St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-02-28

tensive firm (which COL Swift had, long
been the ,entcrprising head. Mr. Hunks
was one Of Mr.. Swift's oldest depositors.
It was rumored that the Colonel had had
the use of some Of Mr.. HIS few hundreds
before he was the Colonel, when he kept
the sign of the, three balls, on Lake St.,
about No. 81. We all remember what a
panic there was, and many Of US thought,
and yet think, how foolish and needless
the whole thing, which swept down houses
Of good credit and means, and heedlessly
crippled those who had long sustained the
credit Of bushes men, as we'll as their own,
depriving them Of any further ability to
help Others who have 30 much needed help.
= The run At length extended to the bank
doors Of Swift, johnson Il c.. Mr.. Hunks
looked on complacently. He had 2 de-
/ posit there of a few hundred dollars, Which
he had confidently believed was: hid safely
sSide for the coming storw, enough to car
[ry him through to :: fair weather. again.
He had confidence in Swift-he believed
him TO be one Of the most skillful bankers
Of the tWest-he: had known him begin
poorsalvoys prosperous, and thought him
=, man who knew how to protect his own
credit and take care Of his friends, of whom
Hunks ranked himself one Of the conf
dential. . He had Witnessed run on the
same house before, and admired the pluck
which then carried the Colonel successfully
through, when he poured out his Golfers of
gold temptiugly in his Office windows, ask
ing the buys to come on and claim their
dues, setting his most active clerks to "pay-
ing out" himself geaeraltag up the crowd
in military single file, the more orderly ard
rapidly to draw the coveted deposits.
Mr.. Kinks confidence was therefore un-
bounded, and standing among The idle
spectators, he quietly saw the rush made
upon the stronghold Of his own 1luuds, ,ex-
pecting the next day to see that the storm
had subsidized. the panic terminated, and
his favorite firm triumphant. At the close
of banking hours, however, either by in.
ltimation1 or intuition; he became aware
that possibly the sun might rise another
day on different order Of things, and FOL-
loving the suggestions Of prudence, and
perhaps 'availing himselfof confidential
privileges, ere he slept he quietl y;withdrew:
the small SUM "placcd" to his credit in
that extensive iiouse.,
The deposits were transferred from the
vault Of the bank to his capacious leather
pocket-book, in bright, new and crisp FIVE
dollar bills Of Coy. Matteson' stok-secured
estate Bank"-bills which in fact had
never before been outside the vault So
Mr: Hunks thrust the bills theoretically
into his coat pocket, laid it softly under
his pillow, slept soundly over,it through
tie night, to awake in tue morning to a
full sense, for the first tipe, Of the ve1-
alton of having money in Mis- possession,
and not knowing what to do with it. He
dare not deposit it with his other old friend,
Geo. Smith-he, too, might go by the board
and be compelled to run the gauntlet of
panic-stricken depositors.
"a bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush = and cash in hand is worth at
least; one per cent. more than money in
bank in panic times, especially if it be a
suspended bank. But what is cash Is
it pile Of uncrumpled paper pictures,
such as he had IN his pocket? They were
stock secured-if converted into gold, it
would cost three pet cent, Gold was more
difficult to secure-it might be stolen
so might the bills-hls house might be
robbed some nig ght, and there were already
rumors about that money being drawn from
the bank vaults was in the pockets, tills,
chests, and stockings Of the people, and
burglars were prowling around to seize it.
Thus, being bufetted about by doubts
and fears, nothing was done with the mon
ey.'-: Then he realized that the possession
of cash, as well as the desti:ution of it,
was very uncomfortable thing. 1t was
certainly no time to pay debts shall a
IMAM part with all his ready means Of liv-
ing to- pay debt? and it is doubtful
whether Mr: Hunks had any debt to pay.
Casting about among a multitude. of
doubts what to do with the money, whether
to deposit it OF not-to exchange it for gold
or MOTTO pay or not to pay-to be rob-
bed Of it or, not-Hunks held fast to the
package of "pretty" bills; and somewhere
about his premises on Wabash avenue, in
a place unknown to his family, unknown
even to the writer, they were placed on
deposit; and thereafter Mr.. Hunks had no
money 70 answer to the many calls. His
fund had all been locked up in one Of the
suspended banks. 1t was verv unpleasant
VERY uncomfortable, but his creditors
must wait, as he had teen compelled to do;
We were all in the same boat to sink or
swim together. -.
MI. Hunks economical supplies for the
winter had been prudently gathered ID.
He had hauled his wood from the timber
lot, but he owed John, one of his laooring
men, 6ye dollars for saving it and putting
it snpgly in the shed; he owed . small