The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1909-03-18
GUARDING PAPER MONEY.
Checks Against Thefts While In the
Process OF Printing.

The paper money of the govern
ment is brought in iron bound
chests, locked and sealed, from the
bureau of engraving and printing
to the cash room of the treasury
and there delivered upon receipt to
the chief of the division of issue in
sheets of four bills each. They are
complete, with signature and num-
bers, except for the seal, which is
printed upon them with power
presses in a small apartment under
the cash room.
These presses are worked BY two
people, usually man pressman and
as%oman feeder or assistant. When
the seal has been imprinted upon
the bills they are counted automat-
icaliy. bound in packages of equal
numbers by bands of paper, mark
ed, signed by the persons who have
handled them and passed into the
adjoining room, where the sheets
are cut and the bills are recounted
and inspected, so that the imperfect
ones may be thrown out. They are
then bound into packages Of equal
amounts and taken to the drying
vault here they lie upon the
g for several weeks until tho
ink has become perfectly dry.
Every safeguard that ingenuity
can contrive is placed around these
transactions, and the chief of di-
vision can tell which Of his hun
dred or more subordinates have
touched the different bills in the
vaults. He knows who received
them, who printed the seal, who
wrapped and who cut them, for ev-
cry package is numbered and its
history is recorded in an enormous
book.
The combination of checks is 80
complete that the chief of division
would know within twenty minutes
if a single bill was missing, but he
has never had occasion to test this
knowledge except twice within fif-
teen years. Only two attempts have
ever been made to steal the money
of the government while it is in
this stage of its history.
On one occasion many years ago
a pressman passing a pile of notes
upon the table of his neighbor slip
ped the top sheet under his blouse
without being observed and carried
it with him into the lavatory, where
he was successful in concealing it.
The theft was discovered within five
minutes, and it was clearly appar-
ent that he alone could be guilty,
although the evidence was pure
ly circumstantial. No one saw him
take the money. Therefore he was
not arrested and was never publicly
charged with the crime. But he
was dismissed from the service, and
he knew the reason why. The bills
were never recovered. He prob
ably destroyed them, as they did
not appee~-in circulation.
On az II occasio' eight or ten
years a colored me senger whose
business. 'as~ Il the money
about on a { slippe loose sheet
into his pocket unf oserved while
passing between printing and
the counting rooms. This theft was
also unseen, but the responsibility
was fastened upon him. The pile
of notes was complete when it left
the printer, for it was counted and
registered automatically in the
press. When it reached the count
ing room one sheet was missing,
and the package had not been out
of the possession of the colored
messenger in the meantime. There
fore he alone was responsible, and
as he could not offer any satisfac-
tory explanation he, too, was dis
missed from the service, but was
not prosecuted because there was
no direct proof of his suilt.-Chi-
cago Rccord-Herald.