davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
Plain Stenog
her her place would be hysterical with
self pity after one weeks work.

her her place would be hySterical with
self pity after one weeks work.
THAT good proportion of all sec
= retaries in the land think they
would like appointments in official
Washington Is q fact any Senator or
Representative will tell you with
groans. A position frequently desired
by ambitious constituents is that Of
personal secretary to the President.
They tell a story in one Senator's
Office of a woman who walked into
the reception room on busy day
demanding to see the Senator in per-
son. Her business? No, she wouldn't
tell that; she never discussed her
affairs with "the help"
After hours of waiting and with no
Senator in sight, she unbent enough
to confide that she wished to handle
the personal work of the President.
She didn't know shorthand yet, but.
If he would be patient at first, she
knew she could soon learn, since
she had always been considered quite
bright.
Marguerite lie Hand, who has been
the Presidents private secretary now
for IS years, goes serenely on her way.
with no fear Of her would-be sue
cessors. Many are surprised to learn
that she attained her position as the
country's first private secretary with
no influence Of family or, friends.
Not long after her graduation from
the Somerville, Mass, High School
she was working as a stenographer
in the Emergency Fleet Corp. when
an ofhcial Of that organization, i'm
pressed with her ability, recommended
her to his friend, Mr.. Roosevelt. Now
she lives in the White House, is a
member Of the Presidents encourage
wherever he goes and comes in init
mate personal contact with more
famous men and women in single
day than the average secretary
glimpses In . lifetime.
Grace Tully, the Presidents second
: (cnnfin1Ied an Third parel
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

limitless number Of complicated de-
signs.
Now you have q rough idea Of what
the lady fortune finders" have to
contend with every day. In addition,
they must be alert enough to locate
all counterfeits and safeguard our
Government against the occasional
frauds that are attempted.
A FTER each note has been mount
= ed, Miss Sherry measures 1t to
see exactly what proportion Of the
original bill is on hand. In case more
than three fifths is present. the note
will be redeemed for its entire value,
and If there is clearly less than
three -f1fths and clearly more than
two-fifths," half Of the original value
will be given for the note.
But what If less than two-flfths OF
a bill Is present? In such case, the
owner must sign an af1davit that the
rest of the money has been entirely
destroyed, and present q certificate Of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

to Miss Sherfy's ONCE for redemption.
It took her only few minutes Of
searching in her files to discover that
the rest Of the bill had been sent in
and paid for in full. way back on
May l, 1901 Twenty eight years is
long time. But complete records
Of every currency issue are on tap
at all times for the convenience of
the Treasury wizards. In this case,
no attempt was made to prosecute
the man who sent in the five-spot.
for it is conceivable that he acted in
good faith and not necessarily in an
attempt to defraud the Government.
Countless small bills are sent to the
redemption division for Identification
because they have been rotted mate
rally after falling into housewives
bucket of I've, often used for cleaning
purposes in the home. Miss Sherry
also has on hand several bills badly
shrunken and discolored because they
have been carelessly left in the pockets
of clothing sent to be dry cleaned or
laundered.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

% Miss Bertha o. Sherry, Americas foremost expert in
redeeming mutated currency in her Washington Office.
(2) The old family teapot is favorte place for hiding
money. (3 Treasury records prove that money
hidden in and furnaces than in any other place,
ridiculous may ~ One of the metal safety de-
post boxes snached from the smoudering ruins of the
Moro Castle, from which $4,000 of $500
stored 5 The cigar box the left contains the remains
of drinking glass, which held $50 before fire destroyed
the house, and the pipe fitting and bed held $40 and
IS. All of the money restored.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
miss Sherry andHer
IHa1f-Dozen Assist
ants Do Marvellous
Things in Reeog-
nizing the Charred
Remnants of Bills.

