rmATTA l > AlTjY 111213 : SATURDAY. DECEMBER 20 , 1890.
RUSSIA ON A GOLD BASIS
Now Minister of Finance Preparing to Fay
in the World's ' Money Metal ,
FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE EMPIRE
of < 1ic Cnr'
Monrtnry Mptlioil * Iltme Volume
of I'M p IT InilclitoiliirNN to
lie 1'a I it In ( iolil.
The announcement that the Russian empire
Is about to place lie monetary system upon
the gold basis la not a surprise to the Husslan
legation In Washington nor to financial ntu-
donta who are familiar with the condition of
affairs In the empire. The ntop Just decided
upon by M. Wltte , the minister of finance ,
Is hut the culmination of a scries of steps
taken during the past three years to bring
the paper currency of the empire to a stable
value , to accumulate n largo gold reserve ,
nnd to resume gold payments nt the Hank of
Russia nnd at the Imperial treasury. Such
Btens , Indeed , began much rnoro than three
years ago. writes Charles A. Conant In the
Globe-Democrat , nnd the Immense gold reserve -
servo now available for the restoration of
gold payments has been In procesa ot ac
cumulation for many ycaro. There hao been
In Russia no serious free silver crusade , but
the resumption of gold- payments has been
delayed by the wars In which the empire
has been frorA time to time engaged. Ono
of. the earliest of the wars with Turkey ( In
17SO ) wca tlio occasion for the undue expan
sion of the paper circulation which had previ
ously been Issued and the decline of paper
more than 30 per cent below silver. On four
different occasions In 1817 , In 1839 , In 1SCO
nnd In 1SSI the Imperial government made
serious efforts to reduce the mass of super
abundant paper and bring It back to par
with gold. The lust attempt came Boon nftcr
the Turco-HtiMian war , during which -191-
000,000 credit rubles ( { 210,000,000) ) wcro Is
sued to meet the expenses of the war. The
project of reform embodied In the ukase of
January 1 , 1881. Involved the Immediate re
duction of the debt of the treasury to the
Hank of Uussln. annual payments of GO.OOO-
uvv ruuii'B VT * " UU" UUW My iuu ui-umuj iu iuu
bank , and the destruction of notes falling
Into the hands of the bank. This policy was
relaxed for a variety of reasons , nnd notes
paid Into the bank wcro kept on hand and
reissued Instead of destroyed. It remained
for the administration of the present ener
getic minister of financeM. . Wltte , to adopt
n policy which has been resolutely carried
out , has given fixity to exchange nnd en
abled the empire at last to attain the goal
ro eagerly striven for by successive admin
istrations.
THE STORK OP GOLD.
The statutes of the Hank of Russia were
thoroughly reconstructed In 1891 , with a
view to protecting Its circulating notes by
the combined gold supply of the bank and
the treasury. The funds at that tlmo set
aside to cover the circulation of the hank
wcro 3S1.939.000 gold rubles ( $200,000.000) ) ,
and the authorized circulation was 1,121-
282,000 credit rubles. Credit rubles were
worth only about two-thirds of gold rubles ,
BO that the gold vnluo of the circulation
was only about fiJ50.000.000 , although nomi
nally equivalent , at the gold parity , to
$880,000,000. The mctallc coverture of the
bank notes hna been Increased by the trans
fer of gold from the treasury to the bank
until It now amounts -125,000.000 gold
rubles. In addition to To.000,009 gold rubles
deposited as the guarantee of a special
Itflim ot notes In 1891. Tlila aggregate of
about $ .175,000,000 In gold Is not nearly nil
the gold of which the treasury nitl the
bank nro now able to dispose , as will ap
pear hereafter. The government during
the course of the past two years has taken
Rovorul other steps designed to familiarize
the public with the use of gold and to
strengthen the position of the paper or
credit ruble. The free coinage of silver was
suspended on July 1C , 1893 , without any
very violent protest on the part of the all- ,
vcr party , customs duties have been for
Bomo tlmo collected In gold , and provision
wc made by two Important decrees for
gold contracts nnd the Issue ot gold cer
tificates. The ukase of May S , ISLW , de
clared that written contracts might bo made
payable In Russian gold rubles , and that
Kiich contracts might bo settled In gold erIn
In rubles of equivalent gold value at the
rate of exchange prevailing at the dateof
payment. Public depositories were author
ized to receive gold at Its exchange value
In the payment of cxclso under regulations
framed by the minister of finance. Another
Important step was taken by the ukase of
June G , 1895 , which authorized the bank to
receive deposits ot gold coin and bullion
and foreign bank notes and commercial
bills payable In gold nnd to Issue certificates
therefor redeemable In gold on demand.
These certificates are receivable ns the
equivalent of gold at the treasury and the
bank , but arc not a legal mihslittite for
gold between Individuals except with the
consent of the creditor. They are recelv-
able at branches of the bank for gold obli
gations due at other branches and the ex
change Is furnished free except for the cost
of telegraphic service. These Important
nets wcro followed on July 26 , 1895 , by the
promulgation of rules permitting the crea
tion of special gold accounts at the bank ,
for the reception of gold and gold certifi
cates , and the Issue of check books repre
senting payments exclusively in gom.
REGULATING EXCHANGE.
Another long stride toward the resumption"
of gold payments was the adoption of a
fixed rate of exchange for the credit ruble.
The quotations on foreign money markets
hnvo ranged for several years In the vicin
ity of thrco credit rubles for two gold
rubles , making the gold value of the credit
ruble In United States currency about 52
cents , Instead of 77.2 cents , which the gold
ruble represented. The government has
employed ei\eral ! means of giving fixity to
exchange , which have been mibjoctcd to
criticism , but the method adopted by the
act of August 10 , 1S9G , Is In the nature ot
n practical re-sumption of specie payments
nt the current' rateot exchange. Thi3 net
provided that until December 31 , 1897 , gold
Imperials ot ten rubles and half Imperials
of llvo rubles should bo received by nil
public depositories and by the public rail
way companies as the equivalent respcc ?
tlvuly of fifteen and seven and n half credit
rubles , nnd that until the data named the
Bank of Riuala should buy and sell Im
perials and halt Imperials at the same price.
