J
ROBBING THE MINTS.
Xmkkctor rnrcsTo chats
Auour bojik iiiu tmikvks.
fortune In tlotd Dint nml Nnnneta
-TrMstcit Kmployes Who Dirt Not
Unlit Temptation Soma
Curious Stories.
VISITED the mini
at Philadelphia last
week, write Frank
O. Carpenter 1 n
the Washington
Star. It now con
tain more than
820(1,0011.000, and
It has 50,000,000 standard silver dol
lars in a single vault. The Han Fran
cisco mint has, I am told, more than
150,000,000 worth of precious metal
stored away, and in the vaults of the
mint at New Orleans there are now
something like $20,000,000 worth of
gold and silver. During my stay in
onr Philadelphia treasure lion no I was
shown the different methods by which
Uncle Ham guards his hoard. Every
atom of gold and silver is wntehed,
and, although the mint has handled
more than a billion and a half dollars
worth of bullion since it was founded,
only a small part has been lost. HI ill
. the temptation to theft is great, and
every now and then tbo Treasury De
partment finds a shortage in some of
the mints or in the Government
assay olllces in different pnrts of the,
West. The true details of such thefts
seldom pet tuto tho newspaper". They
are filed awny in the records of the
Treasury Department and in tbo miuds
of the detectives and oftlcinls who hive
aided in exposing the crimes. During
the past week I have heard the stories
of a nnmlior of such roliherios, and,
in my study of them, I have hud ac
cess to the records of the treasury, in
connection with R. K. Pro-don, tho
director of the mint. Mr. Preston
has charge of all the mints in the
United States.
He is the chief "watch dog" of Undo
Barn's treasures of gold and silver, nml
he knows more about the mint, per
haps, than any other man connected
with tho Government, lie has been
in tho employ of the United States
Treasury for the past forty yenrs, aud
he is to-day one of its inost efficient
officers. You rcmoniber how, about
two years ago, Henry 0. Cochran, the
weigh clerk at the Philadelphia mint,
stole bars to tho value of SIM, 000
from the gold vault, stealing it bar by
bar from a stack of sixteen million
dollars' worth of gold bullion, which
was there stored away. Mr. i'restau
was one of tbo officials who superiu
tended the putting away of that bill
lion, and he was acting director of the
mint at the time that Cochran's theft
was discovered. The first steal in the
Philadelphia mint occurred forty-three.
Tears ago, just beforo Mr. Preston en
tered the Government service, and,
curiously enough, this theft was do
tectod by Cochran, who was an under
clerk of the robber, and who by ex
posiug his snperior got the placo of
weigh clerk, which ho held for forty
years, and in which he was at the time
bis own great robbery ocourreit. uur
ing the investigation at Philadelphia
the thief, Cochran, told Mr. Preston
the story, and Mr. Preston repeated it
to me to-day.
"It was away back in 1853,"said the
director of the mint, "when a vast
- amonnt of gold was coming from Culi
fornia that the first big robbery oo
inrred. The enlprit w&s James E.
Negus, and ho was the weigh clerk of
the mint. There was at this time no
assay office at New York, and all of the
sold dust and nuggets were sent by
the banks of the different cities to
Philadelphia to bo reduced to bullion.
Means had the handling of this troas
lire, and he for a long time carried on
systernatio stealing from the diner
ent deposits sent in. It was his busi
ness to take charge of them, weigh
them and put them into the vault until
they could be melted. By taking
nugget or a pinch ff (last from eaoh
deposit he was able to steal thousands
of dollars, and he probably carried on
hie stealings during the whole of the
lour years that he was in tne employ
of the mint. Cochran was at this time.
a boy working in the mint. He acted
as Negus's assistant. . He was led to
TBS aou vault, rmLADKLrmA mist,
uspeot that Negns was taking ont
gold dust and substituting blaok (and
lor it iu some of the deposits. He
took occasion to reweigh several de-
poi-its when Negns was not present.
and fonnd that they were from five to
. ten ounces snort. He went to the su
periutendent of the mint and charged
.Negus witn tne tnelt, IS ecus was
called up. He confessed, and stated
that he had stolen $10,600 worth of
gold dust. As you may see from the
letters here in the records of the tie
psrtment. the treasury officials be
iieved his confession, but they did not
think he should be arrested,' M.be had
made restitntion. He was allowed to
to free. Within a few weeks ha sailed
for Europe, and that was the last that
was ever heard of biro. There was no
cable in those days, and the probabil
1'y is that be carried a goodly amonnt
cl gold away with him. Tho robbery
was not from tho treasury, but from
the banks who sent in the gold, and
there was no way of telling )UBt how
much be stole.
