The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-01-17

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to Be hired. The two old gentlemen wer
to act as cashiers, treasurers. bookkeepers
entry clerks, and general accountants.
Matters went on quite pleasantly. DC
casional deposits came in, which were in
creased, and the old gentlemen. cultiyatine
{ she neighborhood, warmed up with thl
work, and conscientiously did their duty
when they advocated thrift aud economy
In fact, the results were quite satisfactory
and the old gentlemen, for certain time
were never happier in their lives than wher
managing the Fountain.
| One day, there lounged in quiet-look
ing man, certainly a mechanic, and of the
better class, too. The mans clothes were
decent, a trlfie worn, and he had on a col.
oredl shirt. There might have been Just a
curl of wood-shaVing mixed with his hair
and from the brim of his hat, as he took il
OF, there fell a little shower of sawdust
In fact, he smelt of yellow pine, and was
to all intents and purposes, carpenter.
lie was not arich man. he said. ssonly
able to save a scrap here and there. Care
ful wife. Nothing like that, but grow
| ing family. Good boss and all that, and
fair wages. What the boss paid him, on a
pinch, might keep them all, but was doing
a fair stroke of night-work. Wasn't a
| spreQr. Took his drink sometimes, when
he wanted to, but not habitual The gen
tlemen in the bank knew that a little never
did any harm. Yes;- he thought they were
sensible. Well, passing along-he went
by the Fountain Savings every blessed day
thought he would drop in. Was it only
per cent. they gave? That wasn't
enough. Wasn't business man much, but
had Heard that money was worth as much
as that by the single month over in New
| nPH haf f1i6 il
money? Well, bond and mortgage was
safe. Would they let him have a state
mentS? Didn't expect he would under
stand much, but the old woman and the
| boss would, and he would carry it home
| Liked the look of the Fountain. Was a
| plain man himself, aud. though he would
be glad enough himself to build the insides
OF some of those savings banks, with their
rosewood holdings and headings, and
that sort of thing, didn't believe
it helped a concern much. Would
do fof hotel or barber-shop, but he
went'ln for what was plain, he did, and he
would bid them go0d-morning, and he
might or might not call again"
"A week afterward he did call, accom-
panied by a friend, andthe two old gentle
men felt suresof opening an account. .sIt's
the boss. He believes in savings banks,
and hf and the old woman says they think
you ate safe-they do, y said the carpenter.
''Pitys you hadn't thought of it before,
Hosea, . said the boss, Though L amt
bit better off nor you. What [ have got
is some mighty sorry houses-had to take
'en1 for mechanics lien Hang me, if
worklhen amt better off now than the
bosses. If this here Hosea does make a
deposit or so, and fellow wanted just
little mortgage on fair holise--first mort
gage, mind you-you woul1n tmind oblig-
ing man, would you? Of course know
that's a matter the Directors usually looks
to. Hosea, you amt got circular. have
you? Left it at home? Well, then, let
me have another. Hosea, put your money
in at once, and that's my adviee,'' and,
having given his views, asking for circu-
lar, the boss ceased speaking.
Thejourneyman carpenter hauled out
wallet, and counted out slowly, one, two,
five, ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty dollars
most Of it ST bills, and great deal of it in
fractional currency and some 5-cent pieces.
Some of the small bills fell on the floor.
Now the obliging Cashier made it rs cents
too little, and now it was 80 cents too
much.i In the meantime the other old en-
plyee was looking up a circular. He
Wantefl fresh one, with pea-green cover,
for Hosea's Boss. At last the count was
made correct, a pass-Eo0k was brought,
and the big book for signatures was graeed
with HOsea's signature after quite an
amount of labor and blot. The circular
of the Fountain Savings Bank, with the
pea1green cover, was then politely handed
to Hosea's Boss, and they 1eft,as did at the
same time certain tin box, containing ex-
aetly $40, 900 in United States bonds, the
property OF the aforementioned Fountain
Savings Bank of Templeton.
How it was done no one ever knew. and
no one will ever pretend to know. All the
old gentlemen knew about it was, that
when fhe days labors We're over, some five
hours afterward, when they went to lock
up theisafe, the black lacquer box was
goneI
Polieel Detectives!
OF course they We're put to it straight,
and they moused over it, and ferreted at it.
and got on trail, which they declared to
be as strong as q cable, which twisted itself
into TWO trails, then into three, and then
into al thousand, each strand of which
turned out to be as flimsy as a cobweb, and
would not stand any tension. Then the
Fountain Savings Bank Directors, with
much good sense and no small expenditure
of money, gave the detectives up.
Queensby was one of the Directors of
the Foflntaln, and though the loss of the
$40, ,00G never worried him at all, as the
Fountain was perfectly solvent, and, if
necessary, he could have made up any de-
ficiencE in their capital in five minutes,
nevertheless Queensby was curious to know
how the trick was done. Being of a singu-
larly persistent and obstinate nature, he
thought it over for months, and then was
forced to give it up.
Some ninety days after the robbery,
QueenSby was in the Corridor Hotel in
New York. He had an engagement with
u capitalist and was waiting for him.
Presently a gentleman came toward him,
looked him Straight in the face, and said !:
:. Are you not Joseph Queensby?n
g am was the reply.
" Wen, then,'' said the person, present.
ing card, 8 this is my name. Take it. 1t
may be- of use to you some day.
Mr.. Queensby took the card and read,
{. Chaucer Lotus. .
''Mrl Lotus? And how can you be of