Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-15
JACKASS PUT ON THE $1O BILL.

An interesting story comes from Chicago which every citizen who has q treasury note of the 1880 series can verify. He holds q 'jackass bill" It appears that the government was made the victim of practical joker ill the buerau of engraving and the staid, serious money of the country has become the vehicle of q puzzle picture. The treasury officials have omitted to place an inscription on the bill, Find the jackass.' The absence of this has kept the matter govern ment secret for some time. Although the 'jackass bilr' has been in existence for several years, it was first discover ed the other day by a bank clerk in Chicago, who thought it was a coun- terfeit and reported it's discovery to the sub-treasury officials. They had been ignorant of the puzzle picture and sought information from Wash ington. The answer received was not made public except in so far as the bill was acknowledged as genuine. The full text of the message from Washington, it is said was to the effect to keep the "jackass" quiet and not let the public hear its praying.
 The jackass shows as plain as q life-like portrait when the bill is turn ed upside down. On the face of the bill is an American eagle in a little l engraving to the left of the seal and | between the names of J. w. Lyons, register of the treasury, and Ellis H. | Roberts. treasurer of the United States. There is nothing peculiar in the | eagle until the bill is turned upside | down and the eagle become q jackass, perfect in outline. The jackass's' pie | ture is on one of the most common of the $1O notes in circulation. The sur | prising thing is that the puzzle or joke on the eagle was not discovered long ago. None of the serious men who handled the money at Washington ever, thought of turning q bill upside down. The men who examine designs
 before they@age committed to the en-
 graying machine and the engraver passed the double tender, as it was
 facetiously termed. The bills had
 gone all over the country when the
 artist who perpetrated the joke in a l spirit of maliciousness and revenge
 sent word to the treasurer of the United States to scan the portraits on the treasury $1O bill when held upside down. The jackass was found and there was consternation ill the depart
 ment. For the best interests of the | service and for the sake of the repu-
 tation of the department 1t was decid-
 ed to let the combination of eagle and l jackass alone in the hope that the l public would never notice the picture
 The story that comes from Wash ington is to the effect that an English 1 man working in the bureau of engrav. ing was discharged for having opinions
 counter to those of the republican
 party. Having been given the usual
 months notice, he decided upon a
 cold -blooded revenge upon the imperial
 eagle of Mckinley. He was working
 upon the new plates for the BIO bill,
 and by 2 delft handling of the lights
 and shadows of the eagle he produced
 the 1ackass. From an artistic point of
 view his work is excellent. It is the perfection of puzzle creation. The
 head and neck of the eagle, which has
 peculiar left twist. furnishes the
 head of the jack. The light shading at the base Of the wing becomes a perfect eye from the other view point.
 The thixhs of the eagle form the ears of the jack.