Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-25

twenty years before the civil war. Capt.
Mahan. who retired fsom the river service
many years ago, IL now Q manufacturer of
fire apparatus in this city.
Things have changed considerably since
I used to clerk On the Mississippi In the
early forties," he.eontinued. "At that time
there were no railroads, express companies,
or letter-of-credit systems in vogue. For q
long time was master of a boat that ran
between Galena and St. Louis. We started
from Galena with about half a cargo Of
lead, and the rest of the cargo, consisting
OF provisions principally. would be picked
ZAP In towns along the river.
when we got TO ST. Louis we got rid Of
our cargo, and lay over three or four days
picking up new load for the return trip
BY that time the commission merchants. to
whom the provisions had been consigned,
would have sold the goods delivered by US.
Their clerks would then be sent with
envelopes containing proceeds and account
OF sale. These would be given to the clerk
OF the boat, who would place them in the
vault Thousands of dollars would some
times be sent up and down the river in
packages or envelopes. Receipts for money
or goods were never given or asked for.
Once made the trip intrusted with the
delivery OF ten shot bags filed with gold,
which was consigned to merchants along
the river Although the system then in
vogue would be declared loose In these
days, money rarely went astray.
During the twenty years I served as
clerk or master Of a steamboat there were
only two instances where valuable pack
ages went astray. One day. in the spring Of
Is4s' John Tracy, clerk Of one of the Mis-
sissippi steamboats,, was sitting ON the
ieVee checking freight, when a gentleman
named MIN a package containing $500.
tracy was busy at the time and put the
money In his overcoat pocket When the
boat returned complaint was made because
the package had not been delivered. No
trace OF the missing envelope could be
FOUND and Tracy was charged with having
stolen Its contents. One OF the first cold
days we had Tracy opened an old cubby
hole in which he had thrown his oyercoat
six months before
He wore the coat several days, when
one day his attention was called to a hole
In the lining. Putting his hand down in the
hnlng ne pulled out the missing package
containing the $500
Two years later a clerk I knew on the
Anthony Wayne received $50 from a mer-
chant at Churchville, a little town just be-
low keokuk. The package was directed to
merchant at Mineral Point. Instead Of
placing the package in the vault, the clerk
put 1t In pigeonhole, where 1t lay all win
ter. that being the boats last trip for the
season. 1t was discovered and delivered to
Its owner the following spring. The same
system was in vogue all along the river.
''Once the clerk Of the boat on which I
was master received 10000 from a New
Orleans firm to be delivered to a merchant
IN st. Louis. No receipt was given at either
end of the route
'Valuables scarcely ever went astray
and embezzlement was almost an unknown
word. 1 remember how the defalcation Of
a Missouri bank cashier, who ran away
with $1,000. was at one time the talk Of the
west. 1 delivered many packages to Gen.
Grant when he was In business at Galena-
]. Russell Jones and Capt John r. Fitz-
gerald. now Of Chicago were both WE'LL
known r1vermen before the war.