The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-02-22

eoxEwnRRE near score Of yean ago.
think, rcad the stcry, then hesh. II
1 has been recalled 70 my mind BY lts tell
| ing ii my presence to n Engllsh gentle
man, who oesured us that he cOuld per-
ieOnAlly vouch for IT. ruth, he having had
business with Tie old lAdy u Thread
| needle street while the transaction WAS IN
| progress; and, from this assurance Of IN
| eyewitness, deem the thing worth re-
peating. ! thlnk | remember II y II was
| told to me.
A bill Of exchange for large amount
was drawn by Anselm ROthschild, Of
Frankfort, on Nathan R0thschild, Of L0n-
don. When the gentleman who held it
arrived ia London, Nathan was away,
and he took the bit Of paper to the Bank
of England, and asked him where to dis
count It. The managers were very stiff.
With naughty assurance they informed
the holder that they discounted only their
own bills; they wanted nothing to do
with the bills Of private persons1 They
did mot stop to reflect with whom they
had to deal. Those shrewd old fellows in
charge OF the change of the realm
should have known and remembered that
that bit Of paper bore the sign manual of
man more powerful than they--more
powerful because independent Of the
thousand -And.one hampers that rested
upon them. Il
:" Umphls exclaimed Nathan Roths-
child, when the answer of the bank was
repeated to him. . Private persons! /
will give those important gentlemen to
know with what sort of private persons
they have to dealI''
And then Nathan Rothschild went at
work. He had an object in view--to
humble the Bank Of England-and he
meant to do it. He sent agents upon the
Continent, and through the United King
dom, and three weeks were spent in gath
ering up notes of the smaller denOmina-
tions of the banks own issue, One morn
ing, bright and early, Nathan Rothschild
presented himself at the bank at the
opening of the Teller's department, and
drew from his pocket book five-pound
note, which he desired to have cashed.
Five sovereigps were counted out to him,
the officers looking with astonislment
upon seeing the Baron ROthschild trOub-
ling himself personally about s6uivial q
matter The Baron examined the coins
one by one, and, having satisfied himself
of their honesty in quality and weight,
be slipped them into canvas bag, and
then drew out and presented another five-
pound note. The same operation was
gone through with again, save that this
time the Baron took the trouble to take q
small pair Of scales from his pocket and
weigh one Of the pieces, for the law gave
him that right. Two-lhree-- -ten-twenty
"a hundred-five hundred pound-notes
were presented and cashed. When one
pocketbook had been emptied another
was brought forth; and when q canvas
bag had been filled with gold it was passed
to . servant who was IN waiting. And SO
he went on until the hour arrived for clos
ing the bank; and at the same time he
had nine of the employees Of the house en-
gagged in the same work. 30 it resulted
that ten men of the house of Rothschild
had kept every Teller of the bank busy
seven hours. and had exchanged some-
where about G22, 600. Not another cus-
toner had been able to get his wants at
tended to.
The English like oddity. Let man do
something original and piquant, and they
will applaud even though their own flesh
is pricked. So the people contrived to
smile at the eccentricity of Baron Roths-
child, and when the time came for clos
ing the bank they were not a tenth part SO
abroad, whose business had not been at
tended to. The bank officials smiled that
evening, but a
On the following morning, when the
bank opened, Nathan Rothschild ap-
peared again, accompanied by his nine
faithful helpers, this time bringing with
him as far rs the street entrance four
heavy two-horse drays, for the purpose of
nor+ i, - INV tho cold for tn cov the Rarou