Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-20


had one daughter, and was accustomed to say.
The boy who marries my girl will get bigger
pile of money than he ever saw outside OF
bank" With this idea in view, during
period of twenty years while the girl was
growing up, he hid small sums in earthern
Jar under old apple tree. When she was
married the jar was dug up, and the hoard
furnished handsome dowry But some OF 1t,
which was paper currency had undergone
partial decay and had to be sent to the treas
ury for redemption.
The Stove Bank
MOST women regard the stockings they
hiding places for cash. But, where hoard is
to enjoy long concealment. they prefer the
garnet, the hearth, oven that IS not in use.
or the paror stove. This last is perhaps the
greatest favorite 1t is also the most efficient
known destroyer of money, according to treas
ury officials Sooner or later the stove IS
lighted and the wad goes up in smoke. From
one to three cases of the kind, on an average,
are referred to the redemption bureau at
Washington every day in the autumn; and
unfortunately, the currency is nearly always
reduced to SO complete cinder as to be hope
lessly beyond identification, and therefore inn
possible to replace.
In one instance not long ago New Jersey
woman confided her savings to the parlor coal
scuttle. covering them with coal. OF course,
another member of the household threw the
coal on the fire, which settled that business
More curious was recent instance where
brought to the treasury one hundred dol
lars in partly burned bills, which, he said his
wife had hidden in the fireplace. Unaware of
this fact he started fire. but the wife return
ing home just in time, put it out and recovered
the damaged money. The remarkable point
about the story, however, is that the wife
herself appeared at the treasury few hours
later with nine hundred dollars likewise partly
burned telling the same story, but explaining
that the amount concealed by her in the fire
place had been one thousand dollars. She did
not wish her husband to know how much she
had boarded
tax collector in Michigan awhile ago had
eight hundred dollars of public money in his
possession. Being worried about it, he hid
it in paper box under the porch of his house
over night, and, thus assured that it was safe
from robbers, slept peacefully. But, when he
went to get it the next morning, he was SUR
prsed to the family goat walk out from
under the porch with twenty-dollar bill IN
its mouth. The animal had already swallowed
the rest of the eight hundred dollars. 1t was
killed, and the cash was recovered from its
stomach
Another odd experience was that of Yer
mont farmer who hid two hundred and eighty
dollars under the rafters of his barn. Some
how it found its way into the hay and was fed
TO the cow When discovered, the cow was
chewing the green feed with apparently much
satisfaction. Inasmuch as she was worth con-
siderably less than two hundred and eighty
dollars it was deemed expedient to kill her.
and the currency, mass of pulp, eventually
reached the redemption bureau, where all of
it was identified.
Fixed It Up for Robbers
TN village of eastern Ohio, dwells farmer
named Jason B. Smith Entertaining
a chronic lax of confidence in banks, he
buried quantity of paper currency in his
yard. He went to take look at it after
awhile, and found that it had rotted. Where
upon he emptied it into pillow case, tied the
latter round his body. and started for Washing
ton. When he arrived at the treasury a
messenger was assigned to help him undress,
"a task accomplished with no little difficulty
by reason of lack of trustfulness the part
Of Mr.. Smith. All the money, amounting to
nineteen thousand dollars, though much
crumpled, was identified except four hundred
dollars.
This, however, is only the beginning of the
story. Smith refused to accept draft for
the eighteen thousand six hundred dollars due
him, but chose notes of large denomination,
which he concealed his person. Before
taking his departure, he sent a newspaper filled
with grapes to the women experts at the treas
ury who had helped him out of his trouble,
together with the following poem:
Since the ladies are skilfully at work
Counting the money
Wish to say to them truly am none
1ca'c