The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-07-11
HE PUT SILK THREADS
In YOUR PAPER MONEY
COL Edward L. Mills Who Made Counterfeiting A
Difficult Task, Living Quiet Life in This
City

Ia y
- sna2d SO freely in these days
of hig:, prices? If you haven't,
take bill out Of your pocket
hook and look it over. You will
4n5 tnaG a number Of tiny silk
threads run vertically in a we'll
defined band across each end Of
the note. and you will perhaps
he s.sr"rised to learn that the
man who first had them put in
vo1lr money now lives in Eliza
beth City.
This man is Col Edward L. Mills
recently retired after SO years service
in the Treasury Department of the
United States, and he lives at the
home Of his daughter Mrs. S. I. Pool
IN Harney street, in this city. Col.
Mills was born 76 years ago in Thomp-
SON Conn where his father, while
principal of a girls seminary, had
married one of his most charming
and vivacious young schoolgirls.
The family later moved to Sterling.
Illinois, where Mills, ST., engaged in
the tailoring business, while Col. Mills.
who was then a boy in his early teens
went to school and spent his spare
time in rambles over the wide prairies
gun in hand. learning to shoot with an
accuracy and precision, which later dis
tinguished him as one of the dozen
best wing shots in America. Game was
plentiful; in Illinois in the days when
Chicago was agout the size of Eliza
beth City. Great stretches of open
prairie. teeming with wild ducks
geese. pigeons and countless hocks of
prairie chickens, made an unrivalled
hunting ground, the like of which can
no. he found in this country today.
Al the outbreak of the War between
the States. Mr.. Mills, then a lad not
suite eighteen, accompanied the 34th
Illinois infantry, organized at Sterling.
toa earlp in Kentucky, where, after
he reached the age of 18, he enlisted
in conlrs3rly E. and went to the battle
&22st II that state, taking part in the
eatties of Shiloh, and Muffreesboro, or
Stone River. In 1868 Col. Mills and a
ptrt OF his regiment were cut off from
the rest OF the Union army at the
battle of Chickamauga, where he was
eantured by the Confederates.
After & memorable 8 months stay in
Libby Prison, at Richmond and the
Confederate prison at Danville, Va, he
VS. exchanged as a prisoner of war
and +oirad Gen. Hancock's Veteran
Army Corps. and organization of picked
troops II which he served on the staff
o. the General as Chief Clerk of the
Middle Military Department, with
headuuarters at Washington and later
at 3 fillmore.
Al the close of the war Col. Mills
reentarad the army, and was assigned
to duty at the Adjutant Generals of
fee in Washington In 1859 he was
transferred to the Secretary's Office in
the Treasury Department, division OF
Loars md Currency, of which he was
made assistant chief under the first
CtavaI1ui administration.
i WIS at this time that the actlv-
ties Of counterfeiters made it imper-
a,.-a 5tat changes be made in the
-iL-tpttJL currency WHICH "OolSA iAANOAAN
!, more difficult of imitation. At that
c:na t'}e Government paper money had
0~e - dnd one blue silk thread rum
c.M&, parallel lengthwise of each note
-rEir:: ,.,:,ert crooks found little diff
rC.-J II duplicating. In 1884, under
Secretary Of the Treasury Manning
No.- MI was appointed chairman OF
.1ss,-.,.5-ee to devise and recommend
p. =. Secretary a more satisfactory
-rt, u Daner. and at Col. Mills, sug-
se>-t@r - committee decided upon
- lied silk fibre now in use. This
l.. ~. :, distributed through the paper
~ 7ecret process, and counterfeiters
hava never been able to successfully
1..-ltc it,
{ 3os. the recommendation OF this
e|t9mittee the plates formerly used in
Drating United States money were
ae5tr0Yeli- and new ones were design
91 on UI;ch more open space of white
2'.'ar W2s left at either end of the
noes SC that the silk fibre could pe
nor readily seen.
Some years later Col. Mills became
Government superintendent of the
baoar mills at Pittsfield Mass, where
A. 5ha distinctive paper for the var
'ou- United States securities, checks:
AEhtts bonds. notes and national cur
t@n.y = made and in 1899 he was
eea2aterreI to the Internal Revenue
oeF9au Of the Treasury Department at
'stfinEt0n. where he became chief OF
-.;@ TpbaCco Division, having charge OF
a. 'S"V"Ccicent matters relating to the
:" miniature of cigars, cigarettes, to-
'1s"o. as-v.f and other tobacco pro-
H-'a subject to the internal revenue
TX
-Hft@r t">ee years in this capacity
~ Nils became the head of the
mp Division, directing the distribu-
--''' "f al Internal revenue stamps to
various collectors of internal rev.
"0F' and their stamp deputies. He
- was appointed Internal Revenue
7"' on Accounts, in which capacity
Visited the various collectors Of
throughout the United States and
"|7li auditing stamp accounts aggre-
1ting many millions of dollars. This
'oa he held until his retirement