Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1900-03-02
'MUTlLATED MONEY.
how the Government Restores In
jured Bills and Coin.
Cheating the Treasury Of the United
state L. Frequently Attempted,
and Sometimes with Sue
cess-CurIous CHscH

Chac@
There are several Experts employed
by the government 10 inspect the cur-
rency offered for redemption. In fact.
every person employed in the bureau is
III some degree M expert, because IL
OF them has 10 pass o. the gcnuircneSS
Of the money presented Tor redemp-
ton. and this is = C~iticEit task. Re
w,raGcr. hat this money comes 20 the
treasury. aS = rule, only when il is so
badly worn that il will not pass cur
rem This C.vty. torn. greasy, ragged
E:oneS the experts have 10 handle and
IeciGe whether il WAS issued by the
government and should &c redeemed at
1t race value or whether IL i the work
q cUuuirrieiiCrS and should tie re-
jcc;'d. II is not ~ all TO the Giscredit
4! The experts Of the bureau that some
bogus money has got past item and
nvCn detected in one OF tbs Offices TO
which the pieces Of the none 20 for
further examination. This does not
occur often.
The peculiar province Of one woman
i Eut 10 dctccthad money-thouSh she
i III expert at ihat-but to put to-
Ectlcr orr pieces of money sent for
Identification and redemption. These
pieces OF money come from all parts
Of tie country and arrive under most
extraordinary conditions. This is not
surprising. in view of the fac; that
they come from experiences with fire
and water and gastric juices ard many
other powerful agents. y not infre-
quent accident 10 money is 10 be left in
n stove. whence il is taken in II badly
charrcd condition, with only ashes to
represent the greater part OF il. Often
il Is used by rats to make their nests;
or. buried in the dampnCSs OF n cellar.
ii q away: or, swallowed by Il cow, il
is rescued from her stomach a Shiny
mass OF paper.
Here are the rules of the treasury for
the redemption of mutilated money:
Fer II piece OF currency greater than
tNo-nfihs Of the original note. one
half the face value of the note is given.
For = piece as great as threc-fiftLs, the
whole value ot the note is given. For
4 iecr two-tifths in size Of the original
;-.E:-- j. given. But this last provi-
si-@ i limited by the law. which gives
discretion 10 the treasury department
to Ei'c fUl. value for n note IL the own
or can prove 20 the satisfaction of the
5uiLoT'ti.s that the note. or the miss
Ing la.; OF il was destroyed. This last.
prov = opens the door TO possible
FRAUD. aud many are the efforts made
by Gi~hours: persons TO take advantage
oft.
The fragments Of money which come
TO the treasury arr turned over "a one
Of the experts and sorted out under
the microscope for Identification.
They are picked apart and zach tiny
piece i assigned To its place like n part
OF 4 puzzle. This is usually done on
glass and the fragments are eventual
y put between pieces OF glass ! ioid
them together while they s..: cured
10 see whether there axe iwc-r.. - or
three fit!s Of the note T.. r.: 'r. or
whether il Is so little tina. -.lcr
can recover nothing. SON e ia
very s~cGiU"- matter to +. ,... Gu;
the poor ~. not the ONLY 80, :,r
assistance ~ recover dali. cncy
Vt the time ". X. N~aEdGL.I', :eauIi.
ful home al Newport was burned. Mrs.
Nanderbi!t-u0w Mrs. Rclmont-scnt
in about $1,000 in mutilat,d currency.
out Of which il was able to identify for
redemption all but 4 fraction of the
sum.
Some cf the experiences of the re-
dcrnT'ic" division with would-bc
iEf,' sc Interesting. One man in
ka@sa~ r: 70 the treasury the halves
Of Soft r III bills with the edges nice
" ci'.. .comTanicd hv an affidavit
from t. der that he had put the
money 10 - pocket. hung his coat on 4
fence ANA that the coat had been
burned to the destruction of mart Of
the notes. IL happened that the treas
ury had redeemed the other Knives Of
these notes just q. years before for n
money broker in New York. and. think
ing the case suspicious. bad kept an eve
out for the possibility of attcmptcd
fraud. The Kansas nan was a person
OF good business standing. and his
bankers threatened the treasury Off
cials with dismissal IL they questioned
his affidavit. They pu; the case in the
bands of the department OF justice and
eventually the man pleaded guilty and
was fnCd $1,000.
y bank in .Alabama received from n
deposition y fragment Of a ten-dullar
oil. and the treasury people paid five
dollars for IL. Later came n claim nc
~co'npanicd by the ether part of the bill.
n little chaTrcd. with an affidavit saving
the sender had burned the remainder
Of the note by mistake.
\ Chicago Inan sCut In frorp,c,,.o -,
two SEQ bills and II ten-dollar bin.
with nm affidavit telling how the other
halves had been destroyed; and in the
tamc mail ;hc other halves OF these
notes caTc IN from n Chicago bank. 4
special agent caught the maker Of the
affidavit. who proved TO he the tool Of
some swindlcrs. and he WAS sen; TO
prison for n wear and a hnli-Wash.
ington Star.