Year: 1875

June D, 1879.


To the Editor:


The all absorbing topic of conversa-
tion in this city to-day, is the great rob-


berry at the Treasury Department, on
Tuesday afternoon last, whereby S46,-
900 ''got away from the 'Old Watch
Dog" In order that your readers may
more fully comprehend the situation
and the circumstances connected there
with, will state that it is the custom
of the Treasurer's office to keep its cash
i'm the vaults. What is needed to re-
deem National Bank notes and to use
in the exchange of old legal tenders for
new, is determined each day, a requisi-
tion made for the amount and it is sent
from the vaults into the cash room. 1t
is here counted and receipted for in
bulk. Then the money needed for the
various transactions with other banks
is counted and placed in separate piles
by itself Each pile is again counted
and placed in an envelope. Then it is
passed to the first sealer who again
counts the amount, and places strip
over the envelope, which he initials, if
it is ascertained to be correct. The
envelope is then taken and sealed with
three seals in red wax. Then it goes to
a clerk who superscribeS it and makes
up schedule of the various packages
thus superscribed. Toward the close
of business hours each day the schedule
is sent to the officer in charge of the
Adams Express company, directly un-
der the cash room i'm tie Treasury
building, and the money is sent down
on an elevator to the express office be-
low, and by that office it is received for
shipment. When the money leaves the
cash room for the express office, two
employees always accompany and guard
it until Major Whitney, the express
agent, or his receiving clerk gives re-
ceipt for it.


Quite recently the National Park


Bank, of New York city sent on to the
United States Treasurer, S47 900 in old
legal tender notes, which they desired
to have exchanged for new ones. In
the course of business the notes for ex-
change were intended to have been
shipped yesterday. The money was
counted. 1t went through the chan
nels explained above. The package
was placed in an envelope, sealed,
counted, superscribed and scheduled.
All the employees who attend to these
details are sure of this. Then all the
money, including this, and other large
amounts, was placed on the elevator
and, accompanied by two of the clerks,
was sent to the Adams Express office.


When it arrived there the receiving
clerk of the express company took the
schedule and began checking off the
packages, to ascertain if the amounts
were all right. This he did, and when
through cried out, there is package
short" He became a little nervous.
and the Treasurer's clerks who were
waiting for receipt became more so.
1t was again scheduled off and still 1t
was short. A third check with the
schedule resulted in the same discrep-
ancy, and it became a painful fact that
$47, 800, which was supposed to have
come from up stars on the elevator.
either didn't come down, or else it was
distracted in the express office or on
the transit down the elevator between.
the Treasurer's office and the express
Office.


As soon as the discrepancy was dis
covered, Treasurer Spinner was notified
and he in turn notified Assistant Secre-
Conant, whose eyes bulged out with |
wild SURPRISE" this being his first ex-
perience of anything of the kind since
he came into office. These two officials
put their heads together and decided |
upon plan for the capture of the thief
and the recovery of the money. The first |
order was to have the money sent from
the express Office back to the cash room
which was at once done. Then acting
upon the supposition that there might
have been an error as to the closing up
of all the packages, the Treasurer had
the whole amount intended for ship
ment for the day recounted, which de-
veloped the fact that the error was not
here, for the amount was short, the
identical amount which was said to
have been missing, and when the daily