The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-06
A Few Bank.Note Stories.

On one occasion the Bank of England
proved much too accommodating for its
own interests. Somewhere about the
year 1910 one of its own Directors, a
man of wealth and OF unimpeachable
honor, bought an estate for 100000,
and for convenience sake obtained a
note for that amount. On returning
home, Just as he was about to put il
under lock and key, he was called
out of the room, and placed the
note on the mantel-piece. On coming
back, few minutes later, no note was
to be seen. No one had entered The
room in his absence, and, after an
anxious search, he came to the conclu-
sion that the precious bit of paper had
fallen into the fire and been consumed.
Hurryin. of to Threadneedle Street he
told his colleagues what had happened,
and they gave him second note upon
his undertaking to restore the lost one
if it should come again into his hands,
and, in case of its being presented by
anybody else, repay the amount to the
bank.
Thirty years afterward, when he had
long been dead and his estate distribu-
ted among his heirs, the supposed non
existent note turned up at the bank
counter, where twas presented fOrpay-
ment. All explanation of the circum-
stances connected with it were lost upon
the presentee--the note had come t.
him from abroad in the course of bust.
ness, and it must be hOnored without
delay. There being no help for it, he
was paid the 100000. Application was
made to the representatives of the de-
funct Director to refund the money. but
they promptly disclaimed their liability,
and the bank perforce had to put up
with the loss. The story goes that ii
was discovered chow or when we are
not informed) that the builder employed
to pull down the dead mans house,
preparatory to rearing new one on the
site had found the note in crevice OF
the chimney, and kept it and his own
counsel until he thought it was safe tc
reap the reward of his patience and I'M
scrupulousness. and so become rich
man at stroke.
The executors of Sir Robert Burdett
found no less than 9270,0O0 worth OF
bank notes scattered here and there
about his house, some slipped into
bundles of old papers, some between
the leaves of books, without a memo
randum anywhere to appraise them OF
the existence of such valuables, much
less of their whereabouts. 4 little better
advised were the executors of the gentle
man who left behind him scrap OF
paper marked, ''Seven hundred pounds
in TILL" although they failed to inter
pref its meaning until they had dis
posed of all the dead mans belongings.
Then one of them recOllected that his
library had contained folio edition OF
Tillotson's Sermons, and wondered il
"'Till' had any reference to it. The
books had been sold to a bookseller.
who luckily had not found a customer
for them, although he had sent them or
approval to a gentleman at Cambridge.
who had returned them as not answer
ing his expectations. The executor
bought the Tillotson back again, and
going carefully through the volume,
recovered notes to the amount of 81, 800.
The Waterman of factory at New
Haven, America, afforded the admins
traitors of his estate no clew whatever
as to the hiding-place of the savings Of
which they believed him to have died
possessed. Overhauling his clothes pre-.
paratory to selling them by auction.
one of them threw an old OvercOat
aside, when a dirty piece of clott
dropped out of one of the pockets Or
examination this was found to be
wrapped around a large cartridge
shell within which lay notes of S1,S0C
value, which, but for a mere chance.
might unexpectedly have enriched 6
purchaser of secondhand clothing.
Some sixty years since Bank of En-
gland f5 note was paid into a Liver
pool merchants Office in the ordinary
course of business. On holding it w
to the light to test its genuineness the
cashier saw some faint red marks upon
it. Examining them closely. he traced
some half-effaced words between the
printed lines and upon the margin o.
the note, written apparently with blood
After long and minute scrutiny he
made out the words: eff this note
should fall into the hands of John Dean
of Longhill, near Carlisle, he will learI
hereby that his brother is languishine
prisoner in Algiers." The merchan
Immediately communicated with Mr.
Dean. and he lost no time in bringing
the matter before the Government. In.
quiries were set on foot, and the unfor
tunate man discovered and ransomed
He had been a slave to the Dey of AL
giers for eleven years when the mes.
sage he had traced with a splinter o.
wood dipped in his own blood reached
the Liverpool counting-hOuse. Liberty.
however. came too late; the privations
and hardships of the galleys had Slapped
his strength, and although he wa:
brought home to England, it was but tc
die.-AU the Year Round