Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-12-25
BANKERS ANECDOTES.
How Persons Who Handle Other
Peoples Money are Tempted
u Was the President, Not the hoy, Who
Wa, theThief-Russeil saEO's Econ-
omy-An Honest Clerk Declines
to Steal 100000.

Three downtown bankers sat at
lunch table in one Of the cozy eating
rooms on the top floor of the Mills
building. 1t was after banking hours on
aploasant autumn afternoon. The mild
sunlight peered through bull'seye win
low facing the bay and danced merrlly
ovor the glitteriug silver and glass para
phernalia Of the table. 1t also caused q
blaze Of light to flash from the jeweled
scarf Of one OF the bankers. The three
gentlemen had met by accident and
thoy tarried over their coffee and cigars
to enjoy u hall hours social chat. One
Of the number had suggested the de-
sirability OF throwing greater safe
guards around the cash vaults Of thanks.
additional checks should be placed
upon the cashiers and tellors," he said.
"Banks must either put stop to these
frequent deialcations or they will suf-
Tor through the speedy loss Of public
confidence.
The youngest and smallest mem.
Der Of the trio. who Is q brisk,
na,ty gentleman, with grayish side
whiskers, q dearth Of hair on his head,
and keen, observing eye, exclaimed;
"Pshawl what can you do? 1t Is inn
possible to keep man honest by
watching him. You must trnst your
cashier and you must trust your teller
TO u certain extent, no matter how strict
your methods are. II man has o
grain of dishonesty in him the realiza-
ton that he is being watched will ex-
cite his baser qualities, and In nine
cases out of ten will make thief of
him. There is that in human nature
that makes man-espec' ally q clerk
proud of being trusted. some men,
| however, are bound TO be thieves, and
whether you watch them or trust them
makes no difference. IhRve in mind .
notable case of what ] call instructive
dishonesty"
"Let us hear IT," exclaimed the othor
two gentlemen, setting back comforta-
bly in their chairs.
IAN right. you shall Lave it. When
my banking-house was in Wall street
10. t 5000 In United States Treasury
notes Of large denominations. One oi
my customers had left the notes at my
Office with request that they be sent
to the bank Of -, which was then, as
you know, one of the soundest fnanciaI
/ Institutions in the city. My customer
wanted his notes exchanged for q Ger
tilted check draw by that particular
bauk. 0f Q urse, after taking the or
der. turned the matter over to ono o.
my clerks and thought no more about
Il for the time being, A few days af
terward the owner OF tho Treasury
notes came or his certified check and
called upon my bookkeeper for 1t
why, have seen no such check, salt
the bookkoepor.
"'But you must have It, ! insisted
u remember distinctly telling you Il
send the notes to tho Bank OF - an,
exchange them for a certified check.
~ recall the circumstance now,
said the bookkeeper, but no check wa
ever brought 10 me-
"a dligeut search was then mad
through the Office and il die not take lon,
to lindth clnrk who had dispatched tn
package of treasury notes to tho bank
he speedily picked out tho messengo
whom he had sent TO doliyer thp notee
The boy was young, and, as ! thought
ve,y honest and faithful, Hp remem
bered having taken the package to tn
: bank, but he said that no did not re
member any instructions concerning
certified check. He was positive tha
he took the notes where he was told +
take them, but he could not recollect 7
whom he gave them. He came diroctl
back TO my ollico and nothing was sal
10 him about entitled check. Well,
sent my confidential clerk to the Ban
OF -, aud he saw the president, cast
> ier and receiving teller, and was a.
surcd in the most positive manner b
1 each one of them that n
such package Of treasury note
MS des ribed had been received {
their bank Next subjected my me-
serger boy to a searching cross exam
nation. He stoutly insisted that he ha
delivered the package " directed, bl
bong mere lad he naturally becam
nervous and began to cry. / told hi
that II he had lost the package an
would lellme all about II would forgiN
him. He, however, persisted in h
first statement, and believing that
had either stolen or lost the notes
discharged him, At the same time
S NJ the numbers OF the missing not
, to the Treasury Department at Washin
ton with tho intnrmalion that the not
had either been lost or stolen.
"Well?" mterrogated the listener
! rs the speaker paused.
J Almost year passed before | heal
ANYTHING of those notes. One day | !
ceiyed Il letter from the Treasury D
partment stating that the missing not
had been presented, together with son
other currency, in payment for son
feg;stored bonds / wrote for the nan
Uf lie person who presented them, al
by return mail received informatit
" thst staggered me. The $1,000
Treasury uotes had been sent to Was
ineton to complete a private purcha
"a, OF bonds by the President Of the vo
III bai k to which my messenger hAd he
l,o ins sent with tho package That man
M no longer bank President hut he
sS saS a rich man, and YOU doubtless both |
M member him. had personal init
es view with him and showed him the i
ia tors that had received from the Trc'