East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-12-17
The Haunted Bnnk of Hamburg.

Haroldsons, came from Copenhagen 10
Hamburg about the beginning Of the
eighteenth century, and set up the first
Danish bank in that town, as its charter
sets forth for the benefit of all m erchants
trading with Denmark and the Danish
colonies, They got grant from the
town-councl--at that time in great
friendship with our King Frederick ~.
of a certain old building in the Alstar
Stress, which had been Camelitc con-
vent before the Reformation. The old
place had undergone many changes, aud
had been occupied by variety of tenants
a baron had held state there, a merchant
had done business, jailor had locked up
debtors and offenders, till it became too
runous for their safe custody; and the
merchants of the city, who always called
our country poor, said nobody but Danes
could set up a bank there, the AlStar
Stress had grown so old and out of fash
ion. 1t did not cost much to put the
building in repair, and that was consid-
Grafton, for tie house Of Ilarolds9n and
Co. was not rich, thor.s;,a King Frederick
had promised him his patronage, aud
they did business from Copenhagen to st.
Thomas The refectory served for a
counting house; the closter cells accom-
modated the manager and his clerks, who
in those times lived on the premises; the
convent kitchen was their dining hall;
and the crypt of the chapel, once dedi-
Gated to Our Lady Of Mount Carmel and
said to be the oldest building in Ham
/ burg, was the strong room OF the bank.
/ In process # time, all that was changed,
as the firm grew rich aud prosperous and
modern fashions came in; the ruinous
parts we're rebuilt, the cloisters were al
tered to Offices, the kitchen and refectory
became the dwelling of the porter, new
counting house was made out of part of
the old chapel; in short, the whole build
ing was remodeled, till nobody would
have thought it had ever been a convent;
hut the crypt had been 50 securely filed
up, and was so admirably situated for the
purpose, that 1t continued to be the
strong room. The manager and his
clerks had got houses of their own by
this time. The latter had greatly in
creased in number, but the chief desk
was still occupied by a Peterson, and the
manager was still Haroldson. In those
positions the grandfather of the one, and
the great-grandiather of the other, had
been established in Hamburg nearly a
hundred years before. The business and
confidence had descended in both families
but each had kept its level till the time
of my story, when Mr.. Christian Harold
son was manager, and my father, John
Peterson, though only twenty-five, which
is thought young for Dane, was allowed
to succeed his lately deceased father as
chief clerk.
Christian Haroldson deserved his first
name, if any man did. He was steady
church-goer, good liver, and an honest
man. His clerks and dependents sale
there never was better master. The
merchants of the town would have taker
his word reader than most mems bond
and all who knew him agreed that Har
oldson had but one fault or folly, and tina
could scarcely be blamed, for it was the
thinking too much of his son Frederick
He was the only boy Of seven children
The good mans wife had died when the,
were young; and he had brought up hi
six daughters, with the help of their ole
nurse, to be good women and careful
housekeepers, in our Danish fashion, hac
laid by decent portion for each of them
had married the three eldest to honest
men of his own standing in the town, and
said he would be satisfied with husbands
of the same quality for the three remain
ing; but he had set his heart upon rails
ing Frederick above banks and business
,, One reason for this was, that Haroldsor
recxoned himself of high descent The
: loss of their lands in bloody King Chris
tian's time had made his forefathers TAX
to banking, which they learned in tn
Hanse towns. Their descendants hac
carried back the business to Copenhagen
from whence his grandfather brought i
to Hamburg. But the north has lonl
memory. The Haroldsons had been no
BILE, and traced their pedigree to a Dauisl
Soaking. Christian kept the deeds anc
parchments of his family, their escutcheor
and great seal safely locked up in al
oaken chest, which had come down from
father to son ever since the Haroldsons
fed from King Christian to the Hansc
towns, and used to open and look at then
on his high holidays. Frederick was to
inherit these heirlooms, and regain tho
ancient honors of his house, for besides
the pride in his noble lineage, Haroldsor
was proud of the boy, from a notion thai
Frederick was clever. Nobody could OIL
would undeceivc him; school.mastcrs
friends, aud neighbors knew that the only
son for whom so much thought was taker
had little capacity, less spirit, and was
likely to turn out sort Of scapegrace
but in a hidden, underhand way, for
Frederick had great deal more cunning
than courage. Christian had different
opinions of bis son, and great designs fol
him. He sent him to the best schools in
Hamburg, spared no expenses on books
or clothes, never let him in the bank ex.
cept to see it, which the boy did to every
crevice ard corner for he was curious
and his father was manager; and when
he was just eighteen, sent him to the
University of Copenhagen, to study
+ Danish law, that he might come to be a
counsellor Of state one day by his talents,
and reclaim his family title.
u. 4 IL