Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-16

hand of Mr.. CLARK, who reetprocated.
Seats were now taken, ara thestirst gen
eral chat of such meetings ensled. Al
last something like the following TOOK
place:
t1Mr. President, am a broker, and
have some of your notes for which l
want the specie"
Certainly, Mr.. Clark. What amount
have you?n
"Well, perhaps ] have more than you
anticipate.p
"Wby, what sum is it?n
"very much larger than you usually
have presented, presume.
/ This catches the ear OF the president,
/ who recalls "Old Nick's" letter OF m
struetions. Mr.. President, with plaho
smile, remarks;
awe shall be most happy to give you
the specie, whatever the amount, MT
Clark
1t is Mr.. CIarkis turn, now, to indulge
\ lin a soft inward smile. How little Goes
the President dream of the crushing
| bundle of Savannah notes now IMP
iing over his doomed bank! With
no1oLnIance. which only a broker can
nut on, Mr.. Clark finally replies TO MI
| Presidents inquiry:
Zone hundred and seventy-three thou
sand dollars
Strange to Mir. Clark, the President
never WINGED. With q look of some
surprise, he said:
hThat is a very extraordinary cum oil
our notes for even a broker TO nave.
/ How came YOU in possession OF sucn an
anount of Savannah notes, Mr.. Clark! ~
| al don't know that / need TO make
any explanation, sir. All ask Is the
II hone, Mr.. Clark, that this does not
cover any malicious attempt to lnJure
our bank" e..
~ repeat, Mr.. President, l came Ior
/ the specie for these notes, and Woulo De
Obliged if you would let me have II.
"Oh certainly. Cashier"
The Cashier presents himself, pen on
,'This gentleman says he has one hum
/ dred and seventy-three thousand dollars
of our notes. for which he wants the
specie. Please count his money and
tive him the specie. l suppose, how
ever. YOU will prefer drafts for the most
of This. Mr.. Clark? How will you have
tbern-ou New York or Philadelphia?
or are you wanting to place funds In New
Orleans%"
~ want the specie"
i "Verv well. Drafts on New York will
be specie to you, of course. What amount
of draft will you have, and how mnch
II want no drafts at all-Only specie,
sir"
HBut so much specie will cost you a
very large sum for insurance and trans
| pOrtation."
"That is my lookout, sir."
/ ooh, very well, beg your pardon.
! Give him the specie, Mr.. Cashier"
Smilingly the polite Cashier received
! Mr.. Clark's pile of notes-counts them
announces the amount correct, and re-
turning to the back room, calls one or
two clerks to the vaults, and attacks the
specie kegs. And now they roll out
the memorandum calling out in clear
voice, Give thOusand'-"ten thou
saud';-"fifteen thousandn - twenty
thousand'' twenty-five thOusand"-
and vet steadily the kegs rolled out, and
the clerk called aloud the accommodating
specie.
York, admired the cool and easy way
in which the President played his "blut'
for in his heart, Mr.. Clark was sure
ii was a sheer bluff. There could not
be fifteen thousand dollars specie IN that
bank, by any possibility: And so, when
the President, after his directions TO tne
! Cashier commenced a social chat on
General topics. Mr.. Clark responded. No
sign was made by either, which lnd1cat-
ed the real thoughts of each.
| Clark was sure he had Mr.. President
fouI-and Mr.. President knew Mr.. Clark
was hopelessly his victim.
twenty-five thousand" called the
memorandum clerk.
/ Mr.. Clark talked-but ne was greatly
surprised, inwardly.
"Forty-five thousandni
Mr.. Clark's talk was not so easy. He
j was a little-Or, rather, good deal
disturbed. Perhaps those kegs did not
hold specie. He didn't believe they did.
1t was a ruse of some kind. But there
was an astonishing air of matter-of-
fact business in the way those kegs
rolled cut, and in the ominOus voice that
annou ced, "Sixty-five thousand" And
it We provoking to see the sweet seren-
ity which sat upon the face of the chat
ty President. He paid no more atten-
ton so those kegs than II they had
been paving-stones.
"Seventy-five thousand!" = eighty
thousand De ighty-five thousand ~
and the stream of crushing kegs was
still rolling out. Clark, broker from
New York, could hold in no longer
Those kegs might not contain specie
but then they might-and he wanted to
break the bank-not specie. And the
J kegs looked and rolled and behaved
lust as though they were honest kegs.
seNinetv-five thousandr-and there
is another keg in sight and coming.
"Mr. PRESIDENT Clark broke in upon
, that officials opinion of the probable
J cotton crop-"on the whole, / DOM
know but that l might as well take
, draft on New York"
The CLEAN in the Presidents eye tolC
} Mr. Broker Clark that he was vicJim,
, beyond peradv enture.
t'Not now, Mr. Clark. 1 offered you
drafts, and you declined them. The fact
= is, am very much obliged to you fol
} taking so much time, and spending so
: much money as you must have done, tC
bring all those notes down here for the
specie. It is Just what l wanted, anc
! YOU have come just in the nick of time
: to pay for the risk and insurance of get
ting that specie to New York; fer JUS
: where you v Ill take II Is Just where
want it. You will have the specie, ant
I want the notes. The bank is greatly
obliged to you Mr. Clark; and will be t
+ Won, or any of your friends, hereafter
) when you feel inclined to help us in tbs
same way"
"One hundred and twenty-five thou
! sand" said the voice. And so Clark
: the New York broker, 50 brave an hOul
8 before, now went all to pieces. He jus
begged for terms, and the President, re
tanning only as much specie as he want
! ed, giving Clark just as much in draft
as he pleased, sent that defeated finan
! cier off with his heavy kegs, and scarce
ly less heavy heart.
. 1t is believed that no further efforts
were made to break the United State
: Bank in a like manner after the re
: turn of Clark from Savannah, anC
that he never bOasted over that trip
!, even to his employers in the dirty work