The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-12-23
A /" Congo " Bank.

An old broker, who is writing a series
of sketches in the Boston Bulletin, tells
the following story of "colored" bank
formed by number of "gemmen," in
imitation of the old United States Bank
at the time that institution was in opera
ton.
The bank transactions remind me ola
little story that friend (nOt Lincoln)
used to tell of fnancier of New Bed
ford, gemman Of color"
He was runaway slave of more than
usual intelligence and cunning, and
might possibly have picked up his bank
ing ideas from zone OBJ desc berry Balt-
more massas hisself" Perhaps while
brushing Buchanan coat or waiting up
on round table of bank corsairs, that
new wrinkle went through his wool
At all events, in New Bedford he found
q community of contrabands " well to
do in the world, and some of its members
occasionally very greasy with money af-
ter the whalers arrived He started the
project of Congo Bank. =" White men
have bank, why not de niggaY Color
ed individuals institution entirely.
Magnificent proiect-a big thing-into
which the darkies foated like flies to a
lump of liver, and deposited their idle
currency" with the self-elected presi-
dent, who made whites of eyes saucerier
than ever by the marvellous dexterity
with which, like Russeps grave-digger,
he gathered them in
Ode Bank and de Presumdent were
glorious sources of endless turkey COB
bling and pride amongst the depositors
"a great success, in tact-until one day
a certain mig made draw upon the in
stitution for 81, 100 to pay for a schooner
he had just bought, when it 'cochituated'
and closed its doors
A Toured niger wasn't circum-
stance to. the whitened condition of him
who aroused " de colored population
with the astounding intelligence dat de
bank had done gone bust.
A mass meeting was convened at once,
and the crowd demanded instant expla-
nation as to the whereabouts of the as
sets, receiving the usual lucid and high
ly satisfactory statement which bank
presidents generally give on such occa-
sions, viz: I" that the report will be ready
in few days"
But that did not satisfy the Ethiopians,
who held out their hands for truth, and
cheating was misunderstanding in
fact The honor of Mr. johnson was
touched by so malignant an accusation,
and he Indignantly replied:
Cheating? Who say dat? Who
'cuse me OBJ cheating dem? No, sari
All fair and 'bove board in dis bank"
"Look at dat!"
Hauling out sixpenny pass book, he
held it up to the rolling sea of eyes be-
fore him.
"You see dat! Well, ebery man dat
eber put in dollar into de bank, got his
name put down in dis book Ebery ting
am square"
Look 1t am all down in dc book"
Throwing that document into the sway
ing field of ebony and wool, it was soon
torn into shreds by the ignorant victims
in their anxiety to see ifeach ones name
was safely entered; and in the midst of
the row the President stalked out and
over to the &" legal adviser of the Bank, y
who published for him notice, to-wit:
Owing to the wanton destruction Of the
bank, by an unprincipled crowd, com
posed doubtless of the enemies of the in
stitution, it was impossible to furnish de
positors with detailed statement of Its
affairs, until after the lapse of few
weeks And in the meantime all parties
are cautioned against sacrificing theii
claims for less than the full amount o
the same and interest
AS for Johnsing, he always insisted
that 1t am all down in de book" ant
upon any attempt to make him disgorg'
or in reply to any slurs on his honesty
he Immediately put up that shield, ant
froze his antagonists with his honor ant
rectitude in putting it all down in d
book"