This means that the holder of the paper
credit ruble can have It exchanged for gold
at the bank for two-thirds of Its face value ,
ur Hint ho can obtain credit rubles by sur
rendering gold to the amount of one and
a half times the vnluo of the gold. Exchange -
change undur micli a rule cannot vary more
than n small fraction , and business transac
tions with1 foreign countries can bo tran
sacted with n degrco of certainty In all
calculations which has been Impossible under
a eystem of fluctuating exchange. The Rus
sian government did not disclose positively
until within the last few months that It
proposed to make this new basis of exchange -
change the permanent basis of the new
coinage. This appears to have now been
decided upon and the new gold coins con
forming to the existing rate of exchange will
bo substituted as rapidly an ncusiblo for
those now In circulation.
l'KI-i'AREl > TO RESUME.
The equipment with which the government
and the bank confront the obligation to re-
KUino specie payments la the strongest with
which any government or bank has ever
faced a llko obligation. M. Paul Lcroy-
Dcaullcu , the eminent French economist , In
an article In L'EconomUto Francois ot
October 31 , 189C , sums up the gold holding *
of the banks and the treasury at a total of
moro than $600,000,000. Ho points out that
the Hank of Russia on August 1 held GG3-
000,000 gold rubles In actual coin and bullion
or In credits on foreign countries. These
credits are always counted by thn European
banks na the equivalent of gold , because
they represent a gold obligation and can
lie old for gold In the exchange * market.
The government possessed on August 1
112,600,000 gold rubles In bullion and 107.-
GOO.OOO gold rubles In foreign credits , mak
ing government gold holdings equivalent to
220,000,000 rubles , or $105,000,000. The
holdings of the bank being equivalent to
JU'5.000,000 , the aggregate gold standing be
hind the credit of the credit rubles In J590-
OOO/'OO'-a ' larger amount by $200,000,000 than
the gold holding * of the llanle of Franco on
October 29 thu next largest holder of gold
la the world , M , Leroy-Beaulleu i > olnte
out , In the artlclo Just cited , that the popula
tion of Russia , which la largely rural , has
been habituated for BO long to the UBO of
paper money that It Is almost certain that
the greater part of the circulation of 1,014.-
000,000 credit rubles will remain In the hands
of the public , and will not bo presented for
redemption In gold. Thcro nro only 420-
000,000 credit rubles ( $210,000,000) ) In notes
of G rubles or less ( $2.CO ) , and 620,000,000
credit rubles ( $310,000,000) ) In notes below 25
rubles ( $12.DO ) . Even If half of these should
be presented for redemption , Prof. Lcroy-
Ilcaullcu polnfs out , the gold reserve ot the
bank and the treasury would remain above
$400,000,000 , or ns largo na the great reserve
of the Ilank of France.
THE GAIN IN GOLD.
Turning to the question of the loss of gold
by export , It Is pointed out that Rupla has
had no difficulty an a largo exporter ot
merchandise nnd no a producer of the
precious motnls In steadily Increasing < hcr
clock of gold during the past ten ycaro. The
"llullctln Uusse do Statlrtlque" for May
and Juno gives an official table showing that
the oxecDJ of Imports of gold for the nine
years ending with 1895 was 062,050,800
francs ( $190,000,000) ) , and that a production
pllghtly larger than this made the total
gain of goldfor nine years 2,059,176,500
fiancn ( $400,000,000) ) . The production ot gold
hao rapidly Increased In recent years , nnd
amounted In 1895 to 37,400,000 rubles ( $29,4
000,000) ) . The opening of the Trnnwlberlan
railway and the operation of French com
panies In the Lena Delta are expected to
largely Increase this pro.lucllon In the near
future. Russia Is attracting forcten loans
for the development ot-hcr agricultural and
manufacturing Interests , nnd these lonne
nro likely to Incroauo with the ndoptlon ot
tlio gold ( standard and tlio resumption of
epcclo payments by the Hank of Rusln.
The cxportntlons of the country exceeded
the Importations for the thrco years ending
with 1.S9.-I by nn nvcrngo of 140,000,000 credit
rubles ( $70.000,000. )
The essential question to bo determined In
the restoration of specie payments In RiiFrtla
was whether silver or gold should bo the
standard and whether resumption should take
place upon the basis of the nominal value
of the credit ruble 01Us actual value for a
scries of years nn the Uourses of Paris , of
Ilerlln and Vienna. The Imperial govern
ment , not being disturbed by the existence
of n Ilrynn party or n demand for "tho free
and unlimited coinage ot Oliver , Independent
of the action of any other nation , " promptly
decided to adopt the standard of other civil
ized stated nnd to bring Ita paper notes Into
fixed relations with gold. A plausible argu
ment mlcht have been made for silver , from
the fact that this was the metallic standard
of Russia when she had a standard , nnd that
the credit rubles had never been at par with
gold , unless at n tlmo when gold was de
preciated in relation to silver. This slate
of affairs led the government to adopt the
actual rate of exchange value Cor the credit
ruble In gold rather than to undertake to
ralso the credit ruble to the value ot the old
gold ruble. It could not be ald that this In
volved the repudiation of a gold obligation ,
since gold was never the standard of the cm-
plro until made BO by the recent measures
to restore specie payments. The Russian em
pire. In accepting the existing rate of ex
change na the basis for the new coinage , fol-
lo o the example of the government of
Austria-Hungary In 1892 and the moro recent
example of the government of Chill , In creat
ing n now gold coinage- based upon the actual
value of the circulating paper. Russia has
been coining allvcr for subsidiary coinage ,
which Is considerably below the quoted value
of the paper ruble , and largo quantities of
these new silver coins nro now reaching St.
Petersburg and being put into circulation.
The smaller paper notes are being withdrawn ,
somewhat to the disgust ot some of the people
who have bccomo accustomed to them , and
small silver coins nro being put In their
place. The ndoptlon of a coinage based upon
the existing rate of exchange will not Involve
any Impairment ot obligations held abroad ,
because thcoo arc stipulated In the old gold
rubles , worth exactly 4 fmncs , and Interest
and principal will bo discharged upon this
bawls. Russia , whoso government has been
taking so many stcpa In recent ycain to
bring her within the circle of modern com
mercial and civilized states , thus plants her
self firmly alongside the countries of western
Europe and the United States In the adoption
ot the single and fixed standard of gold.