right after dinner. Imagine his hor.
ror when he looked in the oven, which
his wife had used for cooking the
meal, and saw that the money was
so badly charred as to be barely rec
ognizable. A neighbor advised the
unfortunate man to send the char
red fragments to the redemption divi-
sion. Luckily. Miss Sherry was able
to retrieve every dollar.
Another Midwesterner secreted S..
900, his total assets, inside the furnace.
He went away for the afternoon, cold
weather set in and he Lit the furnace.
OF course. the paper money was badly
burned. But the man recovered most
of it, thanks to the Treasury experts.
Whatever you do, Miss Sherry adj
vises, don't ever hide your money
underneath the cellar or in any I'M
derground place. Countless thousands
of dollars every year are literally
thrown away by being buried. The
inevitable dampness and decay tend
to obliterate the engraved markings
whereby the major steps in identifi.
cation are achieved.
Way back in 1924 Miss Sherry and
company were called upon to retrieve
$4,000 at one fell swoop. This was
shortly after the whole town Of AS
toria, Greg. burned down. The presi-
dent of the towns only bank made q
personal visit to the redemption Office
in Washington and brought with him
Is safety deposit boxes, recovered from
the ruins of his bank. He admitted
that he and his associates saw very
little hope of restoring the charred
currency. which represented virtually
the total assets of the townspeople.
Nevertheless, after six weeks of palms.
taking effort, working many hours
overtime, the Treasury magicians
identified almost the entire $4,000.
Insane folks seem to take a peculiar
joy out of destroying paper money.
Miss Sherry tells of q recent case
whereby woman armed with q pair
Of scissors cut $4,000 in five or six
bills into tiny bits, some Of them no
larger than a finger nail. But with
out particular difficulty the Treasury
wizards, after hours of superb jig
saw puzzle maneuvers. redeemed the
entire sum.
A ENORMOUS glass case in the
= front hall of the Treasury Build
ing offers some striking examples Of
the work Of the redemption section.
One exhibit shows carefully pieced.
together SIS silver certificate. This
note was torn by an insane woman
into 100 separate pieces. Each was
pasted together in approximate posi-
ton by an Identification specialist
and redeemed for the bills full value.
Other exhibits show money mutt
lated by the wheels of a street car.
Continued on Third Page)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

Farmers are Just about as careless
with their paper money as their city
cousins. While doing their Spring or
Fall blowing they often drop bill
and it may remain buried in the soil
for many months before being found.
OF course, such currency rots, and
when sent to the redemption office
usually has an unpleasant smell of
fertilizer which becomes rather hard
on a sensitive lady's nostrils on
hot day.
DEOPLE select strange places for
hiding their money. Mrs. Average
Housewife often secrets her expense
cash" in sugar bowls, babies cribs and
old jelly jars, and even underneath
mattresses, whereas favorite spots for
the inenfolks are tool chests. ancient
cigar boxes and old trunks in the Gel
lar or attic.
Not long ago Michigan man, I'M
employed for long time, hid $40. his
total cash on hand. in the family oven.
He promptly forgot about it until
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
matter such as ashes of ordinary

matter such as ashes Of ordinary
paper.
To her practiced eye land she ordi-
narily doesn't even need the services
of magnifying glass; this is not hard
to. do, because the paper on which
Federal currency is printed is very
distinctive. It has a characteristic
thickness and body, and when burned,
will hold together remarkably well
and is extremely dull looking, in sharp
contrast to ordinary cfarred paper,
which is very shiny and inclined to
cr,lmble quickly into soft ashes.
Next, all the available segments
Of each individual bill are lined up
carefully and pasted on q sheet Of
paper the exact size Of the original
and in approximate position. Here,
literally speaking, is glorified jig
saw puzzle with lots Of cash at stake.
Bear in mind that there are some
thing like 1876 different issues Of cur
rency, that most Of them have diff
ferent pictures Of notables on their
faces and that there are an almost
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

