Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-06

always DONE for the local newspaper men
are generally in evidence 10 gather in such
items. A great many of the letters ac-
companying the remittances are preserved,
and the lifting of the red tape OF the de-
partment gives some interesting reading.
Many of these letters on file are from jocose
correspondents, who have not scrupled to
make hight of SO serious matter as to adj
dress the treasurer pretended conscience
letters. whose humor is far in excess of the
money inclosed. One of these letters reads:
Enclosed please find as cents. coin OF the
realm. won from United States pay
master at draw poker. and which l am
convinced rightfuly belongs to Uncle Sam
uel. have carried 1t for nearly six months.
and dare not trust myself with 1t any
longer. My conscience calls for relief
my harassed nature calls for a good
nights sleep. l can have neither so long
as carry this terrible witness. Now l
can feel realization of the proverb, BE
virtuous and you will be happy Now l
can feel an assurance that In years yet
to come it can be said of my children yet
to Gomez, they were of poor but honest
parents. Please acknowledge through
local press. and request them to put in
double-leaded BREWER editorial page
conscience stricken department clerk
wrote
"A clear conscience softens the hardest
bed. and as l am a poor government clerk
my bed is very hard and needs softening.
so 1 herewith return 81 which was over
paid me last payday. and. besides. 1 have
loafed a good deal lately
Here's a letter which has the true ring:
Enclosed is check for $3.50. l will briefly
1ioi I haNvn hanp in -,,ff tod Cfota
service and a part of the time with rank
which entitled me to two servants. | drew
pay for two. but actually had but one. 1t
was the common practice of officers to do
this. and the paymasters were well aware
Of it. l entered the army poor and sick
too poor, in fact, to get along well without
a clear conscience"
One of the largest contributions ever re-
ceived was $4,000, and it was accompanied
by this letter
4 am sending you herewith inclosed
$4,000 which is to go to the use Of the
United States government. Years ago l
defrauded the government of money, but
now l have returned 1t all and am paying
fourfold in accordance with the teachings
of the Scriptures. The way of the trans
SieSSeT IS HdTu, anu no one out KNOWS
how have suffered"
There many such letters as these
but in large number of instances the con-
tributions are made without any eXplana-
tons whatever. On several occa sions 1t has
happened that people have cut bills in
two, sending one half to the Secretary of
the Treasury and the other half to the
treasurer, for the safe of safety. There are
WI ante OF hSn 1,rfo
faith in the integrity of government off,
Gals. One man forwarded SO to the con-
science fund. saying: Pay this money
where it belongs and keep your record
clear An envelope postmarked Bealeton,
Va, contained six two-cent stamps and
a sheet of paper upon which was written.
+ misused six stamps and am now return
ing them" A remittance Of $40 was re-
ceiVed from a man who wrote that he felt
sorry for having beaten his passage on
government train during the war.
1t is melancholy thing to be obliged to
say that the swindles against the govern
ment which bear such fruit of repentance
seem to be a sadly small percentage of the
multifarious cheats that are practiced I'M
detected and apparently unregretted by
those who perpetrate them. A fraud on
the government of comparatively inno-
cent sort is often practiced in the army.
A quartermaster finds his stores short by
100 tent pins, five anvils and fourteen
sledge hammers. Very likely 1t is not his
fault: such things will happen. Presently
a soldier deserts and disappears. Incl
dentally to the report of desertion sent to
Washington, mention is made of 100 tent
pins, five anvils and fourteen sledge ham,
mers as having disappeared with the de-
linquent. The latter Is supposed to be
walking across the country with these
articles thrown over his back. This squares
the quarterma ster. who would otherwise
be obliged to pay for the missing articles.
Voyagers returning from across the seas
fetch gems concealed in cakes Of soap. in
the followed heels Of boots, beneath porus
plasters in cartridges from which the bull
lets have been removed and the powder
taken out, and in various and sundry other
ways. The device of folding diamonds in
a slice of meat. feeding 1t to a dog just
before reaching port. and killing the ami
NAL a few hours later, is familiar one.