The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1908-07-03
DAMAGED MONEY.
Puezles Mrs. Amanda E. Broom is EUer
SOlUing.

Paezles Mrs. Amanda E. Broom is EUer
S0lUing.
From the New York Sun.
For twenty years Mrs. Amanda e.
Brown has been identifier in chief Of
damaged currency for this Govern
ment. To her skill scores of banks
and hundreds of business firms and of
private Notwithstanding foolish
Women-owe their receipt of crisp new
bills in exchange for little heaps OF
hopeless looking shreds and patches.
Mrs. Browns desk is directly under
the light of north window on the
gIound nOor of the Treasury Build
ing at Washington. In its pigeon
holes and compartments are official
looking manila envelopes and a
few boxes, each of which contains
q case-that is, some fragments
Of alleged money. The tools OF her
work lie before her-several fine steel
scalpels, a four-inch magnifying glass,
and a half inch thick piece of plate
glass the exact size of bank note and
ruled off in fifty equal squares.
As the reporter sat beside her the
other day she spread a sheet of stout
manila paper before her, picked up one
of the boxes and emptied out ten or
twelve charred pieces of paper ranging
from bits about a quarter of an inch
square to a couple of pieces contain
ing a square inch or little more.
They looked absolutely blank at first.
They might have been any pieces OF
burned paper.
Mrs. Brown did not handle them with
her fingers, hut with marvellous deli
cacy of touch separated them with the
scalpel till they lay spread out upon
the manila sheet. Then she handed
the magnifying glass to the reporter
indicated one of the larger fragments
and intimated that it showed the word
dollars" and a figure or design found
only on United States twenty dollar
notes.
"This is the case of the burning of
a store building" said Mrs. Brown.
I'VE received this box, about four by
six inches in size, full of charred
pieces accompanied by letter stating
that in it were the remains OF STD
two twenties, two tens and five.
when I first turned the contents
out it seemed as if there was nothing
but mere burned paper, But | care
fully sorted it until | discovered these
fragments Of currency.
you know it is an easy matter, at
least for the experienced eye, to dis
criminate between burned money and
any other burned paper. Currency is
made of the best linen paper, espe-
cially manufactured for the Govern
ment. When burned it looks almost
like burned linen cloth and can be
separated at once from ordinary paper,
"After I had identified these frag
ments as money | gave them several
baths in acid, which brought out
traces Of the engraving | have not
finished the case yet, but the identifi-
cation of one twenty dollar note is now
practically certain.
"As the fragment contains less than
twoffths of the original size of the
note. the person having it redeemed
will be required to make affidavit to
the circumstances of its loss. He will
fhen receive one-haf the face value Of
the note. In that way you see, the
Government is protected against re-
dcemine the same note twice for full
value. Oh, yes, such attempts are Oft
undoubtedly made, but owing to the
precautions taken they do not sue
rced."
At this moment a bank messenger
qDrearcd at the wicket near by and
hqrd-d in two envelopes and some Of
7ciql sli-s. Miss Brown took out the
outents of the first envelope. 1t
sroved % be-well, call it five dollar
ill with a strip Of surgeons plaster
Going up and down the centre on both
ids. MIS-. Brown began pulling this
lester off.
you see" she explained almost be-
FORE the bill was out Of the envelope,
cricE was her estimate of it, these
2ra halvcs Of two different bills. Prob
ally some one has taken the patched
no note and has found out his mis-
take AID has sent ii to the bank for re-
domrtign. The adhesive plaster was
nut on so as to leave a little space be-
tween the two pieces and conceal the
fact that the bill is not full size"
She pasted one torn piece on sheet
of manila paper, laid her checkered
slab Of plate glass over it and with a
nencil outlined what would be the full
size of the note were it complete Then