pronounce their "r's" the same way
they do. But they are busy with
official work during most Of their
waking hours, and they can't ind
time to be as accommodating as they
would like to be in taking care Of
all requests. One girl Is grieved over
q growing rumor. that she can per-
form miracles at will. She appreciates
the compliment, but fears she will
soon have no time left for sleeping.
TO get in eight hours Of sleep
night is difncult, at best. Most Gov
eminent employees work seven hours
day. A few Of the big-time secre-
taries manage to get through in those
seven hours, but the majority are
just getting q good start for the day
when the file clerks and typists and
bookkeepers and section chiefs close
their desks.
Suppose q girl is secretary to >
cabinet ofncer, for example, and he
has been tied up In conference all
day, with no chance to read or sign
mail. When he rings for her at S
o'clock she can't tell him she has
an appointment for . manicure, or
that shes going, TO- . cocktail party,
or that she Graves . nap before din
ner. She must 60 in beaming with
energy and good will and alive with
interest in the work before her.
The friendly girl secretaries in the
executive ofnces, with their air OF
never being tired or nervous or cross
Or blue, often work until 8 or Z o'clock;
sometimes, during periods Of special
rush, they are kept busy until ..
When occasion demands 1t they break
dates with their boy friends readily
and without complaint.
Perhaps the idea Is that most girls
can have dates, while only . chosen
few. can work In the excitement and
glamour Of the White House ofnce-
running OF presidential messages to
Congress, pondering state secrets that
will never pass their lips, feeling
themselves In the glowing center Of
something big and vital ana Of mo-.
msnt oSths. whole wide world.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
Treasury Restores
Hope to Despond-
ent Persons Who
Have Kept Their
Wealth in Furnaces
and Other Danger
Gus Places.
Bv James Nevim Miller.

= NE day last Spring a woman
school teacher in Iowa had
. a sad experience. She hid
= $500 in paper money be-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

CONTINUED on Third Page.)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

Treasury files are so complete ard
we'll classified that very few folk are
able to pull fast one on your wise
old Uncle Samuel. Just the other
day. badly torn IS bill-or rather
a fourth Of the original-was sent in
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

good character. Fantastic as it may
sound, quite often banknote has
been redeemed for its full value when
Miss Sherry has been sent only four
pieces. no larger than her fingernail,
to identify.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
BY Mary Porter Russell.


A T A RECENT White House
n party the President was seen
~ in animated conversation with
4 \ an attractive blond young
woman who had been seated in an
office chair a few hours caller taking
dictation from a high Government
official. The President had been told
Of her enthusiasm for his admins
tration and had sent her q message
to come and have q little talk.
Onlookers noted his interest. How
did she like her work? What were
her views on this thing and that?
As for the girl, she was terribly
thrilled and could have kept rightS on
talking" She prefers to remain nance
less in connection with the chat with
Mr.. Roosevelt, but she is one Of
number Of Washington secretaries who
will be referred to later In this article.
The incident does more than Illus
trate the Presidents penchant for
friendliness. It indicates that the
high-powered girl secretaries and
stenographers Of Washington's ofncial
life are q far cry from the "stenogs"
Of the funny sheets. They are poised,
resourceful young women, who have
been chosen with infinite care. With
out them the activities Of the Gov
eminent might not come to halt, but
they would certainly be slowed down
and very badly Jared. It Is not sur
prising that even q President might
find their ideas worth hearing.
There is small army Of these Sc
lected girls. They are from every
State in the Union. Visitors from
home towns on the Pacific Coast, from
towns and villages in the Middle West,
the South, the North, are constantly
asking them for advice and aid.
TT is probable that they know more
: ways Of getting more things done
than any other group Of workers h
washington. Moreover, they genuine.
" like helping people especially peo-
pie from the old home State. who
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

Certainly, the typical Capital Sec
Rotary must have / lively apprecia-
tom Of the advantages q her job
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26

long distances to bring their mutt
lated currency to Miss Sherfy's per-
eonal attention. One day, several
months ago, an excited visitor
small-town contractor with a busi-
ness In the Midwest-dashed into
Miss Sherfy's ONCE. He told a mourn
3ul story: One Saturday evening he
took the sum Of $500, the entire
amount Of his Monday morning pay
roll, out Of the bank and hid it in
his home. Next day the house burned
down. While searching the debris
he located the money in a tin box.
luckily the container saved the money
from utter destruction. But even then
he was doubtful whether he could
retrieve any Of 1t. However, Q friend
urged nm 20 take the burned cur
rency to the Treasury Department In
Warrington.
For hours, Miss Sherry says, she
and her associates pieced together
the charred remains and identified
$500 Of the original paper money.
Tho contractor was able to continue
business, and reports that he is now
happy and prosperous, thanks to the
wiSardlike efforts Of the Treasury ex-
perts.
How do, the Treasury magicians
achieve their amazing results? Really
their procedure sounds simple, and
indeed It Is to the specialists involved,
though to the average person 1t Is .
mAsterptece Of modern-day legerde-
main.
Let Us assume that Miss Sherry
has Just received . package Of charred
hills. First Of. Ill, she will sort out
tn Inns into their separate segments,
takfng care to eliminate AL foreign
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
Guide for Readers
PART FOUR

