Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-02
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

III would appear from the following
in The Star of December rs, 1875. that
NJ 1a.n the Centennial Elk
Centennial, delphia that year
was like its success.
sor of half a century later-a finan-
cial failure. in that it failed to pay
profits. though the deficit was by no
means so large as that recently in
Cured at the Sesquicentennial:
Probably but few members of Con-
grsss who voted for the bill appropri-
ating $1,5OO.O00 to the Centennial Elk.
hibition expected that the Government
would ever be reimbursed. Soon after
the bill passed parties pecuniarily in
terested in the exposition claimed that,
owing to it's peculiar phraseology, the
Government could not come in as a
preferred creditor since 1t provided
that before any profits arising from
the exhibition were participated in by
the stockholders. the United States
should be reimbursed. A suit is now
In progress in Philadelphia to deter
mine the true construction of the law.
A bill of interpleader was filed the
other day by the Centennial board of
finance, as Stockholders, to discover
to whom they should pay the balance
of 100000 in their hands. An an
swer was filed by counsel for the
stockholders. taking the ground that
under the true construction of the act
of Congress the fund should first be
applied in payment of the capital
stock, and that any surplus there
after, or. in other words. the profits.
If any. resulting from the Centennial
Exhibition. should then be paid to the
United States to the extent of S1,500.-
900. and the balance of profits, If any,
divided pro rata among the stockhold-
ers. They further hold that as no
profits have resulted. the fund should
be distributed among the stockhold
ers."
A mysterious theft occurred in the
Treasury half a century ago in cir.
~. cumstances to cause
Theft at the much uneasiness on
A1casuiy' Gals of that depart
meit. The story is thus told in The
Star of December 81, 1876:
mo definite clue has yet been found
leading to the detection of the person
or persons who recently stole a pack
age of Treasury notes intended for the
Illinois National Bank of Chicago.
There are numerous detectives at
work on behalf of the United States,
the Adams Express Company and the
bank, inasmuch as every one of the
three is endeavoring to escape the re-
sponsibility for the loss.
1.-The facts are that about three
weeks ago a package of notes, mostly
in bills of 500 denomination, aggre
eating 800, was sealed and adj
dressed to the bank in Chicago. The
package was made up in the cash
room of the Urea sury. 1t was then
turned over to the agentsof the Adams
Express Company, who gave a receipt
therefor. Next 1t was transported by
that company to the bank in Chicago.
The bank officers receipted to the ex-
press company for the alleged amount
the envelope was said to contain.
When it was opened. it was found that
instead of containing $11 900 the en-
velope covered only q nicely put up
package of tissue paper. There Is no
use denying the fact that suspicion is
strongly attached to certain employees
in the cash room, and the number sus-
pected is narrowed down 20 four. 1t
is a significant circumstance that the
package stolen was the largest amount
made up on tile day 1t was taken.
"One very reasonable theory is that
an employe of the cash room made a
duplicate, so far as outward looks
were concerned, of the original. hut
filled with what the detectives call the
'boodle;' that the guilty employee In
the cash room had a confederate In
the employ of the express company;
that the genuine package was receipt
ed for by the agent of the express
company, but that before being placed
In the safe for transportation the zen.