Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-07-18

This is day of detective stories
They are said to be money-makers
Some hundreds of authors are looking
for mysteries with which to start their
yarns. Here is mystery for them out
OF the records Of congress, and if they
can solve it properly the sequel of the
original story will be good reading.
| The late Senator julius Caesar Bur-
rows Of Michigan asked congress to
reimburse Maj. Samuel Howell. an
army paymaster, for $1,000 which dis
appeared while 1t was under his charge
in the Philippine islands.
Now the day the money was discov-
cred to be missing Major Howell made
1t good by personal check on his pri-
vate bank account, so the government
lost nothing. There never was the
faintest suspicion that Major Howell
was culpable In the case in any way.
The money simply disappeared, and
this was the manner of it:
When Riches Took Wings
The paymaster was travelling through
the Philippine islands with an armed
guard. He had with him a chest con-
! tanning a large sum of money with
which to pay the troops at the differ
locked at all times, and night and day
a sentinel stood by it with a loaded
rifle in his hands. No one had keys
to the treasure box except Major
Howell, and he kept them fastened to
his person by strong chain.
One night the money in the chest was
counted. The sum was found to be
correct. The doors were closed, double
| locked and the sentries were put on
duty. The next morning Major Howell
opened the chest and found that $1,000
was gone. This amount had disap-
peared while the money box was
| double-locked and under the watch and
ward of sentinel standing so close
to it that he could touch it with his
/ rifle. There were no duplicate keys,
and the originals were of the kind al
most impossible to counterfeit The
sentries guarding the box were changed
every two hours. Apparently riches in
this case literally took wings and flew
away, passing through the walls of an
armed chest in their flight.
AS has been said, Major Howell made
the loss good by personal check on
his own bank account and did 1t In
stantly. Not one cent Of the money
ever was found nor was suspicion ever
directed to any person. The case is
one Of the army mysteries to this day,
and in it perhaps is the opportunity for
modern day solver of riddles to ex-
plot and disclose his ingenuity.
Why One Pension Bill Failed.
Here is another case out of the rec
ords which is not mystery case, but
just a case that is somehow different"
A former member of congress, the name
of whom is not necessary for the story,
was asked to use his influence to Sc
cure an increase of pension for the
widow Of a soldier. Papers were for
warded to him which bore on the case
and these, after his bill to relieve the
widow had been introduced, he turned
over to the committee on pensions
without reading them.
The widow did not get her money,
and it was not long before the whole
house of representatives knew why.
The member who had espoused the
widows cause had been in congress
for years and the joke at his expense
was too good to keep, and so one after
another of his colleagues walked up to
his desk and congratulated him on the
wisdom shown in the plea in written
committee in order to win the widows
cause
The plea was included in the papers
which the member had not read. He
found he had asked the committee on
pensions to increase the allotment to
the widow of the soldier hero on the
ground that "she comes of good family,
, moves in the best social circles and is
in need Of large sum Of money to
keep up appearances"
Here is another record case: For
mer Senator Latimer of South Caro-
lima introduced good roads bill calling
for the expenditure of government mil
lions for the Improvement of the high
ways. Automobiles all over the
country began sending in letters Of
approval. They pressed their friends
also to write, but that they did not
always pass judgment upon the per-
suasive merits of the friends produc-
tons is shown fairly well by letter
on the subject to the late Senator Gull
lom of Illinois. 1t reads like this:
"Dear Mr. Cullom-Please vote for
this id bill, and you will oblige a
fool friend of mine who runs an auto
mobile. Yours more or less sin
cerely-."
Legal Battle over Small Sum.
Their mighty legal battle will he