Dentil of One of tlu > llniiil Which
MnsNiu-ri-il CStMiprnl Cnnliy.
"Scnrface Charley , " whoso death In Indian
Territory Is announced , was the last sur
vivor of the small band of Modoc warriors
whoso cruel massacre of Brigadier General
Canby and Rev. Dr. Thomas , In the lava
beds of Northern California In 1S73 shqckeci
the civilized world. General Canby , Dr.
Thomca and Indian Inspector A. B. Mcach-
am. acting as a ponce commission to treat
with the hostile Modoes , under Captain Jack ,
met the Indians at a point agreed upon , un
armed and without military escort , and , after
n few moments' conversation , were set upon
by tha savages. General Canby and Dr.
Thomas were Instantly killed and Mcacham
was left for dead upon the spot , but ho
was subsequently rescued and recovered.
Four of the Indian chiefs who Instigated the
massacre Cn plain Jack. Scouchln , Black
Dave and Illack Jim were afterward cap
tured by General Jeff C. DavU1 command ,
and , after trial by n military commission ,
were hanged nt Fort Klnmath , Ore.
Though n leading warrior of the tribe ,
Scarf ace Charley was not then a chief. Ho
always claimed that , though present at the
scene of the massacre , ho was In no way re
sponsible for It. Ho was generally believed
by the white people of the lava-bed region ,
to whom hd was well known. Scarfaco waa
not n wild or blanket Indian In fact , ho
wna not a Modoc Indian nt all. hut a rofnircc
from the Rogue River Indians , who had
taken a Modoc wlfo and settled down with
her people. Ho was a very Intelligent In
dian , spoke English passably well , and had
associated a great deal with the whites ii (
to the tlmo of the Modoc outbreak. After
the execution of the leaders In the massacre
the remnant of the trlbo was shipped to the
Indian Territory , and there being none 01
Captain Jack's descendants left , or none oi
ScoucliIn's , Scarfaco was chosen chief , or
lather. Installed as such by the government
authorities. Scarfaco took his name fron
a long , deep gash on his right cheek , which
ho had got In some fight while- with his own
tribe In Oregon. . He was about 65 years old
at the tlmo of his death.
' ( o Know.
It may bo worth something- know that
the very best medicine for restoring the
tired out nervous system to a healthy vigor
Is Electric IHttcra. This medicine Is purely
vegetable , acts by giving tone to the nerve
centers In the stomach , gently stimulates
the Liver and Kidneys , and aids these or
gans in throwing off Impurities In the blood
Electric Hitters Improves the appetite , aids
digestion , and Is pronounced by those who
have tried It as the. very be ! > t blood purifier
and nerve tonic. Try It. Sold for 50c or $1.00
per bottle at Kuhn & Co.'s drug store.
YKT TUB CAI'TAl.V TOM ) III.M.
Hilt , lli-lnu : nil F.iinllHhiiiiin , HeCouli
Not IhiJiTHlnnil II.
An. Englishman , touring through America
went on board a steamer late one night , re
latca Judge , and on the following morning
after walking on deck and looking aroum
him. he stepped up to the captain nnd said
"I beg pardon , but would you kindly tel
mo what lake I'm on7"
"Tho Lake Huron , " replied the captain
and turned away.
The Englishman looked puzzled for a mo
mcnt. and then , following the captain , began
again : "I beg your pardon , you said "
"It's Lake Huron , " roared the captain
thinking the man was deaf.
"Yes , I know , " persisted the passenger
"but what's the name of the lake I'm on ? '
"Tho Lqke Huron ! " shouted the captain
Incensed at what ho thought gross stupldltj
and he turned away to relieve himself b
railing at one. of the hands. The English
man looked more puzzled than ever.
"Tho lake you're on Is the lake you'ro on
Of course It U ! The lake I'm on can't he )
being the lake ' I'm on. What Impertinence
Let me look In my guide book ; perhaps tha
will tell me. "
It did tell him : and then the humor of th
situation suddenly dawned upon him.
Tin-- Are Komi of tlio Tlirntur.
M. and Mine. Julc-8 Vernp , now llvln
quietly at Amiens , never inlia attending th
Grand theater twice a week. On the tw
evenings they dlno at a restaurant Just acrns
tha way from the plnco of amusement. Thi
enilro evening , dinner nnd play , Is en'oye
by the great author and his wife as thor
ouuhly an , to quolo hit own word * , a brlda
couple ou their honeymoon. I . . i
MILLIONS OF FIAT MONEY
An English Lithographer Tolls How Eobol
Money Was Made.
SOME S200.000 . IN NOTES STOLEN
I'npcr , 1'rmarn nnil Workmen Oli-
lii In win ml nnil Itnn
h Ilio Illnckmte Nnrrinv
from thu .ScalirooU.
"In July , 1SCI , " In the words of Jefferson
Davis , "tho confederate leaders realized that
they had entered on a desperate struggle ,
and the plan then adopted was to IESUO
ticnsury notes convertible nt the pleasure of
the holder Into bonds. " Moro than 600,000-
000 of these treasury notes were Issued
within the next two years.
Ilefore the work could be begun on any
argo scale , relates the New York Sun , It
as ncccsrary to smuggle the paper nnd
rcsses , the outfit for a largo lithographing
stabllshment , and the men to run this cs-
abllshracnt , through the blockade. Like
lost of their other supplies , the confederate
caders got thews from England and brought
horn' In by way of the West Indies. How
ho tsk of turning out from $00,000,000 to
100,000,000 of paper money every week ,
vhlch the confederacy had set for Itself ,
vna carried out forms an Interesting chap-
cr In the unwritten history of the confcd-
rate movement , and Is here set down for
he first tlmo In the narrative of John
lodge , one of the few survivors of the group
t young English printers nnd lithographers
brought to Charleston , S. C. . In 1SC2 for the
xprcss purpose of making confederate
noney. Mr. Hedge Is now an American
Itlzcn , the manager of a lithograph com-
> any In Now York City. His story follows :
"In April , 1S02 , when I was In my twonty-
ourth year , I was working In London for
Charles Straker K. Sons , a large llthograph-
ng establishment. I had then been eight
cars nt my trade as n lithographer , and
vas considered n fairly good workman. All
England -was greatly Interested In the
Vmcrlcan struggle , and , therefore , -we
ookcd with curiosity at a man of distin
guished appearance , plainly an American ,
vho visited our shop one day. nnd who vtno
eportcd to be on agent of the confederate
tales , engaged In purchasing supplies. Our
ntorcst was greatly Increased when the
story got about that the gentleman had pur
chased the machinery for a largo llthograph-
ng plant from our firm , and was looking
about for a number of young fellows to man
his establishment , which was to be dc-
otcd to printing money for the confederacy.