''It was in this way that Henry 8.
Cochran became weigh clerk of the
mint," Director Preston went on.
"Ho took the place of a thief, and
there is no telling how soon he became
a thief himself. He told me that he
did not steal anything from the mint
until afterthe deposit of that 810,000,
000 in gold bars i bnt his connection
with the mint lnited for more than
forty years nnd his position was the
same as that of Negus. During his
whole t-'rin of employment ho had the
conlldvucn of every one. I have a
letter here, signed by Daniel Stur
geon, who was treasurer of the United
(States when he was appointed. It is
he who advises the appointment, aud
he describes Henry 8. Cochran as
honest, able and courteous. Cochran
seemed to be crazy for gold. He fell
in lovo with the preoious metal, and
when we found thnthehad robbed the
mint of $113,030 he hated to give up
his stealings and he complained
bitterly when the moti5y found in his
home was taken awav. When he was
appointed weigh clerk Ue was about
twenty-three years old. When his
robbery was discovered ho was sixty
three. He was then a deacon iu the
Prebylerinn Clinreh, and was organ
izing a camnaigti for tho Salvation
Armv in tho neighborhood in which
he lived. Ho had been married and
divorced. Ho had a grown-up daugh
ter. He nppoarod to be eininoutly
resppctablo iu every way and still hu
had been stealing for years.
'How did you como to suipoot hiui
of the robbary?" I n-ked.
"It wit through his own actions,
rep'ied Iho director of tho mint, "i-fe
had, fyou know, tho charge of the
vaults which contained tho gold bull
ion. Much oC this bullion had been
untouched lor years. Iu the vault
from which tbt robbery was mudo
there wero :? lO.IMW.OdO worth of gold
bars. 1 his vault had not been opened
for tix years. Tbo gold had been
brought from tho assay olUce in New
York in 1SJ1 nud stored away in 18S7.
1 aided in putting it in. The gold
bars were piled up crosswiso like rail
road ties, uud they were arranged, us
nunl, in a Beries of molts. When we
FIFTY MILLION 3 OF SILVER BAGS AND BOXES.
put the gold in tbo vaults wo put eaoh
melt by itself. Each gold brick has its
number, and it is marked as to the
melt to which it belohgs, so we can
toll just exactly how many piooes of
gold thero uro in a vault, just where
eaoh piece ia and jus, what it welcbs.
This bullion was weighed twice before
it was put in. Thero wcro about
twenty-llvo tons of it. I superintend
ed the weighing. I helped to seal the
doors of tho vault when we wero
through and saw that everything wai
seenred. From time to time the vault
was inspected, but the seals wero in
tact, and no ono had any idea but that
the gold was all there. About two
years ago Secretary Garlislo gave
orders that this bullion bo coined.
The vault was opened and moro than
400 pounds of gold wero missiug. We
had little trouble in detecting the
thief, CoohrAn had been much excited
when I told him of tho intention to
coin the bullion,
"Ho objected, and said the gold was
so nicely piled np, and was such a beau
tiful sight to show to visitors, that the
Government had better bring some of
its bullion from Now York and ooin it
I laughed at this, the Coohran then
insinuated that the gold might not be
all there When ho found that we
really intended to coin tho gold, he
came over to Washington to see me,
thinking there might bo yet a chauoe
to stop it. He called at my house hore
at 11 o'clock one night, and asked if it
was really true that tho Government
was going to take the gold out ot that
vault. 1 replied, 'Yes.' He then said :
'Well, yon won't find all the gold
there. Borne of it is laissiug. It was
never rightly weighed, and it is not
there.' It was at this time that I bs
gan to saspeot him, and I said to my
self. 'Well, if any of that gold is Ion,
I think yon know where it is. A day
or so after this we opened the vault,
and we fonnd the gold was just $113,
000 short. - Still, the seals were in
taot. The steel walls of tho vault were
nnbroken. and there was no sign as to
where the gold bad gone. Coohran
seemed very nervous, and upon finding
that be was suspeoted, be oonfewed
hi was the thief. He showod bow be
had fished the gold ont with a crooked
wire. He wculd pull it down from
the pilo and drag it to the door of the
vault, and then by slightly pushing
the door at tho bottom be was able to
get it out through the oraok between
the door and the floor. Ha had car
ried it off, bar by bar. ia bis lnnoh
basket, or in bis trouttrs pooket, aud
had taken it to bit borne in the fubuibs
Of Philadelphia.
