Arizona republican., 1901-05-08
HOTEL ROSSLYN

shaken through the charred bills until there was hardly piece left big enough to cover more than the head Of pin. Each of the pieces. looked as if taken from grate in which paper had been thrust. Mrs. Brown, who is in charge of the experts who handle the mutilat- ed money, all of whom are women, did not despair although she deplored the thoughtlessness which had allowed sil- yer and charred paper to be packed to- gether She called two of her assist ants, and the three by the aid of mag nifying glasses, soon brought out four fifty dollar bills. and within an hour recommended that they be redeemed by the treasurer. %
 The mice-chewed bills make puzzles for the experts which can only be solv- ed with infinite patience and care. Each of the pieces Is carefully laid out on hard. flat surface, and then with the as- sistance of strong glasses magniiied so 1t can be placed in proper position Tn relation to all of the others. The ex- perts have a copy of every bill which has ever been printed by the govern ment These are used as models as soon as enough of the bill has been laid out to establish it's issue. fhe experts say that some of the best money that has beer printed by the government was printed during the civil war period. The grade of the paper was superior to any ever used. and the engraving has never been excelled. Bills which have been received recently of that period are in tn excellent state Of preservation. No bill has ever been received at the | treasury department in condition l which made it impossible for the ex- | perts to straighten 1t out and establish | it's character beyond doubt. Mrs. | Brown has never been required to work 1 on a bill longer than the eight hours of
 of the day.
 Secret service officers have been fre- quentIy called upon to learn if the sto-
 ries which are told of the way in which | bills become mutilated are true. Within | the last week a Washington darky came to the department In great dis
 tress. bringing pieces of bills which he | said represented $500 of hard earned | money. He said that he had hid
 the money behind the house by bury Ing 1t In tin can. He explained that l | gance and tha the was obliged to hide
 the money to keep her from spending 1t.
 When the experts laid out the bills they found that there were over S700. | 4 secret service officer was then sent to establish the facts as to the matter, and grayely reported that the negroes sto- ry was correct one, even to the claim that his wife was extravagant.
 Last Wednesday an elderly German woman came to the department from Baltimore in great distress. She had
 Charred remnants of some money which was, she said, the savings of forty years She thought that there was at least $500 in the original roll. On the evening before, as she knelt at her de- votipns, lamp in the room adjoining had toppled over and set fire to a dress skirt In which she had the money. Part
 of the debris had been lost before she remembered that the money was in the | burned skirt. She had collected what I had remained. Sympathetic officials
 took her through the treasury building
 to the room of the experts in the base Il ment. There she seated herself while
 half a dozen experts worked on the
 money. She rocked to and fro and
 sighed and cried during the greater part
 nf three hours while the women worked
 and at intervals tried to calm her. By noon she had been given over $300 of the
 amount and sent back to Philadelphia
 with the assurance that if she could se- cure the rest of the debris more of the money might be restored to her.-St
 Louis Globe Democrat.