The San Mateo item. (San Mateo City, Putnam County, Fla) 189?-19??, 1909-03-20
o.ese.o~o-S.e-o.o.o.o.O.C
a Large amount;
Of Paper /
Currency !
Is f.;
annually Lost ;

half million dollars worth OF pa
per currency is lost or destroyed IN
one way or another in this country
every year-that Is to say, either lost
for all time or else spoiled 10 such
an extent as TO be impossible OF re-
demptiOn. The methods adopted for
spelling money are as queer as they
are varied. For example there was
a woman I'm indianapolis, not long
ago, who. In some way unexplained,
got $40 worth OF greenbacks mixed
up with the vegetable greens" which
she was preparing for dinner. Tho
notes were boiled TO an unrecogniz-
able mass and the Treasury at
Washington, to which they were sent
In the hope that they might be re-
deemed. could do nothing with them,
being unable TO recognize the re-
mains. Then there was the unhappy
father OF a Philadelphia urchin, who
forwarded by mail a few strips OF
greenish paper and a score of little
pellets OF the sane material. He ex-
planned that they represented $40
bills. which his boy had torn TO pieces,
rolling them into balls and blowing
them through a glass tube at the fam
fly cat, the canary bird and the house.
maid. This was not such a hopeless
case, and the loser got some OF his
money back.
A resident OF Rochester sent a
mass OF pulp, which, he said, was
$3.50. He had gone to bed with the
money in the breast picket OF his
nightie for safe keeping, Next morn
Ing he forgot about It and went Off
to business. Meanwhile his wife
sent the night shirt to the laundry,
from which II was recovered after
being for some time I'm a revolving
cylinder full OF water, SOAP and a.
sorted garments. On being examined
at Treasury those OF the Mills that
were in best condition We've found
TO be split the faces separated from
the backs. Nevertheless, the whole
amount was identified and redeemed.
For quite awhile a BrooklyB shop
keeper named Brendel was robbed by
a mysterious thief Every night
cash amounting to from 81 TO vs. was
from his till. II was always
paper money that was taken; the
thief did not seem to care for sill
yer. A watch was set, but the
stealing went on just the same. One
day carpenter was hired to make
some alterations. Incidentally 10
knocking down a partition he came
upon the robbers nest. which con.
tained five young rats and the re-
mains Of SEQ. Part of II was re.
deemable.
A farmer. residing near Ogden. Ia,
drove into town one dag, stopped at
the hotel, tied his horses and went
In to dinner leaving his coat In the
wagon. When he came out he exam
med the coat and found six SO bills |
missing. He accused q passer-by of |
having stolen the money. The passer-
BY denied the charge, declaring that |
The bills had been eaten by a goat. lie |
pointed out the goat and said that |
he would pay the amount OF loss II |
he cash was not found In the anil. |
mails stomach. II was necessary, OF
course, TO sacrifice the goat. but sure
enough an autopsy disclosed the
'armer's "wad," which was forward.
"a TO the Treasury. A stoclSman
lear Galveston, Texas. sold bunch
Il cattle for $40 He put the amount
n a wallet without folding the bills,
% that their ends stuck out. Later
n the day. while busy at something,
70 threw his coat upon the ground
a a COW lot. Probably the wallet
ON out AZ all events, soon after