Page
John Clagett Proctor
writes on the Visit Of
Edward VIII as Prince F. 2
Those Were the Happy
Days." by Dick Mans
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26


::: e : ::s:s:: e l: 3: s "a
~ $500 in paper money be-
hind the furnace in her home. Some
body lit the fire and the paper money
Of course, became badly charred.
A friend advised her to gather up
the charred remains and take them
In person to the Treasury Department
in Washington in the hope of sal
vaging at least a small portion. This
the teacher did. Treasury officials
turned her over to Miss Bertha o.
Sherry. q bobbed-haired, friendly
woman. Within two days the entire
$500 was identified and the school
teacher went home with her pocket
book jammed with bright new cur
yency.
In . very real sense Miss Sherry is
Uncle Sans mo. /" fortune finder
and super jigsaw puzzle expert. Aided
by little army of six woman workers,
her job is to restore damaged currency
to circulation, to identify and redeem,
In the form of crisp, new bills, what
ever paper money has been burned,
rotted or mutilated in some fashion
as the result Of fires, human careless
ness or accident.
Miss Sherfy's official title is: Chief
Of the identification section, Redemp-
ton Division, Treasury Department.
Pleasant faced, always wearing an
apron. she resembles a housewife far
more than a money magician. and is
amazingly young looking when her
long years Of Federal service are con-
Sidered.
Every day, Miss Sherry says, her
unit receives between 100 and 200
separate applications to redeem dam
aged currency. Most of these re-
quests involve burned money, but there
are many weird cases of mutilation.
A couple of months ago, for instance,
the Office received S. note that
was dropped accidentally in steam
press. Result? It expanded to a
size almost twice as large as the
original. This money monstrosity"
Is SO strange looking that it has been
mounted and never fails to interest
visitors. Also on exhibition are three
or four other bills that shrank to
about half their former size after ac-
eidentally falling into acid solutions.
The Washington times., 1936-10-15
WASHINGTON PRODUCE