"Tho prospect of largo pay and Hvely ad
venture was as attractive to me as It Is
Ikely to bo to a young fellow of that nge ,
nnd I went to the head of the firm with the
request that he should recommend mo to
our American visitor. As n result I was In
vited to visit Major Evans of Charleston ,
S. C. , at his hotel , and went to see him In
company with ten other workers at my
craft. We found the major a very agreeable
person , and the upshot of our Interview was
hat wo agreed to go to Charleston ! to worker
or the confederate government. We got a
iromlse of $20 a week In goia and a liberal
nto of piece-work pay , and each man , on
signing Ills contract , received from 40 to
60 to pay the expenses of the Journey.
"We left London on May 10. 1862 , on the
ship Leopard of Glasgow. Wo were the
only passengers except thrco southern offi
cers and Major Evans , who Joined us at
Cardiff , where our ship stopped to make
some additions to her cargo. Wo stopped
again at Queenstown , and from' ' there palled
llrcctly for Uenmida , In the West Indies.
At all these places moro cargo was , brought
aboard , but although wo wcro pretty cer
tain that it consisted of military stores , we
were not allowed to know anything about
.hat , nnd wcro kept under military discip
line. . . . .
r roni juurinui * * * . u cm * . * * ine. . * , . . . . . .
there wo wcro told that both our party nnd
the ship's cargo would be divided Into two ,
and would proceed by separate boats for the
short but dangerous part of the Journey
Etlll before us. One part , containing Major
fivans and six of our men , was put on the
Autonlca , a regular blockade runner , and
he rest of us went on the W. M. Seabrook ,
an American river boat , commanded by
Captain Dan Vincent , who was known as
ono of the- most daring of the Charleston
pilots. As wo tailed out of Nassau harbor ,
with the palmetto flag and the half crescent ,
the South Carolina revenue flag , at our mast-
liead , we were cheered by the people on
shore and saluted by the other vessels In
the harbor , for the object of our Journey was
well known. . . . .
"Tho Seabrook was a light-draught boat ,
and the captain's plan was not to sail di
rectly Into Charleston harbor , but to slip In
through an Inlet with which he was ac
quainted. Unfortunately , ho made a slight
miscalculation as to the tides , and that
proved his undoing. Ono morning as we
wcro bearing In close to the South Carolina
coast we saw n United States cruiser- loom
ing up close nt hand. The Seabrook sped
away up Bull's Inlet , the llttlo stream
which Captain Vincent had been making
for where the cruiser could not follow us ,
although she chased us aa far as eho could
and fired a shot or two across our bows.
Hut ns I cald before , the captain had mis
calculated the tide , which- was further out
than ho supposed , and presently wo found
ourselves stuck fatt in the mud. The Yan
kees wcro aware of our plight , too , and pres
ently our lookout announced that two'boats
were putting off from the cruiser , each
carrying a howitzer , and wcro coming
leisurely along to capture us.
"When we heard this announcement wo
youngsters the confederate officers , and most
of the crew dropped quickly over the ship's
aldo Into the two boats and rowed away , but
the captain stuck doggedly to his post. The
stare and stripes had soon taken the place of
the palmetto flag on the Seabrook , but wo
wcro out of sight by that tlmo. and wore tryIng -
Ing to make our way through n mixture of
mud nnd wnter , dragging ourselves along nnd
pushing the boats ahead of us.
"Wo were twenty rallca from Charleston ,
lost In a wilderness of swamps , and wo spent
two days tolling through mud with nothing
to cat nnd llttlo hope of ever getting out
alive. During that tlmo wo heartily wished
ourselves back In old England , but at the
end of the second day wo came upon a small
encampment of confederate troops , the Santee -
tee Mounted Rifles , and found that we were
safe within the confederate lines. From
hero wo had to walk to Charleston , a dis
tance of twcnty-fwo miles , over a heavy
sandy road , and by the tlmo we reached the
city wo were as worn and bedraggled speci
mens of humanity as it would bo possible to
"Wo were wArmly welcomed by the people
ofp Charleston , who Insisted on regarding the
men of tho. Seabrook oa heroes , and by Major
Evans , who had arrived before us , The lat
ter advanced us money for our immediate
needs , for what wo had had been lost In
making our escape from the boat. Wo wcro
sot to work almost Immediately In the print
ing office of Evans & Coggswell , which still
stands in Broad street , Charleston , but after
a short tlmo wo wcro removed td Columbia ,
the capital ot the slate , where most of the
work of making confederate paper money
was carried on for the remainder of tbo
\VH1 *
"There were thrco establishments In
Columbia devoted to this business. Ono was
that of Evans & Coggswell of which firm
our friend. Major Evans , was the senior
mnmber. They had seventy-five hand presses
In their office , and printed notes of small
denomination1 ! , ones and twos , besides the
thousands of 'cotton' bonds which the con
federacy Issued. The second was that of
Kcatlngo & Ball , where ten presses were kept
btny tunning off copper-plato Impressions
of the largo denomination notca one nun-
drt-d and five hundred. The third establish
ment was thut at Colonel Illanton Duncan ,
where seventeen lithograph presses turned
out the noteti of the middle denominations-
live , ten , twenty , etc. The total capacity of
all these pro sca per week. Including the
printing of bonds , came clceo to the. ono
hundred million mark , and during tbo latter
part of 1BC2 and all of 1SC3 they were kept
going nt nearly top speed. Colonel Duncan B
oinco being the one with which I am moat
familiar , will pcrhipa eorvo to Illustrate the
whole work. . ,
"Each press was manned by three work-
en-one printer and two negro slave help
ers. The printers ot whom there vfero abou
gcvenly.flvo in the -town , were nearly nil
Englishmen , AS wcro thri Uenlgners also. The
paper was all manufactured In England , nnd
was stamped at thonniMiufactary with the
mark of the confederacy ) a small palmetto
encircled by the worts ; 'Treasury Depart
ment , C. B. A. , ' but Mho atones from which
the bills wcro prlntoilnvcrp prepared In Co
lumbia by the men ( brought over for that
purpose.
