The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1862-12-04
THE ACCUSED CLERK.
BY sYLvANUs COBB, JH.

piled to business. advanced the idea
that somo merchants made their stores
schools of dishonesty, They taught their
clerks all the tricks Of the trade for
their own benefit, and tho clerks, thus
educated, would, after a time, practice
those same tricks for themselves. Mr..
Lamson admitted the truth of the as.
sertion, and then with smile, assured
me that he could not plead guilty to the
charge.
"But," said he, II have committed
errors in business, and have commit.
ted errors in my judgment upon my fel.
lows. When was young, was taught
to look upon every species of dishon'
esty with feeling of horror, and grew
up to manhood with that same feeling
in possession of me. 1 do not believe
that a real virtue can be carried too far;
but | believe that any line ofconduct
may be carried so far as to cease TO be
virtue. l can look back now and see
that, in my extreme ideas Of rigid hon
esty, I became self-righteous and unfor-
giving. In short, forgot the greatest
of the heavenly graces-CHARIrY.
"Let me tell you little story. It
has not so much to do with the moral
of tho subject we have been discussing;
but it has to do with the frailty of mans
judgment, and is, at the same time, in
teresting: ..
"rhirty years Ogo--meroyl how time
1iesl l took George Saycrs to be one OF
my clerks. lie was then sixteen years
DID, and one Of the most active, intelli.
gent and efficient clerks 1 ever employ
ed. His mother was widow and h.
was an only son. He had one sister, two
years older than himself, who had beer
brought up with him. Mrs. Sayers was
an excellent woman, and l knew tha
she had endeavored to rear her children
in the way of virtue aud strictest honor
Ellen Sayers--the sister-was one o
the fairest maidens in our town, ant
the best She was kind aud gentle, ant
everybody loved her The widow wa
very grateful when took her son int
my employ, giving him at once lucra
tive situation without submitting him Il
the apprentice ship of lower service
"Time passed on, and at the end of
\ year gave George Sayers charge of IN.
books. During that year there har
been several sums Of money missing
of which no account could be given
George was in situation where h
could have taken them had he been S.
disposed; but did not suspect him.
I had no particular reason to suspect
him.
II had at that time a number agents o
in different parts of the country, who
we're in the habit of renting money to
me by mail. One agent by the name
of Gibson, was travelling in Vermont
In January, Gibson mailed letter a
Montpelier, containing five hundred
dollars--fve one hundred dollar notes
That letter arrived safely in my count
Iing.room; because I saw it, and saw the
money that was in it. My oversight o
that letter happened peculiarly. l wA
engaged during the day in another par
Of the town, in superiutou ding the al
teration of some machinery in my wool
en- mill Iu the afternoon | had oc3a
sion to 60 to my store, and entered m.
counting room just after tthe boy hat
brought in batch of letters from til
post. office. Among those letters wer
two or three Of private nature, and
put them away after [ had read them
The letter from Gibson, containing til
five hundred dollars, folded neatly u
again, and was sure that put it, wit
the other business letters, beneath
heavy ruler, upon the desk. Georg
was not in at the time, but | supposed
he would return very shortly. I turn
cd tho key in the counting room doc
as | came out, and went back to tn,
= mill. NGtt3Ha Ehe.
about a mouth after this, Gibso
returned, and we sat down to look owe
our accounts. There was n mi stak
somewhere of FIVE hundred dollars
He claimed to have remittod FIVE hun
dred dollars Of which had no accoun
1 Where was his remittance mailcd1 II
looked over tho items, and found tha
a remittance Of FIVE hundred dollar
from Montpelier had never been credit
ed to him. | could find no account o
it anywhere; nor was there any letter aC
companying it on tlle. l called Georg
Sayers and asked him to explain il. Ii
4 said he could not. He had never see
s any such letter--nO such romittanc
had ever come to hand. While the al
If swer was yet upon his lips, the msmor
of that letter flashed upon me--thc le
. ter which / had seen nontA before
and l cast a look upon my clerk whic