"What did be do with the gold!" 1
Maid,
"He told it fight baok to the mint
from which he had stolen it," replied
Mr. Preston. "He did not dare to do
this without remelting it, as the gold
was so fine that it would be snre to
create suspicion. He bad at his home
a crucible and he remelted the gold,
wEuinixfl ooiiO srArps.
mixing it with silver and lead. This
last prodnot he sont to us through tho
express company, and was able to do
so without suspicion. Wo fonnd ono
bar of gold in Coohran's house tho day
he confessed, and we also found 83000
in gold eagles. It was a curious house.
It was honeycombed with secret clos
ets, aud it was in theso that the money
was fonnd. Cochran kept up bis steal
ing to tbo lust. The day the weighing
wait completed Cochrau came down
early. He was there beforo any of the
other employes of tho mint. We had
woighod part of the gold. The vault
was open, and there was a truok in it
loaded with bars of bullion. Cochran,
II tiding no one about, picked up
twenty of these bars, and, one at a
time, throw them into the ventilator
shaft of tho vault, so that they fell in
between the roof of the vault and the
floor above. When he confessed he
told where this gold was and we got it
back. The remainder was partially
covered by that which we fouud at tho
bouse, and wo reouived something
.torn Cochran's property and bis
bondsmen. Unolo Sam is, however,
still $12,000 or $13,000 short from
that."
"What did they do with Coohran?"
I asked.
"He was tried and sent to the peni
tentiary for a term of sis years and
seven months. He is now in prison.
He weighed 250 pounds when he was
arrested. He does not weigh 150
now, and has lost 100 pounds sinco
his theft was discovered."
"Do you think be was insane?"
"That is a question," replied the
director of the mint. ("He seemed to
be'a monomaniao on the snbjeot of
gold. Ho claimed that he bud saved
the United States millions ot dollars
by gnarding its treasures, and be was
indignant whon the gold was taken
from bim. Sinoe that time wo have
not kept gold bullion in vaults of this
nature, and there will probably never
be a robbery of that kiud again."
"Has Unolo Sam ever lost as muob
as thi in the past?"
"There was little loss in Coohran's
case," replied Director Prestsn. "The.
money was nearly all reoovered.
There have, however, been big losses
in the past. In 1855, just about the
time that I entered the Treasury De
partment, Unole Sam lost $150,000 at
the Han Francisco mint. When one
of the settlements was made it was
found that this muoh was short. The
smelter and refiner olaimed that this
was waste, that it had been lost iu re
fining or had esoaped up the flues. It
is a question in my mind whether he
did not tell the troth. At any rate,
ho was arrested, bnt not oonvioted.
Shortly after bis trial be left the
United States and went to South
America, He was drowned there. "
"There was a queer robbery at San
Frauoisoo ia 1878, by which a oolored
night watohman stole $20,000 ia gold.
It was known that gold was in some
way or other being taken out of the
mint, but it could not be traoed. The
deteotives finally discovered that
Henry Smith, tho night watohman,
badbeen selling bullion. They arrested
bim -and oharged bim with taking it
from the mint. He denied the crime,
Thoy then went to bis house and thor
oughly investigated it. They took up
the floors and broke the furniture,
but could find nothing. They next
attaoked the yard. They dug the soil
over with spades, and found a little
furnaoa in whiob gold had evidently
at some time been melted. This was
shown to the watohman, but be said
be knew nothing about it. They then
went baok and dug up a flower bed,
whioh tbey bad not touched on aooount
I ol ue beanty. it was ailed with pansies,
! and the ground abont ft was covered
with rose bushel and geraniums. They
had dng abont two feet lown into this
bed when they fonnd a big earthen
pot whloh was covered at the top with
melted was. Breaking this, they dis
covered a saucer beneath it, and under
this there were seven oones of yellow
polll, worth, alt told, about $0000.
