Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1900-10-10
RLNNlNT OF TIDtRu CuRRtNCY.
Postmaster Stephens Rescued a Valuable
Relic from the Ruins OF fredericksburg.

Postmaster Stephens Rescued d Valuable
Relic from the Ruins OF fredericksburg.
In its issue oi October lth, the
Great Falls Leader publishes n dis
patch from Spokane relating to a
$50 paper bill issued at Philadelphia
ON September 10Th, lI7>. by the firm
OF Hall & Sellers. This bill Is now in
the possession of n nan by the name
vi Otto Flechtl. wholivcs In Spokane,
and was presented to him rs an Irish
man ms n small token OF gratitude
for saving his life during the terrible
earthquake which overwhelmed the
city Of Charleston In l>>i.
Mr.. Fechtl did not know just how
much importance To- attach to his
gift. and sent II 10 the city Ot Wash
ingtun Ia lind ont how much il was
worth. After retaining the piece ui
paper iur SIN months. the officials of
the Treasury department returned il
Ia it, owner, declaring that il was n
gcnuiucb,il, aut,sueof Gpbills having
been made az that timr, but that ii
was the only one which had not
found H. way back for redemption
10y the authority which hul set
them IN. rrulation. II j. therefore
the only piecu Of currency ui It's kind
and denomination incNi-trncc, unless
Others are found IN spmcui thrmumis.
ma ic and monetary collections il,
the country, AMI It's great rarity and
value To the seeker after ~prc.rcvolu.
tionary relies has caused itSownerto
refuse an offer Of Sl,uo0 for the same,
Postmaster Al. stephens has IL
shilling piece of currency issued by
the same Philadelphia irm of Hall &
Sellers. which bears date October /
LIS, and Is thus tiy.years older than
the n described in the Spokane dis
patch, aud should heequally rs much
u curiosity. The bin was obtained
under circumstance quite as interest
Ing as the one belonging to Mr..
Flechtl, while Mr.. Stephens was serv-
ing u n soldier in the union rmy
and its subsequent history is also
well worth repeating. Mr.. Stephens
enlisted in the j0th Pennsylvania vol.
unteer infantry in the year lSGl. and
shortly afterwurd was ordered into
winter quarters with his regiment in
South Carolina, The following year
the command 10 which he belonged
invaded Virginia and took possession
OF Fredericksburg, where the same
year was fought Unc OF the bluOdiest
battles Of the war, but ON this occa.
sion the town had been evacuated 10y
the confederate troops upon the al.
vance OF the northern army. Before
this event occurred, however. the
garrison had removed everything ol
value from the town aud had thor,
oughly looted all of the buildings. IN
afterwards exploring "ne 0l these
which had been used ~ "A bank, Mr.
stephens eye caught sight OF a piece
OF paper lying ON the floor, which, or
closer inspection, proved to be IA Il
shilling piece of currency issued 10y
the colonial authorities of Pennsyl
vania three years before the signing
of the Declaration of independence,
and ut n time when Great Britain
sovereignty over this country wa!
universally acknowledged by tn
powers OF the world. The first op
p%ortunity the young soldier got h
placed the bill In an envelope and ad
dressed IL to his parents at Montrose
Penn, and that was the last he eve
heard or saw OF 1t until a couple G
years ago, when his sister came ives
and brought his trunk with her. Il
rummaging among its contents no
long afterwards Mr. Stephens cam
across the bill enclosed in the sam
envelope which he had used down /
Dixie land to send 1t TO his nOrther
home. 1t Is needless to say that h
has since guarded 1t with jealous care
Unlike the currency bill owned b,
the Spokane man, Mr.. stephens reli
IL In excellent state Of preservation
and the old style printing Is clearl.
eligible. The art oiengraving was a
that period only in the early processe
Of its development, but no dOub
these bills were then considered n
great triumphs OF the workman
skill and enterprise. On one side IL
landscape scene showing a field en-
closed by n fence, with a stream O