States Treasury is that de-
voted 10 the redemption of mutilated cur
( rcncy. To it are sent all varieties Of bills,
/ in every conceivable stage of mutilaticn.
/ II is seldom that the experts cannot deci-
! pher the burned crtsps or piece together
the myriad fragments. The collection is
curious one. changing every day with ka-
leidoscopic rapidiv.
The burning OF note usually brings
! out its design in a sort of metallic relief
upon its surface and by means Of a glass
| and other implements. and also full and
complete knowledge of the intricate de-
| signs-no two denominations being alike
on every ncte issued. their face value is
/ learned with incredible dexterity. Some
arrive in fairly good condition, some
shrunken and water-soaked, other scorch-
Cd black and twisted out of shape; many
are merely thin. tiny black fakes. and in
one case now under consideration the evil
dence consists of a small handful of black
powder, which the afiiant swears was $50,
accidentally 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 accidents are occurring all the time.
But in a great majority of cases the money
has been burned, for common practice
among people who are their own bankers
seems to be the keeping Of their funds in
4 ! nr,r- E-a
is lighted by some unsuspecting person
who didn't know it was loaded" and the
owner suddenly finds that he had money
to burn in spite of himself.
In one instance man having s. 600 in
Government bonds, besides notes and gold,
kept them in q tomato can which he placed
in the elbow of his parlor stove. While he
was blowing his fields company arrived,
his wife had fire kindled, and shortly he
made the unpleasant discovery that his
riches 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 il it
became so churned and ground up that the
department was able to identify only about
81 600 for him.
An old woman who had accumulated
about 5000 was one night at her devotions,
when the candle in some mysterious man
ner was overturned liz the midst of the
money. Now. history does not relate why
il was there, or whether she was return
ing thanks or paying bit of homage to
Mammon, but, at any rate, II was de-
stroyed and as she threw the ashes away
and at the instigation of her friends picked
them out again there was only enough left
to return about $100 to her.
But much more fortunate were an old
couple in the West The men had been
soldier. and by the long accumulation of
years they had saved a little sum, when
one day the wife, in going to look at it,
found that the mice had left only a pile of
carefully sawed fragments. Almost dis
tracted, she took il to the bank, reporting
that the last time she had counted il the
sum had been 1915, mostly in tens and
twenties. 1t was sent here, the tiny bits
sorted and arranged as only experts can
arrange them, and the necessary three
fffths of every note was found. But the
best Of all was that, instead of S275, it was
discovered that the old peoples savings
amounted to $780, which amount was finally
sent to them. much TO their Joy.
OF course, the greatest precaution is
necessary, and the affidayits must leave no
doubt as TO the utter and entire destruc-
tion of the missing parts Of the notes In
one case of this kind farmer sent from
Kansas some greenbacks. amounting to $50,
only half of each note being intact. The
rest, he declared, in a strong affidavit, had
been destroyed, and also stated in what
manner But on consulting the books II
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. Consequently
but SIS was returned TO him.
Thereapon the cashier who had transact
ed the business for the farmer wrote such
an indignant letter, saying the Govern
ment had implgned the honesty 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 ex-
hibited, and the imprudent farmer fined
81 ,000 for false swearing.