The Sierra citizen., 1854-08-05
A New Phase Of the Grab Gers.


AAe,sa the good peo,.sef who com
posed the heterogeneous crowd of Wes-
tern steamer, some years since, was a
comical-looking man, with an equivocal
squint, and suspicious redness about the
nose, who protested once to have seen "bet-
ter days" but who was now sad victim
of what he was pleased to term the glory
times of Mississippi" Having heard
much of those PIptonian days, we listened
attentively for information All we heard
has passed away, save and except the fol-
lowing incident. Said the speaker, Look
ing around with great affected Importance:
4" When I consider what an easy going
thing it then was for the knowing ones to
make money, have always been little
vexed to think / was at the time so en-
tirely ignorant of financering. I could do
better now. However, the time was flush;
money was borrowed en- State securities,
that those in the secret knew were uncon-
stitutional,' and consequently it came easy
and went easier. Property had no fixed
value; you could sell any thing, on any
time, at any price; put up moonsiine oa
one, two, and three years credit, and you
had notes enough in few days to sink
ship. About this time was started the
Brandon Bank. The directors paraded
the fact before the world that it was to be
q safe bank; : and putting cast steel ak
in the cellar, said the bills were to be is
sued on q metallic basis The popularity
of that institution spread like wild-fre !;
people that were independent in circum-
stances, as we'll as them that hadn't cent,
went to borrowing and so many crowded
into Brandon for discounts that the no
tels overfowed, and the people had to
camp out until their turn came. The
cashier sat up night and day with the presi-
dent, signing notes, which were issued so
fast that no account was kept Of their
number or amount. At last, the president
and directors got exhausted. and they put
their issues in barrel behind the coun-
ter, and passed o resolution that nobody
should be accommodated to larger loan
than grab. Consequently, when any
one put in his note, if the bank accepted
the paper the drawer was permitted to
have one grab, and no more, as it was pro-
posed to give all applicants fair chance.
"At the time Se speak of, ola Percy
Smith was so much in debt that no body
will ever know how much and at my sus-
gestion, he Tut in his paper for discount,
setting up his claim to cool twenty
thousand and, arming himself with a
slashcr,' he vent down to Brandon, and
asked for "a discount swearing all the
while that a single grab wouldn't give
him breathing spell between drinks
The directors, however, were fighting
men, ard couldn't be bullied, and told
Percy that he should not be served any
better than the 'other applicants So
the old fellow took new tack he went
over to the hotel, got up dinner on credit,
and invited all the bank officers to dine.
| think Percy told me he had 'em all un-
der the table by eleven o'clock at night
but the next morning, in spite of Per-
cy's hospitality, they stuck to their prin-
ciples, and confined Percy to a single
grab This decision Of the directors had
great effect upon all the other applicants
but Percy was not to be so easily satisfied. |
He hung around the bank, and finally got |
promise, as he gin q treat that he |
might have the FIRST chance after the bar
rel was newly filed up. Upon the stated |
time, Percy prepared himself; He took
some tar and boiled it stiff, and rubbed it |
over his right arm up to his shoulder and,
himself in cloak, be walked
over to the bank for his grab The Grst
dash he made, he ran his FIST down to the
bottom of the barrel-for you notice he
was terribly in debt-he then whirled his
arm around few times, and took it out,
and there was just thirty-seven thousand
Eve hundred and fifty-fve dollars sticking
to the tar! Twas the last grab ever made
On the Brandon. The institution couldn't |
stand such draw. IL shut down the next
day, and thus ended the glory times of
Mississippi '"-Horper's Magazine.
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