Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1875-09-04
Truth and Fiction.

In one Of Chas Dickens wonderful ere
otions-Littlc Dorritt, we belicye-we
/ have the story Of a banker who played
most wonderful and brilliant role, and A.
/ last closed up his earthly arcJunt by sui-
/ eide In his bath=tub. This london BAN
! kcr hal gathered about himself all the
/ c&ternals that contribute to the creation
! of public confidence. His home, his
equipagcs, the diamonds that adorned the
females of his family, dazzIed the tyes
/ and blinded the judgment " all those
who came within the circle Of hi infiu-
enCe, He was supposed to WELD some
| unfailing talisman that turned all things
into gold, and to have q ken that solved
all the peTplcXiHg questions Of commerce.
and trade. When he chose to wine and
dine anyone, the latter felt that it was a
personal favor to himself to be allowed
| to place his fund, la the hands of this
Midas for safe kc"ping. For years the
/ bank over which hc presided reached ont
/ into every land and swept every sea, bat
| at a moment when il seemed strongest,
/ the structure crumbled, and one fine
morning London awoke TO the bitter re-
alization Of the fact that it greatest pri-
vatc financial institution had not been
anchored upon gold and bullion, but on
the shifting sands of speculation. The
great banker the night before had stepped
into the brilliant drawing room of de-
positor, and for the first time i'm his his
tory became borrower. lie did not ask,
however, for specie or for bonds. lie on
ly wanted q pcn-knifc. The lady of the
house called for a writing-case and told
, him to choose such a knife as he might
, prefer. lie took one with white pear
handle, and the lady laughingiy said tC
him, ''Do not ink It," lie replicd-.'l
shall not ink it," lie then proceeded I,
Il bath house, opened "a vein in his arm
and in little while was dead. In few
hours the story was known, and a wild
aud helpless crowd Of creditors gathered
about the doors of the great bank.
This is story by Dickens, but th'
great novelist did not overIraw the pic
, mrc. The career Of Ralston, the head o
the san Francisco gold bank, was in al
respects similar to that Of his Englisl
prototype. He too had entertained mag
niflccntly. His houses were palaces, ant
his country residence was capable o
meeting the requirements of 4 hundrct
guests. His salary of fifty Thousand
dollars per annum, and his private rev
enues from other sources, were supple
mcntcd with fund of Twenty-Five thou
sand dollars, which was intended to b,
: used solely for the accommodation of hi
friends. or course those who ate canva
backed ducks and drank champagne a
the hospitable board of Mr.. Ralston
placed their funds at his disposal and new
> er dreamed that the financial structur
that had grown up beneath his eye, coul'
ever crublc. But crumblo il did, and las
! week he went down TO SAN francisco bar
aud took a swim which proved to DC hi
last. His death, according to the verde
Of the jury, was from apoplexy, but
has a very decided air of suicide. III
had, a short time before, been requisite,
to resign his position by the board of iii
rectors, and had also been ordered L
leave the room where they were sitting
That under such circumstances lac wOul
have quietly gone to the beach in orde
to enjoy his usual bath, is scarcely prob
able. He was doubtless in the same fran
of mind a. that other banker, who wa
able to say so emphatically that he woul
not ''ink' the borrowed pen-knife, AN
his grave is that of the suicide.