inch minimum. $1@1.1O; Jonathans. u
s. No. l. 212-inch minimum. $1.S5 f.5O:
2A-inch minimum. s11O@1.15; King
s1.15 Q1.25: 2A-inch minimum. 9Oc0$1.
Golden Delicious, U. s. No. /, 3 inches
minimum, $1.65@1.75 2&-inch minimum
81. D1.65; 2h-inch minimum, 1880
d.S5; A-inch minimum, 81; Delicious, u
S. No. 1, 3-inch minimum, $1.S562; "a
inch minimum, $1.75 11.85; 2h h-inch
minimum. $1.5O@1.65; 2A- Inch minimum,
$1.25; few higher: Northwestern Green
ings, U. s. No. 1, 3-inch minimum, $780,
$1@1.15; Yorks U. s. No. 1, ~
minimum, S1.35; 2h-inch minimum, $1.15
sdo RL.S ceh, 2h1inch Inc IT,, minimum $50 9oc
Fancy Delicious, s1.S5@225; staymans,
S1.6Om2, few SEES, Mcintosh, $15Om
1.75; Jonathans, $1.5O62; Grimes. $1,000
LIS; G Grade: Delicious, and Staymans
81. 5OG 1.75. as to size.
Sweet POtatOes-No carlot arrivals; no
cars on track. Supplies moderate de-
mand light: market steady. North Caro-
lima and Virginia, bushel baskets, Nancy
Halls and Puerto Ricans, 75@S5c.
Celery Two New York arrived; 3
broken and 1 unbroken cars on track
Supplies moderate: demand light; market
steady. New York. 1O-inch crates, indi-
vidually washed, 25 to Dozen $1,000
1.75: two third crates. individually
washed, 3 to dozen, S1.5O@1.75; poorer
low as 81; half crates, 25@1.5O;
Tomatoes - One California arrived: I
broken and 1 unbroken cars on track.
Supplies light: demand light; market
steady. California, lug boxes. rfpes and
turning, wrapped, 6x6 and SKI $1.75m2.
Mixed Vegetables - One Colorado ar
rived; broken and / unbroken cars on
track
Lima Beans - Supplies light: demand
fair; market about steady. New Jersey
and Virginia. bushel hampers, $1.75 02,
poorer lower.
Snap Beans-North Carolina and New
Jersey, bushel hampers, green, Round and
Flat types, 75c0$1.25.
Squash Florida. hushel. hampers,
white, wrapped, s1.25@1.5O; yellow
Crooknecks, $2@2.25.
Oranges-No carlot arrivals; car d.
verted; broken and I unbroken cars on
track California boxes, $3.50 n 5,95; ;
Florida, boxes, $S@4.25, as to grade and
size.
Lemons-No carlot arrivals; NO cars
on track. California. boxes, No. I,
$42566.25. as to size
Grapefruit-No carot arrivals: NO cars
on track. Florida, boxes, $1.75@2.5o,
as TO grade and size.
unloaded broken and 1 unbroken cars
on track California, lug boxes, Tokays,
$1.75@1.S5: Cornichons, $1.75.
Pears-No carlot arrivals; broken and
boxes Bartietts 1926 a $50; Boscs,
$2.75; Oregon, boxes Bartletts. So
MushrOoms-Maryland, 3-pound bas-
kets, 25075c.
Cranberries-New Jersey. N-barrel
Florida -s4 lugs avocados; Se lugs
lines; 20 bushel baskets okra; II busheI
baskets squash.
The Washington times., 1936-10-15

noteworthy pig production increased and gained
than usual for the In fact steel production
may little low compared with pig iron.
In addition find blast furnace activity clearly above
normal Probably too there is ground for saying that
steel production has been exceeding requirements
several months
All this looks rather unfavorabe and the possibility
that readustment may be needed Price
driven forward ORDERS and fears of labor troubles have
had some similar effect
But much will depend upon the automobile trade This
seasonal low point last month and largely responsible for the
decline in steel incidentally, knows just what allow
to make for the factor the industry
or for ITS normal effect steel productlon If the output of
automobiles increased sharply probable the
October and November steel production figures would
from the September dip.
Certainly the trade reports favorable indicate
that steel mills not only working close capacity but also
have untitled orders sufficient to maintain such level.
Building figures show further hesitation in September
Contracts" let showed large drop from August This how
partly seasonal It also partly due reduced Govern
ment work which not bad idea private residential
tracts held up better)
permits" increased slightly although decline is usual This
chiefly due to squirt in New York city he Bronx) In
most localities there losses.
While think that the extremely optimistic claims are
much exaggerated believe that building activity still below
normal and that low percentages of promise increased
residential building And such industries steel and cotton
textiles working at practical capacity how advance
orders at rising prices to be filled without additional
structlon?
New York State employment figures favorable showing
morethanseasona in September and the highest level
since October 1880 The payrols total however less
than usual and this indicates either that added employ
ment the lowerpad classes of workers. that
shorter hours (perhap resulting from skes affected weekly
earnings.
Incidentally note that all monthly records were broken in
September for the number of telephones 29O0O installed
by the Bell System.
Department store sales held about unchanged at the lower
August figure If anything there gain which
good showing considering the end of the soldiers bonus
stimulus and the unseasonaby mild weather. Mail order houses
reported excellent volume running to 325 per
year ago for one of the largest.
WHOLESALERS prices edged little higher during September The
noe 4Lo 1O1O -
for $1O272 at the end Ths compares with $1O176 year
ago)
Ny P-V Line slightly about This take to indi-
cate that the general demand for goods dollars higher
not much but sufficient to take of still larger quantity
of goods.
Further industrial expansion probably lies ahead.