They took this to Smith, and he at
once confessed. He bad stolen about
$20,000 in less than three years.
Ha had taken the gold from the
separating tanks by means of
a spoon, The bullion was
placed in such tnuks and
treated with aoid and water to remove
the silver. Ily the action of the aoid,
the gold fell to tho bottom in the
shape of a flee blaok preoipitate, and
the silver solution was washed away.
The tanks were covered and locked at
night, bnt there was a bole iu the
bottom of them in which a hose was
inserted for the washing of the pre
oipitate. The watohman unscrewed
the hose, and then, by means of a
spoon, ladled out a few spoonfuls a day
and took tbem home. Eaoh spoonful
wns worth about $20, and he laid the
precipitate aside nntil he could bay a
furnace and crucibles. With these he
turned the blaok powder into yellow
gold by melting it, and bo sold the
produot to the bullion dealers of Ban
Francisco."
"What was done with this man?" I
asked.
"He was arrested, tried and sent to
prison," replied Mr. Preston; "but
his fate was rather an exception to
that of the mint robbers of tho paBt.
Many of thorn have escaped punish
ment. I do not believe in this at all.
I think they should be prosecntod and
punished to the full extent'of the law."
Food of Moles.
Little is known of tho habits and
food of our native moles. Professor
II. Gormen has examined tho stomachs
of fourteen moles in Kentucky, where
it sometimes becomes troublesome in
gardens and lawns by loosening the
soil about newly set plants or marring
the appearanoe of the sward. While
strongly accused of eating soed corn
after planting, it appears that the
bulk of its food eousists of earthworms
aud inseots, especially the former. It
is especially fond of tho May beetle,
the parent of tho white grub, so de
structive at times to lawns, and ap
pears not to eat corn or vegetables of
any sort. Now York Indopondont.
C A LP HITll"llKEE LEAS.
He Ifas Only One Front licg, and
Was Horn That Way.
There is a three-logged calf at
Shioksbinny, Peun. The tripod be
longs to H. O. MoDaniols. Five
months ago his faithful family cow
presented bim with Bon. Bon is the
name ot the calf that has become fa
mous for being not like other calves.
His right leg is entirely missing.
Both hind legs are perfectly formed
and plaood. His loft fore log is also
just as porfect as any calf's, but it is
almost in tho middle of bis body. All
the ribs are naturally formed, reaching
all the way to the neck. Thore is not
even the trace of a shoulder blade on
the right side.
The calf weighs 200 pounds, and
can run aud play as lively as any calf
with a full set of logs. Store piles and
ditches are not obstacles to bim ho
frisks over them, tail high in the air,
using bis fore leg on the prinoiple of
a jumping polo. He has been much
potted, and follows the members of the
MuDaniola family about like a dog.
At the tender ago ol four weeks Ben
TBS CALF BORN WITH TBItHR 1X08.
left bis mother and went with bis mas
ter on a jaunt about the surrounding
oountry, attraoting considerable at
tention and earning considerably more
than bis living expenses, thanks to the
willingness of Americans to pay to see
freaks. He has not missed a meal in
bis life, and is unusually strong and
healthy. New York Journal.
Extinguishing Burning OH.
Never throw water on burning oil
it only spreads tho flame. Dry sand
will quiokly put out the burning flams
by sraotheriug it. If sand is not at
band in such emergenoy throw some
heavy woolen substance, as a rug, a
carpet or a damp towel or sheet, over
it Excluding tbe air is the great
eoret of extinguishing all fires.
Saved.
Hare "Well, that waa ' a bare
breadth escape I" Truth.
COAT AND BASQUE,
BOMB WEW ATT II ACTIONS
WOMAN'S A IT AUK L.
