Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-04
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

XXV I'LL M 0A
A great deal Of counterfeit money cir
culated throughout the country during the
civil war. and especially in
Counterfeit this city. SO that the officers
No.. of the government were put
AAoAeJ' to considerable trouble in
its detection. In The Star of January q,
1862. is the account of the arrest of a
man named George s. Becker. who kept a
periodical store in the National Hotel
building. The Star says:
AT the time of his arrest he had upon
his person only 50 in counterfeit money,
but on searching his room in the National
Hotel a considerable amount was found
In his trunk. 1t consisted of notes on
broken banks, counterfeits on good banks
and lot Of bogus half and quarter dol
lars, amounting in all to about $4OO. The
coin appears as If newly made and not yet
circulated. Police Patrolmen Handley,
Dom. Leach, Grant and Nichols were de-
tailed to arrest certain persons supposed
to be Becker's accomplices, and soon had
in custody Henry Claire. Joseph A. Mat
tingly and M. Solers. employees of Becker
and Marian Buch, who claims to be his
wife. At the time Of her arrest she was
stopping at the Lichau House, on Louis
lana avenue near 9Th street. Parties ar
rested were all taken before Justice Dom,
who after hearing the evidence against
Becker held him to bail in the sum Of
$1,000 for his appearance at further
hearing Tuesday, which failing to give
he was committed to jail There beng
no evidence to implioate the other parties,
they were held to bail to appear as wit
neSseS.''
There was much looseness in the buying
of supplies for the war purposes Of the
government early in the
Military civil war, and one Of the
S,,,,1;.. first moves of Secretary
SuppAAo'' Stanton upon taking charge
of the War Department was to system
atize this business, and to issue an order
under date of January 20, 1862, which,
according to The Star of that date, in
which it was published, could hardly
fail, If carried out by his subordinates
to put stop to the chronic cry about
frauds in furnishing army supplies 1t
was ordered first that no further contracts
be made for any article of foreign manu-
ia ctures that could be produced or manu-
featured in the United States. All out
standing orders, agencies, authorities, Ii
censes for the purchase of arms. clothing
or anything else in foreign countries, or
of foreign manufacture, by the War De-
partment, were revoked and annulled. All
persons claiming to have any contracts
bargains. etc, with the War Department
for furnishing materials to the United
States were required to give notice Of
such contracts within fifteen days, to-
gether with statement of what had been
done under it. 1t was finally ordered
that all contracts. orders and agreements
for supplies should be in writing and
signed by the contracting parties. and
contract. bargain. etc. of which notice
and a copy were not filed in accordance
with the order. should be deemed and
held to be fraudulent and void, and no
claim on 1t would be allowed or paid UNI
less upon full and satisfactory proof of
validity.
Much feeling had been aroused after
the secession of the southern states by
the continued practice Of cap
Fugitive turing runaway slaves in the
-, District of Columbia and hold
01dVeS' ing them in the local Jail for
their owners. In The Star OF January
80, 1862, is this statement relative to an
effort to put an end to this procedure:
1--WE understand that the Secretary Of
State has written the marshal of this Dis
trict directing him to discontinue here
after the practice of the last half CEN
fury with reference to the use Of the
Washington Jail for the custody of slaves
on the request or order Of their owners.
etc. These instructions forbid him to
receive slaves for safekeeping there ex-
cept committed by some competent Off
Ger of the law for offenses upon the law,
or unless taken and so committed law
fully as fugitives from labor, in which
case he is hereafter to comply literally
with the provision of law requiring their
discharge from custody at the end of
thirty days, unless previously lawfully
reclaimed by their owners. In these in
structions the Secretary of State has SIM
ply followed the letter of the law and
has thus provided for the prompt correc-
ton of the abuses here in that connec-
ton, which have existed only by custom
for quite half century. Marshal Lamon
will doubtless gladly carry out these or
ders of his superior"
In The Star of February 1, 1862, is a
news story which tells of the Introduction
in the House of Repre-
RAILWAY sentatives a day or SC
clI previous, by Mr.. Grimes,
oAoA VOL of bill to incorporate
the Washington and Georgetown Railway
Company, the incorporators' names being
Richard III. Wallach, John M. Brodhead,
William B. Todd. Joseph Bryan, Z. c.
Robbins, Edward Clark Sayles j. Bowen
Henry Addison, w. H. Tenney and Peter
H. Watson. This company was author
lied by the bill to construct a double
track railway commencing on Bridge
street in Georgetown at the intersection
of High street, along Bridge street east
ward and across Rock creek by the tubu-
lar bridge to Pennsylvania avenue, thence
to 18th street. to Pennsylvania avenue, to
The foot of the Capitoi grounds, around
the northern boundary of the grounds to
the northern gate. through the grounds
by the southern gate, then along the
southern boundary Of the grounds to
Pennsylvania avenue. to Sth street east
or Garrison street, and thence to the navy
yard gate. There was to be lateral road
connecting the main line with the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad depot by way of
New Jersey avenue, and along that ave-
nue. and Massachusetts, and New York
avenues to intersect the main road near
the State Department; also line COM
mencing at Boundary street north and
running down 7th street to Pennsylvania
avenue or to the Potomac; also q line
commencing at Boundary street and run
ming down 14th street to Pennsylvania
avenue or to the Potomac.
REAL WORKS OF ART.