One day toward the end of 1910 a
man who had met this officer on his
first visit was much surprised to meet
him again on a ferryboat at New York
city. The officer was dressed in civ
ilian clothes and either did not recog
nize his former acquaintance or pre
tended not to recognize him. When
addressed, however, he readily ac
knowledged his identity. He said be
was in this country permanently and
was working in a factory on Staten
Island. This factory was within half
an hour's walk of some of. the most
important fortifications on the Atlantic
seaboard
The fact was enough to make the
acquaintance suspicious. Here was a
man who had been an officer in a for
eign army, who had at one time ad
mittedly represented his country on
an inspection tour, and who suddenly
turned up six years after in civilian
clothes and said that he was working
regularly in a factory close to a great
fortress.
Some time later the acquaintance
called up the factory to see if the man
was still there. He was not. but had
left shortly after the interview on the
ferryboat.
convenient does not appeal to the of
ficials in tbe departments any longer.
Several years ago a law was passed
making it an offense for an official to
create a deficit or to use money ap
propriated for one specific purpose for
another purpose for which the regular
appropriation had become exhausted.
Not only will there be a saving of
$250,000 for the present fiscal year,
but there will also go on indefinitely
a saving of a quarter of a million dol
lars each year,- for the treasury olfl
cials have let the draughtsmen go for
good.
