New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-25
THE MISSING BONDS.

lido not think that any story in this in
eredulous age gains additional strength
from the assertion that it is founded on
fact. All have to say in regard to what
follows is that, as to the main events of
my story, what write is absolutely and
anequivocally true, and that, if it was
necessary, could place my finger to-day
on some of the principal actors. l have
purposely disguised all the names, places
and persons, and have, with intentional
earelessness, thrown the story-teller's
xlrapery over the main facts, as an artist
might cast somewhat fimsy fabric over
&lay figure.
Wall street is full of stories Of stolen
bonds, and the efforts of the police and
detectives to find ont where the missing
values have gone to- To catch the thief
is one thing; to find the money stolen is
something else. To detect the former is
not so very difficult, but to find the latter
is quite another thing. 1t may, I think,
be safely said that twice out of three times
$he missing values are undiscoverable
Why should we mouth it? Compromising
felony is, if not quietly whispered, very
broadly limited Mt. That such arrange
nents made with thieves and robbers are
Of frequent occurrence, no one doubts.
Human nature is weak and detectives are
unreliable. The banker has $50, 900
worth of United States bonds stolen from
his safe. This amount of money, or its
representative, suddenly withdrawn from
Ais capital. may ruin him. If he leaves
the matter with the detectives. he may or
snay NOE get his money back; the proba-
bility Of chances is decidedly against it.
Say he as fortunate enough to recover his
snoney; he vii! have to pay foundly for
it. The fact of his having lost such
large amount Of money, il his credit is sem
Sitive. may wreck him financially. II the
banker or merchant is o nervous man and of
an excitabie disposition, his name and the
circumstances of the robbery, printed in
large letters, will be published in a thou
sand papers throughout the country.
Very frequently the facts Of the larceny
will be written in such an exaggerated
inanner, containing even inuendoes ex-
pressed as to his carelessness and imbe. !
Sility in regard to the money. or just as
often the suspicion stated that the amount
&as no thing like az large as was reported. !
that the unfortunate loser will be driven !!
10 desperation. 1t is hard enough to lose |
money without being called an imbecile |
or rascal The most cool and cold. |
flooded men often, under such circum. !,
stances, would be glad to compound fell
Sny. OF course, l am no advocate OF |
treating with robbers, and what write is !!
not to be understood in the least as advo. !
eating it.
The bonds are lost They are worth |
100 cents on the dollar. The loser may |
have to pass twelve months Of constant
agony before he gets them back 1--WE are
taking one Of the cases Of the more fortu- |
nate character), and then has to pay for }
chem, in detective fees, say ten per cent !
IN money, but at over ninety per cent in
personal wear and tear and mental anxi- /
ETY..
FAY that in som. mysterious way the J
banker receives an intimation that the |
thieves would like to arrange matters for
q mere fifteen or twenty per cent, and he
accepts ii2 He has been robbed only a
week ago, and then he gets his bonds
safe back again, Though he may have
paid several thousands of dollars to Sc.
cure them. The facts l have briefly de-
on are known to many on Wall
and Broad streets and on Exchange
place. 4
Some five years ago two or three good |
places were wanted in Templeton for Ger.
tain quite respectable old gentlemen
They were by no means snperannuate
men, nor had they gone beyond their
period of usefulness. These old gentle
men, who were perfectly suave, honest
and correct, had been unlucky in life, but
were fortunate enough to have younger
friends, whom they {the old gentlemen) 1
lad helped at the outset OF their careers
Clerks had got to to be men OF wealth and
,osition, while the old heads Of the frms
tho had first employed them had gone
lown in the world. n
A savings bank, the Fountain, with an