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Show $500,000 in U. S. Conscience Fund IN ALL probability the United States government has been cheated out of more money than all the corporations in the United States combined. But It is a strange fact that the government has "V, received a largo portion of this money back, and the . "conscience fund" to date amounts to almost half a million dollars. It has been contributed to by hundreds hun-dreds upon hundreds of persons who have defrauded Uncle Sam and whose consciences have chased them up and down until they finally made restitution. Only a few weeks ago a plain nianila envelope was received by George R. Cooksey, secretary to William G. McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasurj'. When he slit it open $30,OUO in paper money dropped out In 51,000, S.jOO and 5100 bills. There was no letter, no notation, nothing to indicate the sender of the money. The mystery was partly cleared up, however, a few days later when a letter appeared asking the government to credit the 530,000 to the "conscience fund." "In a separate package I am sending 530,000 to be ' j added to the conscience fund." the letter said In a backhand, disguised scrawl. "This amount makes a sum aggregatiug 5S0.000 which I have sent to the United States, or four times the amount I stole years ago. I have hesitated about sending all this money because I think it does not really belong to the government, but conscience' has given me no rest until I have consummated the fourfold return, like J the publican of old. May every thief understand the awfulness of the sin of stealing is the sincere wish of a penitent. Let no one claim any of this amount on any pretext." In the first three months of 101G more money has been received for the treasury conscience fund than , in any previous year. The total contributions have . been $4f;.102.50. The next best year for the fund was 1002, with $35,S6?.22. |