Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-05
HARD 10 BEAT UNCLE SAN
Curious Experiences Of Redemption
Department Of Treasury.
DEALING WITH LOST WEALTH"
Fragments of Alleged Money Mssti-
Gated by Goats, Dogs and
CaIves-RuIes Governing
Redemption.

Uncle Sam has made millions through
efforts Of people to place money where
thieves cannot reach 1t, and the redemption
division OF the treasury reveals many in
teresting stories Of lost wealth"
The chief OF the division had one novel
experience. He was forced to make an
examination of a dogs stomach to satisfy
himself that 1t contained the remains OF a
$40 bill which the animal had chewed up.
The dogs stomach was sent to the Treas
ury department accompanied by letter. in
which the writer stated that his dog Fritz
had swallowed a $50 bill while he was
playing with him. The aforesaid Fritz was
not regarded by the owner as being worth
$40, so he was shot and the stomach sent
to the Treasury department to see II the
bill could be put together sufficiently to be
redeemed. With the assistance of the ex-
perts in the division of redemption the
badly chewed up bill was taken out and it
was redeemed at its face value.
And this is the way we have to go
about getting money together to redeem
It," said one OF the experts. 1T comes
here in every shape and not infrequently
entirely out of shape, and IL sometimes
takes the greatest care and most delicate
work to get 1t in such condition that We
are able to satisfy ourselves that some
effort is not being made to swindle your
Uncle Samuel out Of good money. We
have our rules for redemption and these
rules are adhered to strictly. Somehow
J calves appear to have the inside track on
| all animals for destroying money, and
they literally eat 1t up when they get hold
OF 1t, while goats give the stuff a lick
and PROMISE 80 to speak, and 1t Ia
| found in large pieces when sent here for
redemption. Goats do not chew it up fine
like other animals. 1t is not often that
dogs get hold of money, but frequently
pigs and hogs make sad havoc with a roll
of bills,
| Redemption Rules.
Here are the rules, briefly, for the re-
demption of mutilated money: For a piece
Of currency greater than two fifths and
less than three-ffths of the original note
one-half the face value of the note is given
For a piece great as three-fifths. the
whole value OF the note is given. For
piece two-fifths i'll size of the original moth
ing is given. But this last provision Il
limited by law, which gives discretion t,
the Treasury department to give full valu
for a note IL the owner can prove to tn,
satisfaction of the authorities that tn,
note, or the missing part of it, was de
stroyed. This last provision opens the doc
to possible fraud, and many are the eff
forts made by dishonest persons to take ad
) vantage of it. The fragments OF none!
/ which come here for redemption are turned
over to the expert and sorted out under tn
microscope for Identification. They ar
picked apart and each piece assigned to it
: place like puzzle. This is usually done Of
3 glass and the pieces are placed between
, glass so they can be measured to ascertain
how much of the note is there.
e "Unless there was the most perfect sys
e tenn here we would frequently be taken i
= by dishonest people, A man in Kansa
8 sent in the halves of some small bill
! with the edges nicely charred, accom-
2 panied by an affidavit that he had put tn
d money In his pocket, hung his coat on
e fence and that the coat had been burned
. 1t happened that the other halves of thes
b notes had been redeemed for a none
s broker In New York more than two year
0 previously. The Kansas man was arreste
d and fined $1,000 A Chicago man sent
: fragments Of two $50 bills and one s.
[ bill with an affidavit saying the rest ha
a been destroyed. With the same mail
8 Chicago banker sent the other halves
9 The man who made the affidavit got
: two years sentence. We keep tab o
: every bill which is redeemed or sent fc
= redemption, and that is the way we kee
: from being buncoed.
Variety of MutilRtcd Money.
= TT not only is mutilated money thf
!. comes here, but dirty and worn money
all kinds after it is worn so badly ths
. 1t will not pass current. This is placed
u the hands OF experts to decide whether
e was issued by the government ar
S whether It should be redeemed at its fat
: value. Some bogus money has got pa
{, the expert.
/ Decidedly the larger part Of none
It sent here for redemption has been Il
l. work of fire, the parlor stove being
great source OF loss, people sticking rol
+ OF bills in these places for safekeepinE
& the summer and neglecting to remo'
Z. them before building fires in the IA
10 Railway wrecks cause great loss
d money by tho burning of mail and expire
l. cars, but in such cases It is not difficu
ia to have every dollar redeemed II on
~ he ha