IN
Stylish nnd Attractive Coat With
Slushed Collar An Kxqulslte
French Model Hasque of
(Striped Beige Cloth.
'OBAOCO brown cloth, velvet
a.. . a
uraiu nun nmoKQU penri out
1 tons are stylishly ootubined
(, in tbe smart top garment de
picted in tbe first large illustratiou.
The pioturesqne hat of brown felt,
writes May Mantou, is trimmed with
velvet-edged ribbon and brown ostrich
plumes.
COAT WITH BLABHED COLLAR AND
The coat fronts are loose-fitting,
olosing in double-breasted fashion by
three fanoiful tabs at the top on tbe
laffe ftiln Thn flr.nnfnl anil na.fAnflw.
I fitting baok is shaped by seams that
extend to tbeshonlder, whioh are con
oealed by straps of cloth applied iu
tailor lasnlon. Tbe center-baok seam
is omitted(the newest wrinkle, by tbo
way). Below the waist line tbe back
is laid in deep box plaits.
An attractive feature is the stylish
collar, out in deep slashes and out
lined on its free edgos with braid. It
is so arrangod npon a deep band as to
provide the fashionable flare.
Tbe one-seam gigot sleeves are of
moderate but fashionable fulness,
and are completed at tho wrists by
flaring enffs of velvet to match the
oollar. Prettily shaped pocket laps
oover inserted pookets.
Melton, covert, whipoord and all
regulation plain or mixed cloakings
may be employed in making this
stylish ooat with decorations of fur,
Astrakhan, braid, or plainly finished
by maohine stitching.
To make this jaoket in the medium
size it will require two and three
fourths yards of fifty-four-inoh wide
material. .
iiadibs' rr.BKca model B.isqva.
Striped beige olothmado tbe exquis
ite basque that doses in centre-front
with small buttons and button-boles,
THEN CH MODEL BASQUE
as shown in the second large engrav
ing. The waist, of becoming length,
is rendered glove-ntting by double
bust darts, nnder-arm and side-back
gores with a curved centre-back. A
smooth standing oollar of velvet fits the
neck olosely. The ono seamed gigot
sleeve of fashionable fulness is ar
ranged over ooat-sbaped linings and
finished at the wrists with flaring vel
vet cull.. When cut with "V" shaped
neok and embellished with trimming,
the waist it suitable to complete
dinner toilette, while the circular ol
square neck will be appropriate for
an evening bodice.
To make this basque for a lady hav
Ing a thfrty-six-inoh bust measure, it
will require twj and seven-eighths
yards of forty-four-iuoh wide material,
NEWEST MODM 1H WAISTS. ,
Poaoook blue and preen shot silk
made this stylish waist, whioh is one
of the newest modes. The rolling
collar and on (Is of white linen are ad
justable and enn be removed to have
laundered when necessary, or when
made 'to match the waist they can be
permanently seenred. A handsome
stook collar of satin ribbon is tied nn
dor the collar in a large bow at the
centre back. Belt to match closed
with silver buokle. Five small tuoki
riCTDftESQCE HAT OF BH0WN FELT.
are laid at the neck on each side ot
the box-plait in centre front. These
plaits spread gradually, allowing an
easy, graceful lulnoss over tbe bust
whioh is confined again at the waist
line, and the lower edge is conoealed
under the dress skitt. The full back
ladies' waist.
is stylishly plaited or gathered, aa
preferred, aud joined to the straight
lo.ver edge of yoke lining, the hand
snmoly pointed yoke in newest design
beiog'laid flat over the plaits or gathers
and stitched on the curved edge. Tha
stylish bishop sleeves are fashion
ably wide, gathered at the top and
finished with wrist-bands to whioh tha
OT 8TIUFED BEIQE CLOTH.
cuffs are buttoned. The neok ia fin
ished with a close-fitting collar, to tha
upper edge of whioh the linen collar
is bottooed with single studs in front,
closing in back on two separate but
tons,whioh are sewed inside tha collar.
These stylish and becoming waists are
a pronounced feature of the season's
modes, made ot cashmere, Frenoh flan
nel, orepon, brilliantine, fine plaid
and mixed woolens, as well as of silk,
atin, broeada aud other fauoy silk
textures. ,