Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-04-11
MUTILATED MONEY.
SAVE THE FRAGMENTS AND UNCLE
SAM WILL REDEEM THEM.


SAID WILL REDEEM THEM.
Even the Ashes Of Burned Bills Are
Successfuliy Handled by Ills Ex-
pert.-SLiilfuI 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 1t are sent all
varieties Of bills In every conceivable
stage Of InutilatiOn. 1t is seldom that
the experts cannot decipher the burn
ed crisIs or piece together the myriad
fragments. The collection Is curl
Gus one. changing every day with
Kaleidoscope rapiGity.
The burning of note usually brings
out its design In 4 sort Of metallic re-
lief upon its surface, and by means Of
glass and other implements and also
a 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 shrunken and wat"r- Seaked. 9TH
ers scorched black and twisted out o.
shape; .Inany are merely thin. tiny
black fakes, and in one case now un-
der consideration tie evidence consists
Of a small handful OF black powder.
which the atiiant swcars was $65, acci-
dentally blown into the fire.
Often the mischief has been done by
mice. handfuls of the tin.est Of pieces
Babies are another source Of trouble,
maniacs. victims of drunken frenzy.
piOwshnres. sawinills-in fact. the
stranSest and most unheard of acci-
dents are occurring all the time. But
in @ great majority Of cases the money
has l.een burned. for n common prac-
tice among people who are their own
bankers seems 10 he the keeping or
their funds in unused stoves. y cold
day comes. the fire is lighted by some
unsuspccting person who didn't know
1t was loaded" and the owner sudden
ly finds that lie had money to burn in
spite OF himself.
In one instance n man having $1,000
and gold. kept them in n tomato can
which lie placed in the elbow of his
parlOr stove, While he was blowing
his fields company arrived. his wife
had fire kindleu. 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 II became SO churned and ground up
that the department was able to identi-
fy only about $4,000 for him.
An old woman who had accumulated
about 5000 was one night at her devO-
tions. when the candle in some myste-
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 q
bit Of homage to Mammon, but at any
rate 1t was destroyed, and as she threw
the ashes away and ut the instigatiOn
Of her friends picked them out again
there was only enough left to return
about 500 to her.
But much more fortunate were an
L
been a soldier, and by the long accu-
mutation Of years they had saved a lit
tie sum, when one day the wife In 60
Ing to look at it found that the mice
had left only pile of carefully sawed
fragments. Almost distracted, she took
1t to the bank, reporting that the last
time she had counted 1t the sum had
been $275, 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 $215
1t was discovered that the old peoples
savings amounted to $3.50, which
was finally sent to them, much
to their joy.
or 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 a
backs amounting to $50. only half Of
each note being intact. The rest, he
declared In a strong affidav 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-
but $25 was returned to him.
Thereupon the cashier who had
transacted the business for the farmer
VrOto sl1ch an INDIGNANT loffor on vino
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 |
lmprudent farmer fined 81 600 for false |
York Tribune.
Christening Florida.