"Ono form of laxnen which cost the con
federates a largo jummiit of their paper
notes WAR their carelmsBrcs In handling the
unsigned notes In the offices. The printers
were allowed to take these notes In any
quantities they liked swhllo at work , nnd one
of the men got In thd habit of carrying of ?
five or ten sheets of ten , twenty , or fifty-
dollar notes every day. Of course , It was
necessary for him to commit forgery In sign
ing them , but there were so many different
nlgnaturcs on the notes that It was not easy
to detect a spurious one , and this enterpris
ing Individual had taken eomo $200,000 of
notes before ho was found out. Then ho was
promptly sentenced to bo shot , but this was
In 1SC5 , when Sherman was close at hand ,
and the sentence was never executed. After-
thai , however , detectives were set -watch
the men whllo at work , and a strict ac
counting wns kept.
"When the confederacy began to get Into
desperate flcnncia ! atrnlts , It ndopted a curi
ous shift to pay tlio printers , and Instead ot
giving them Its own notes , It allowed them
to print notes bearing their own name nnd
redeemable In confederate bills , nnd the ex
tent to which these private notes might be
printed was practically left to the firm Itself.
13ut down to the very day when Sherman's
men marched , Jnc ; Caliimhla the workmen
who had been brought from England were
paid In gold as their contracts called for , and
In the last days they were almost the only
persons In the employ of the confederacy
who did receive their pay In gold , so that on
every pay day they were besieged by brok
ers who offered them appalling premiums for
"In April , ISC. , when the confederacy was
In Its death throes nnd Sherman's legions
wcro close nt hand , the presses had turned
out nearly a billion dollars , but on that day
the whole output would little more than hive
paid for the thrco printing establishments.
Then I got n pass from General Lovell put
ting mo beyond the confcderato lines , nnd
made the best of my way to New York to
make money moro slowly but In more dur
able form. "
MOXIV ix THII : CUI.TUHU.
i\iu < rliii < * iit.s ( . ' < > ) HUT KoiMvnril oil
Inland that l'roinlN < > Well.
The owners of large tracts ot land In the
vicinity of Wcstbury , L. I. , are making
experiments In tree culture , says the Brook
lyn Eagle , and will redeem much of the
waste lands by planting them with valua
ble timber. This has been found to bo
more profitable In the long run than per
mitting the natural growth of cedars nnd
pines to conic up on the fields not culti
vated. It Is a well known fact that the late
Austin Corbln took a great Interest In the
subject ot tree culture and hoped In tlmo to
Induce the owners of the so-called barrens
to substitute valuables timber for the shrub
oaks and pitch pines which now cover them.
The chief obstacle In the way of the re
demption of the waste land was the fact
that It Is owned for the most part by men
who do not live on It , and who take little
or no Interest In its development , except
as It may be cut up Into building lots
The abandoned lands In the more fertile
sections of the Island ate llko waste lands
which have never been cleared up ; they are
cither owned by people who do not llvo on
them or by old men who are ending their
days In the homestead while the boys are
employed elsewhere. The rising generation ,
who alone is likely to take nn Interest In
crops that take thirty or oven moro years
to mature , has abandoned the old farms and
could hardly bo Induced to return under
any circumstances. The lands ore , however ,
passing Into the linud : ! of wealthy men and
associations , who arc acquiring largo tracts
and converting them Into plantations or
game preserves. Thesei Owners of large
tracts have found that ordinary farming
lands on the northor south side of the
Island , which may be.- purchased at from
$25 to $100 per acre./iaay bo made to pay a
good Income upon the investment by tree
culture on a. largo scale , bcsldea affording
amusement us game preserves and golf
inns.
H Is estimated that there are 200,000 acres
3f waste , Idle land on the- Island , This
and receives no attention except the cut-
Ing oil of the pine or oak timber growth
every thirty or forty years. A considerable
jiroportlon ot this laud has been cleared
nnd cropped , but long since abandoned , because -
cause It would not pay for tilling , mowing
or even fencing for pasturage. Much or
his land Is covered with a scanty growth
of shrub oak , pitch pine or In the moro fcr-
ilc section with cedars and oaks , with oc-
: aslonal chestnut. The natural growth Is
usually cedar or pine , and It takes many
. -care for It to become of any considerable
aluc.
An experiment has been made at Brent-
, vood to ascertain whether white pine , the
most valuable timber growth In New Eng-
and , could , be cultivated to advantage on
ho plains of Long Island. The land was
, 'ilowed very deep and sowed with oats , then
ho seed of the white ptno waa sowed broad
cast over the surface at the rate of two
quarts to the aero and harrowed In. The
planting of the oats with the plno seeds was
o protect the young plants from the sun.
The seed came up all right , but the cxperl-
nent was not a success. The white pine
docs not thrive under natural conditions on
. .ong Island. "While the experiment waa
n progress an officer of the state experiment
station visited the plantation , and It was
"its opinion that nothing more valuable than
ho common pitch plno could bo success-
'ully grown on the great shrub oak plains ,
unless they wore first cleared up , plowed
and cultivated , and that this would cost moro
ban the land would bo worth for timber
culture.
North and south of the plains or shrub
oak section the land Is moro fertile , and a
valuable timber growth la common , and an
effort Is being made by the officers of the
experiment station to induce the fanners to
plant trees In their abandoned fields. Lo
cust , chestnut , walnut and whlto oak arc
ho sorts of timber recommended. The rapid
growth chestnut Is said to be the most profit
able. Its trimmings furnish stakes , rails
and posts for fences , and railroad tics , and
the larger trees may bo relied upon for a
crop of nuts , long before they are ready for
the saw mill. Instead of a straggling
rowth of valuable troca Judicious planting
will secure a valuable timber crop , which
may be relied upon to Increase the value ol
the land from year to year considerably
faster than the money would Increase II
eft in a savings bank.
fiOMl 1IY Till : YAItl ) .
HIMV ( lie nilillni ; UNIM ! lii Oriinincntu
I > t'i > riill < in IN I'rt-imrtMl.
