The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-02-21
UPPER MARLBOROUGH, FRIDAY, FEBEUA
hundred and forty dollars in this man.

ner.
Forty years ago an employee of the
Redemption Division stole hundreds
of dollars while serving upon a com
mittee appointed to burn all redeemed
money. Instead of throwing all pack
ages intrusted to him into the furnace
he would turn his back upon his CO.
workers, slip package after package
into his pocket and return with them
into the Redemption Division. Here
he would substitute the old money for
new notes of equal amount. Such a
theft would he impossible today.
ALL MULTILATED MONEY is REDEEM
Uncle Sam agrees to make good any
loss or accident to good money which
can be reasonably proven. For this
purpose he employs in the Redemp'
tion Bureau several women experts
one to determine the value of burnt
money, one to estimate the worth OF
torn money, another to detect counter
felt money. When their Newport man
sion was burned the Nanderbilts sent
a bundle of ci AIRED h. Is to lie +, 'lrmp-
tion office and the expert managed to
identify more than two thousand dol
lars therein. On another occasion a
package of ashes was received from a
Missouri man who claimed it represen-
ted seventeen hundred dollars in bank
notes, placed in stove ior safe-keep-
ing overnight, but forgotten when the
fire was kindled next morning. Eighty
per cent. of their value was identified
and redeemed.
One time the Treasury redeemed a
small fortune recovered from the grave
Of a supposed pauper who had been
buried with the money hidden in a
secret pocket. \ man and wife who
Quarreled tore a bill in two and each
sent piece for redemption. Uncle
Sam mailed to each a new note repre-
senting half of the original.
A workman in silver factory who
had let note drop under his roller
sent it to the Redemption Bureau i'm
bedded in the metal. Uncle Sam sent
him the worth of bis lost note as well
as the sheet of silver.
At still another time there came in
for redemption five thousand dollars
worth of compound interest notes
which an army officer had found in
use as ornaments upon the walls of a
Sioux Indians hut. The Indian, who
had captured them from some victim
gladly exchanged them for some high
ly co,ored chromos. In such cases the
worth Of torn or otherwise mutilated
notes is returned when two-thirtls of
each can he identified.
TORE OFF THE CORNERS OF $22 GOO IN
NOTES.
A pedlcr from a small Pennsylvania
town came to the Redemption Bureau
six years ago and exhibited pill box
filled with scraps of paper money. He
told a pitiful tale of gaining fifty thou
sand dollars in speculation, of secret
ing the bills beneath his spring ousc
floor, and of discovering later that
rats had dcvoured them, leaving only
" hat he brought with him. The scraps
were found to be corners of twenty
two thousand dollars worth of notes.
The fact that the rats had had such
a voracious preference for centres
alone, and such pronounced dislike
for corners, aroused suspicion. The
department refused to make good the
pretended loss. 1t was evident that
the fellow had pinched off small bits
of many notes, had passed these notes
and had similarly treated others re-
ceivcd in exchange. This he doubtless
had done systemat cal!y until he sup
posed he had sufficient fragments with
which to fool the authorities.
Honesty which is even more sur
prising than dishonesty has come to
light through the Redemption Bureau.
Some years ago there was received at
the Redemption Bureau counterfeit
twenty-dolar note, alleged to have
been eaten by mice. The microscope
revealed that the little rodent had been
careful to gnaw the Treasury's stamp
"Bad," placed upon all detected
countelfeits Here was suspicious
circumstance, to be sure! A special
agent, detailed upon the case, supris-
ed the authorities by reporting that
an old sailor had accepted the note III
good faith, that it had been put away
in a cigarbox for safe-keeping, and
that a mouse had actually gnawed it..
ladies Uon,e Journal.
"My DEAR remarked the very
fresh young man, "you remind me
of an imitation diamond
"Why so?"