Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-10-08
AN HONEST OLD CLERK,
4 Model of PrObity and Industry Brought
to Shame.
New York Star. ]

New York Star.]
Geo. w. Hunt has been in the employ
of the Importers and Traders bank for
thirty-fve years-ten years as clerk and
twenty, five as paying teller. He was
trusted, beloved and respected. This
summer the president sent for him and
told him not to overwork himself, but to
accept pension equal to his full salary,
and come and help in the work when so
inclined He lived modestly and COM
fortably near Greenwich, Conn, and had
no expensive tastes and no eXtravagant
habits. At home and in his business, he
was regarded as model of probity and
industry, one of those honest old clerks
whom we sometimes read about but
seldom see in these bustling, aYaricious
| times.
One day last week Mr. Hunt was too i'll
to come to the bank, and another teller
took his desk. To everybody's astonish-
ment Mr.. Hunts accounts were
found to be $4,000 short. Of
course he could explain this when
he came back to work. He came back
the next day and was as surprised as
everybody else. But the more he tried to
explain matters the more confused and
nervous he became At last he made
clean breast of his criminality He had
stolen the money. This paragon of thirty
five years service was a thief. He had
been Systematically robblng the bank for
years. Sometimes he took money from the
gold balance, which could not be counted
every day. Sometimes he borrowed money
on his ticket from other banks, and then
destroyed the ticket and made up the de-
ficit from the gold account. His meth
DDS were simple but not sufficient. Had
it not been for his illness, he would nev-
er have been detected until his death.
What had this venerable thief done
with the money? He had not gambled;
he had not speculated; he was entangled
with no tigerish women; he lived plainly
and within his salary; he had
indulged in no extravagances; he
had been the vicim of no manias
for costly books aesthetic furni-
niture, old china, perpetual motion, bal
looming, mining, torpedo boats, dyna-
mite plots or new political parties. Alas!
no; his misery was worse than all these
crazes put together. The poor old man
had son who chad gone little astry."
| L Ut lulS SOu tue uOueSl Olu CltTk UecdIne
a thief. For this son the veteran of thirty
years service stole the money he was en-
ployed to guard. What life history these
commonplace words reveall What days
and nights of anguish must the dishonest
paying teller have suffered! How like
molten lead must all the kindnesses of his
employers have. burnt into that scared,
torn and aching heart!
And now poor old George Hunt has gone
| to jail. If he does not die before his trial
his confession will send him to state
prison. But what becomes of the
son who was "a little astray?'
In what quarter of the globe can
he hide his head! Why has he
not manliness to present himself and ask
to take his fathers place in Jail? The
brand of Cain was an ornament in COM
parison with brand this boy will bear
when the full facts are revealed. If
suicide were ever justifable, here is an
instance. AS for reformation, the son
who would drag his father down to pris-
on, is beyond all chances of repentance
and atonement in this wicked world.