The beating of the > Innumerable llttlo
square pieces of gold -which are used to cover
domes and slgin > and BO on forms a distinct
Industry In thu gold .trade , which employs
a largo number of hands and requires no
small amount of skUl.
The long , low building' In which the work
carried on Is filled throughout the day
with the sound of hammers. On every side
little boxes containing tiny rolls of gold arc
to be seen , which , although only measuring
an Inch and a half In-length , arc each worth
about $50 , The gold ix received In bars one-
eighth of an Inch In thickness , an Inch In
width and weighing -210 pennyweights. This
Is rolled out Into a .ribbon thirty yards in
length.
It Is then given to tbo workmen In strips
measuring seven yards , each of which IB
cut up Into ISO pieces. These nro now ready
to be beaten out by hand. They are placed
( protected by flue skills ) In a tool known
as the "clutch , " and are thoroughly
pounded out on a great granite block set In
the ground In such a. way that there 10 ab
solutely no vibratory movement. The pro
cess Is repeated ecveral times , the gold as
It spreads being continuously subdivided un
til It Is ot the exact dimensions required.
The skins In which the gold U beaten are
so delicate that they will tear u easily aH
paper , nevertheless they are of so fine a
quality that they will withstand the con
tlnual hammering for several years. The
gold. 'Which ' ls finally beaten down to 200-
000th of an Inch. Is rubbed with "brlno" before
fore being placed In the skins. In order tha
It shall not adhere to them.
Easy as this work of beating out tbo goli
may seem , It Is In reality an art of a very
dollcato description The workman mu
know to a nicety precisely how hard or gen
tie the blows of his hammer must be , am
nlwo the exact pot on which they vhouli
fall. Accordingly , a very superior class o
men arc employed in the business.
STORY OF A PRETTY WIDOW
Molds Her Soothed Hoartnohoa to the Ad
miring Mnjor.
IE COULD NOT GET A WORD IN
Ionn TrnKPiljnt Hip llnniln of
"llpnr ( ipnrKe" AVn * Avprlpil hy
( he Tlnifly Arrlvnl of Iliu
1'a in 11 y Doi-lor.
The widow was not wearing weeds , neltlicr
vns she plunged In a gulf of dark despair ,
nor did she show any signs of those other
IrcadfuUy woo-begono condltlona which nro
omctlmcs attributed to the state or wldow-
ico.1 , not only In America mid Its environs ,
but pretty generally over the entire earth's
surface.
On the contrary , she was as bright anJ
Ivaclous as a cummer girl , relates the
Washington Star , and slio was talking to the
mijor In seventeen languages nil nt once- .
U least. It so eccmcd to him , for ho hadn't
he slightest opportunity ot Introducing n
vord Into the conversation sldcwlae , even
nuch less Introducing It , according to the
ordinary rules of colloquy.
"Do you know , major , " she wcs saying eo
nst as she could , and with llttlo gasps for
ircath between , ns women do when their
conversational locomotive bcrlns to "run
vlld , " that I had n , perfectly dreadful expe
rience once In my life ? "
The major wanted to say that he could
tot understand how such a charming woman
could have any kind of nn experience- that
vaa not ns lovely ad she was , but ho wasn't
Illicit enough.
"Well , I did , " eho rattled awny , "and , you
< now , It was during dear Ucorgc'a life
line , and It was perfectly awful. .My , my. "
this with a half sigh , "you wouldn't think
I had been a widow ten yean * , would you ? "
"Very few people do , " she twittered. "Do
, -ou think I look very old ? " and she canted
icr head to one side , and looked at the major
na a bird looks at a bug It wants for din-
icr.
icr.The
The major was abojt to say that ho thought
she was a summer girl before someone told
ilm she waa a widow , hut , as , before , ho waa
eft at the post.
"Dut ' , as I was saying , " she continued , "I
iad' this perfectly awful experience. You
now that dear George , during the last
two years of his life , was suffering with
some peculiar brain trouble that quite
: hangcd him. His hallucination was that
10 wns some other person , nnd that whllo I
was his wife , I was not the same wlfo ho hod
cnown In his sanity. This seemed to be
the only peculiarity of his madness , for on
all other points ho was quite sane enough to
deceive even experts. Of course , I had to
watch him all the time , for the physician
said his disorder might develop at any mo-
ucnt , and ho might do something desperate ,
though It was not probable that It would
take such a turn.
"One morning he slipped away from his
attendant and escaped to a train that was
ust leaving the station. Tlio man had
; rown careless , because George was so ra-
: ional all the time , but when ho lost him ho
realized that ho had been neglectful , and
at once came after mo to know what to do.
I wns not at home , and did not conio In for
\u/i liniirfi. nnd thn mnn was HO slllv. or Rnnio-
hlng , that ho didn't go to the physician , but
ust waited for mo. When ho told mo of
jcorgo's escape I sent for the physician nnd
a private defective , and ns soon ns possible
1m detective followed my husband. The
ihyslclan encouraged me greatly by saying
: hat George wan perfectly able to take earo
of himself , that he had no suicidal tendency
and that .he would very probably nnd him at
some of the nearby resorts , as It was sumner -
ner , and the hotels were all open , If ho did
not return of his own free will In a few
days.
"He had quite a snug sum of money with
ilm , and I felt easy on that score , for he
could meet all his expenses , aid know very
well ho\v to handle money. Still , I was
IrcadfuUy nervous and excited , and , as I
could not sit at home , I used to go out on
short trips looking for him. The detective
vas also out constantly , but ho had met with
no success In his search and at the end of
two weeks I determined to sound a general
alarm , so to speak , and give the story to
( ho newspapers , when , on one of my expo-
lltlons , I unexpectedly found him In a re-
uoto llttlo town , where there were very few
jiimmcr visitors. He had been there since his
leparture from home , and 1 soon discovered
that ho was on excellent terms with every-
) ody. Ho was very glad to see mo at first ,
and took mo around to meet his new friends.
Of course. It wasn't customary for a lady
0 call first , but I was thinking about George
and not social usage , and would have done
anything ho asked mo.
