Evening star., 1917-11-25
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

IN xuU OlAN
In Tho Star Of November 1s, 1867. is a
tabular statement Of the returns Of the
local census takers by wards.
District resulting from the lately TAX
en- enumeration. The grand
oensuS. total in the District was S..
04l whites and 39.451 colored. or LIS. .4s2 in
all. OF this number. los. ITO resided In
Washington. 1882 in Georgetown. and
$3.50 in the county. The Star said:
These figures arc approximate, but the
officers of the education bureau. under
whose supervision the work Of max
ing the census was done, will imme-
diately enter on the work Of making UP
the data from the returns. and will prob
ably in q week be able to publish the full
official result, showing not only the cor
rected total number Of white and colored
In the several wards and districts. but q
summary Of all the details included on the
blanks. The members Of the metropoli-
tan police force deserve credit for the
manner in which they have performed
their duty"
There is one feature Of street life late
ly noticeable in the city Of New York."
says The Star Of November
Flower 20, 1867. which We should
ry be glad to see introduced
'enue1S. here and which we doubt
not would flourish to the great and mani
interest. We allude to the numerous lit
hurried and worried business man may
buy and carry with him. to light UP and
beautify his dingy downtown temple OF
Mammon. those tiny. but delightful. re-
according to taste from to % cents. and
where the jaded sewing girl and the over
tasked apprentice boy may pause in pass
Ing and gladden. their weary eyes with
away fiowerbeds and regale their much
abused sense Of smell on long forgotten
odors. without cost or favor.
washington is not utterly and hope
nearly so. Our public may occasionally.
1t Is true, crafty it's taste for flowers; but
to do so must invoke the presence Of q
most unsentimental and villainous-look-
In ragged and frowsy overcoat and dirty
pantaloons, with face unwashed and beard
unkempt, who will, for a price that in
the good old time would almost ransom a
prince, furnish to the simple minded
lover Of nature stupendous pyramidal
combinations Of floral wonders, rvaHn9 a
prize medal caulifiower in size and shape.
and showing in clearly defined and closely
the rainbow. They are very gorgeous
and awe-inspiring. but they are not what
the common. everyday sort OF people
want They are too costly and too cum
cost OF a weeks board in a bouquet SO
called; and, besides, who cares to pre-
sent to the lady he chances to escort to
the opera or meet on the promenade
hNf fn YAy-
portions that she must send 1t home in
q furniture carr"
During the summer Of 1867 much ex-
element was caused by the discovery
that a number OF coun-
Counterfeiters terfeit United States
n4, bonds were in circula-
oepso1eu. tion. The perpetra-
tors Of this fraud were not discovered
for some months afterward. The story
OF their apprehension is thus told in
The Star Of November 23:
The counterfeiters of the seven
thirtys have been arrested. Col. Wood
OF the secret service bureau, Treasury
Department. after weeks of persistent
and earnest labor. in which he was as
sisted by United States Detective Net
tleship. was enabled to trace the au-
thors of the counterfeit to the village
of Paulsboro, Gloucester county, N J.,
and subsequently ascertained that the
work of engraving and circulating the
legal tenders was done in that village
by William Spencer, alias William E.
Brockaway. and seven confederates
Mr. Wood made affidavit on the 9Th in
slant before United States Commits
William Spencer and Hannah, his re-
puted wife. Warrants were at once ts-
sued for the arrest of Spencer and his
wife. who were found by the officers at
day. November Is. where they were pre-
pairing to leave for Europe. On Tues
day morning they were taken to New
ark and bailed in the sum of $4,000 to
appear for an examination next week.
The woman had the amount named on
her person and readily produced it as
bail.
THE Paulsboro establishment was in
operation as long ago as 1855. and it is
estimated that the parties engaged in
the business have netted upward of
$1.000,000. The spurious issues Of the
notes were made from lead impressions
OF the genuine plates at Washington,
terfeiters. and the several branches Of
the transfer work were also the work
OF confederates, All the parties en-
gagged in the counterfeiting had become
wealthy as a matter Of course and now
reside in different parts of the country.
Government officers have been dis
patched to arrest them. and it is prob
able that they are all in custodY Spen.
GER is the owner Of magnificent resi-
dence in Philadelphia and is said to be
worth at least 100000. Spencer is a
tall, intelligent and gentlemanly-
looking man. and his wife. in ap-
pearance. is very ladylike. The gov
eminent officials are now searching for
the presses. etc. upon which the work
was executed. and the probabilities are
that they will be found today or to-
morrow"
* 4
A demand for a national chamber of
commerce similar in scope and purpose
to an organization
For National now having head
Trade Body. Sss s~n,..a.d .a ,",a 10 9rss Tss
Star Of November e3, 1867:
1T Is an undoubted fact that great
deal Of the talent of the country is now
given exclusively to manufacturing and
commercial pursuits. This Is well. but
so closely do our business men devote
themselves to the most direct means of