"The townspeople were extremely fond of
him , and ha had been so generous in his
charities that he was looked upon as a
public benefactor. To have told them that
3eorgo was a lunatic , however mild , would
have resulted In my being thought one , and
during the afternoon of my arrival I kept
my own counsel nnd telegraphed at once
[ or the physician and the attendant. No
train was duo till next morning , and nil
1 could do was to wait and keep quiet.
There was no trouble with , George until
lust after wo had taken our supper at the
little hotel where ho stopped , and had gene
to his room. There something I said must
liavo Indicated to him In some way that I
had fomo designs against his liberty , or
something , I don't know what , and he be
gan to act qucerly , and show that ho was
suspicious of me.
"I had been under such a dreadful strain
for so long that I was completely unnerved ,
and now that I had found him I felt my
self relaxing and verging upon hysterics.
I tried to control myself and get him to
thinking about something else , but suddenly
and without any warning ho caught mo and
began to choke me. Of course I screamed ,
and screamed with all my might , and In a
minute or two people came rushing Into the
room , Inquiring what was the matter. As
they came In George held me struggling In
his arms , but ho was cooler than any one In
the party , nnd was talking to mo like n
mother to n fretful or frightened child ,
nnd doing all he could to teethe mo. Hut
by this time I was so wrought up that I
could not keep still , and when George very
quietly told them that I was demented ,
end became extremely violent nt tlmcH ,
lasting for months , they believed him and
asked what could be done.
"Ho asked that a physician and a police
man bo sent for , and n messenger went fly
ing nnd soon came back with them. They
held a council over me and upon George's
suggestion that I ho put In a safe place for
the night , I was taken to the woman's collIn
In the town prison and locked up In charge
of a woman nurse , who ) had volunteered her
services , as oho had had experience with
lunatics , Wasn't that perfectly' awful ? I ,
a sane woman , to bo locked up on a clinrga
of lunacy , brought by al lunatic ? "
The major wns anxious to say that he had
never heard of such an outrage perpetrated
In a civilized land , but the widow ran over
him and went on.
"Well , It was awful , nnd the more I tried
to convince the woman that It was my hus
band who was crazy , the more film shook
her head kindly nnd told me fiho knew It ,
and that I was put In there only to protect
mo from him. That ma do .mo worse , nnd I
would go off Into hysterics again , and I
never slept a wink nil night. When mornIng -
Ing came I was more nearly a raving maniac
than thn real lunatic was , and when George
came In to see mo his emotions were painful
to see , and he cried llko n baby over mo ,
the nurse all the time trying to cheer him
up by telling him that I had been quiet mojt
of the night and would soon recover from
the fit.
"Ho shook his head sadly and went awny
to return In an hour with the physician.
They talked over me as If I could not un
derstand anything they wcro saying , nnd
on George's earnest recommendation the
physician agreed that the best thing to bo
done was to commit mo to nn asylum
until It was thought safe to release mo.
There was a private asylum not far away ,
and It was decided to take mo there at
once. It was novf 9 o'clock , and ficorgo H
physician and attendant would not reach
the town until 10 , by which time I would
bo on my way to the asylum , If not on my
way to permanent lunacy , for the strain
was then all I could beur. I told the r-by-
Uee , December W , ISM. "X"
A Prize Poem
( To bo concltulod later maybe. )
'Tis the day after Christmas , and all through the street
not a soul with a bundle or box can you meet. The
shops arc all empty the clerks are all tired , and the
counters and shelves look decidedly weird ( pronounce it
wired for this occasion. ) The women God bless them
they haven't a cent ; all their change they have cheer
fully , lavishly spent , And the little ones well , wo
haven't the time , to depict their elation in bvinglesome
rhyme ; but we think , or we guess , or we know , or wo1
feel , that the dear little cherubs arc happy as ,
Anybody who can supply the right word to finish this al
leged pcctry will confer an everlasting favor on our ad-i
man and can have his or her choice of what few holiday ,
goods we have left over at exactly the same , price that
they were marked last week or last month , which is guar
anteed to be a lower price than they can be bought for in
any of the stores where they are so busy right now marking -
ing their Christmas things down , The Nebraska doesn't' '
have to mark things down ,
OXTR BOOK CASES.
The accepted arrancemcnt or scheme ot
furnishing In nearly every library today pro
vides for a line of low Hook Cases , leaving
n wall spnco for pictures equal to at least
three-fifths of the total height of the room.
Such low cases , finely made throughout ,
and with llttlo or no adornment , nro rarely
found In the stock of nn ordinary furnlturo
store. They can always bo procured of us ,
however , and at about half the price you
would pay for building them to order.
They are very stoutly and strongly Joined
volumes. The doors arc triple hinged and
dustproof ; they close tightly against a center
mullion , which obviates the clumsy Insldo
hook or bolt formerly used. Remember that
these cabinets are very Inexpensive. , .
CHAS. SHIYERICK & CO. ,
Tlio Largest Stock and Lowest Prices
3.2th and Bouglns.
slclan to wait , and tried to explain to him
the situation , nnd all ho did was to say ho
understood perfectly , and that wo wcro
only going for n drive Into the country to
visit some of George's friends who wcro
anxious to entertain us for n few days. All
this tlmo the nurse was getting mo ready
for my trip and I was doing all I could to
gain a delay of an hour until the train
should come , and I prayed that It would
not be late.
"Despite nil my efforts to the contrary ,
the nurse reported ine ready for the car
riage which was In waiting at the prison
door , and they picked mo up and carried
mo out to it. Thcro was quite a crowd
around the place , all curious , of course , and
It had a good effect upon me , for Instead ot
creating any disturbance , I submitted quietly
In order not to make a scene. The physi
cian , George nnd the nurse got Into the car
riage after me , and we started away for the
liorrld asylum. I composed myself for what
ever might come now , and sat silent , when ,
as wo turned Into the open space at the rail
road station , which wo had to pass , I saw
my own physician and George's attendant.
In a second I had smashed the carriage win
dow , and thrusting out my head screamed
for help , calling the doctor by name. They
wcro only the width ot a street away , and
as the driver of the carriage did not know
anything about what was going on , ne
stopped to see what was wrong , and the
next mlnuto I was out of the carriage and
had fainted In the physician's arms. "
The major was about to remark that the
ono regret of hl.i life was that he was not
that physician , but the widow had her mini1
and her tongue on her story , and oiico more
ficw away from the major.
"Of course , explanations were In order ,
and It was not long before the true state of
the case was made known , greatly to the
astonishment of everybody except George.
Ho took It as a matter of course , and
laughed over It as a great Joke , without ap
parently understanding what ho had done ,
and ho went back to town with us as sub
missively as could be , never losing his tem
per In the slightest degree. Within a couple
of months nftcr that he grew rapidly worse ,
and death soon brought him n blessed re
lief. " Here the widow hesitated and sighed.
"And , I may say , n blessed relief to mo ns
well , for I would have lost my mind , I am
sure. "
At this point the widow stopped long
enough to give the major an opportunity to
make a few remarks , which ho did advisedly ,
seeing that the major , on general principles
regards widows pretty much aa did the
father of the late Sam Wcllcr.
Six-Thirty I' . Bl. Trnln.
of the
CHICAGO.
MILWAUKEE
& ST. PAUL RY.
Ilcst service ,
ELECTRIC LIGHTS ,
Dining car.
City office : 1504 Farnam.
Ilimi.INfSTO.V ItlH-'TH
< > KilK < 311111" DlHiMiiidiiui'il .SmidnyN.
Commencing Sunday , Dec. 27 , the Uur-
llngton's 2:55 : p. in. train for Lincoln will
not run Sundays.
I'erNfinnlly Coiiilnutcil .
Leave Omaha every Friday via the Union
Pacific. No change of cars to Ofidcn , San
Francisco or Los Angeles. Tourist sleepers
dally to San Franclcco.
Special attention paid to ladles traveling
alone. A. C. DUNN ,
City Pass , and Tkt. Agent.
y 102 Farnam St.
The llnrlii-r In Inillii.
The barber of India bas no * hop and does
not solicit customers by signs or symbols.
Ho visits certain families regularly every
moruliiE early. The ( servant announces his
presence and ho comes In with a salaam
and a "morning habit. " You bit down com
fortably out on the veranda. Hot water lt
rarely used. Ho carries no brnth for lather
ing the face. In the country towns ho does
not even use soap. After stropping the
inzor ho wets your face and commences his
shaving operations. A few light touches of
the razor , hardly felt , and the whole thing
Is done In less tlmo than It takes to tell It.
After shaving ho nibs the palm of his hand
over your face two or thrco minutes , In
this manner ho polishes your face to such
a degree that you nro surprised when you
look In the glass ; In fact , your own face
would make a fairly good looking glass for
some other person. For his dally nervlcen
ho receives 70 centsi a month. A single
shave Is 1 cent , and the charge for hair cut
ting Is from 2 to 4 cents. The harbor U
also the village Burgeon. Ho performs bleedIng -
Ing , cupping and undertakes surgical opera
tions.
Holiday Union.
The Chicago , St. Paul , Mlnneaj > ol ! and
Omaha Ry. , will sell excursion tickets Dec.
24th , 25th nnd 31st , 1896 , and January 1st ,
1897 , good for return until January 4lh.
1897 , for ono and cuo-thlrd fares for tbo
round trip , > ' '
Look oat for your bronth by
watching your tooth , ono de
cayed tooth will taint tlio
breath. Gold crowns , 2'2k
$5 to 58. Porcelain crown * , S5.
ArUflcinl teeth , $5 ; best $7.Sa
I'.uxton
llloclc
3d fioor , lady iittondnnt.
Troth extracted without piln. :
ix TIM : MMOK A mxr.
Tin- Hlro < Jlrl IMnyliiB ( lie
Hole of n ( iooil I'Vlloiv.
H was evident that lie was 111 nt ease
whllo she was looking over the bill of fare ,
relates the Chicago Post , but she didn't seoni
to notice It , and ho continued to urge her
to order whatever she wished.
Sbo dM.
ll iKn l necessary 10 ciuer iiu < an HID UK-
talls of the order hero , but In the seclusion
of his own den , wllh his chum ns hl.i only
auditor , ho would have designated It na a
"hcuut. "
Ho was nervous whllo thci waiter was get
ting It , hut again It did not seem to attract
her attention. As n matter of fact , she had
discovered n dish on the bill of faro for
which she had had a lingering longing for
a long , lingering time , and she was princi
pally Interested In the fact that she waa
about to get It at his oxnense.
And she claimed to ho a now woman , too.
"I read a story a short time ago , " ho said
finally , with some trace ot nervousness In
his manner , "of a girl who was uo progres
sive that she Insisted upon treating Just Ilka
a man. "
"Where did you read It ? " oho asked
Quickly. l 1
"In a newspaper , " ho answered.
"Oh , well , " she returned , "you know you
can't believe all that you see in the news
papers. "
Ho sighed nnd showed sonic evidences of
being Just a llttlo moro distressed than be
fore , but ho said meekly : "Of course not. "
She talked gayly about ono thing and
another until the waiter had returned with
the order , but ho was strangely silent , '
"I read In n paper devoted exclusively to
women a day or two ago , " ho ventured u
llttlo later , "that Dutch treats were all the
rage now in the swagger sot. "
"They're always springing absurd stories
llko that , " she returned. "Any ono who
didn't know better would bo deceived a
hundred times a day. "
Then , In desperation , ho leaned across the
table and said :
"Say ! bo n good fellow , can't-you ? All
my money Is In my other elothca and I never
know It until wo were In hero. " .
She was so tickled nt being addressed In
that masculine fashion that ho not only
paid for both , but refused to lot him make It
good later , although she did Intimate that ,
new woman or not , oho did not wish to es
tablish that kind of a precedent. ,
A rri'ilf liitf I'roltli-in.
Whether to trliu "Northwestern Lino" No.
2 at 4ll : > p. in. or No. G at C-.30 p. in. , Chicago-
ward. "No. 2" arrives at Chicago at 7MB a.
in. nnd "No. C" at 9:30 : n. in. Both tralnu
are models of modern art. skill and luxury.
NO EXTRA CHARGE ON EITHER ONE.
Call at the City OHlce , 1401 Faruaiu street ,
and talk It over. , .
J. A. KUIIN. General Agent.
G. F. WEST. C. J' . T. A.
Awarded
Highest Honors World's Fair ,
MOST PERFECT MADE.
A pure Grape Cream of Tartar Powder. Frea
torn Ammonia , Alum or any other atlulteianv
40 Years the Standard.