Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-06-19

Whlle you are examining. saw some
coupon bonds, your supposed friend
brushes a document on to the floor an
parently accidentally. In YOUR excess
OF ptolitencss you pick it up without
looking at it and ask him if it is his. He
replies that it is, thanks you, walks off
as II on other business and might es-
cape from the building before YOU could
give the alarm. But the gate is closed
and can only be opened on the outside
and only on receipt of the password.
This gate is also one of u projections
against mobs." :
"Mobs?" !:
Yes, indeed. An organized mob
could break into the building as far as.
that point. But when that door is
closed | can direct a current of cleo
tricity through its steel bars sufficient to
XIII a man instantly. BY the time it
was broken down u safe doors would
be closed and bolted, and then we
wouldn't care for any mob. What do
people deposit with US? Oh, well, it
would be difficult to say. We don't
ask what are the contents of their
trunks. We do not take furniture. 1
wish we did. l would like to make ar
rangements so that, when a family are
gong abroad or out of town, they
should give us notice and we would US
dertake the packing and transporting
to u vaults or warerooms of the COM
plete house consents. Then when the
family are coming back, they should let
us know and we would replace every
thing as we found it. OF course it
would he a rroot nrdo,toE;o~ b,+ ~ :,
only a small increase of duty and re-
sponsibility after all. Perhaps it may
be interesting to you to know that the
findings on the desks, tables and floors
during nineteen years amounted to
nearly S., 600, 900, all through the care
lessness of safe-renters. With the ex-
.ception of an inconsiderable amount of
bonds, coupons and money, as well as
a diamond necklace and q few watches,
the whole of this large amount has
been restored to its rightful owners"
"We receive for safe-keeping," said
the Secretary of the Guarantee Com
pany, 'valuables of all descriptions,
such as coupons, registered and other
bonds, deeds, mortgages, coin, plate,
bullion, jewelry, clothing and other
personal effects, assuming all liabilities.
And | a assure you that our deposits
are of the most varied description. We
have a most perfect system of identifi-
cation by which it is almost impossible
for any but the right owner to obtain
possession of the property intrusted to
u charge. We have first of all a
guarantee delivered to the owner and a
password known only to the owner or
such person or persons as he may
choose to tell it to. Then we have as
complete q description as possible of
the owner and we require him to sign
his name.
"Here is an example in point. A
short while ago a lady came here and
asked for certain property. She pro-
duced the guarantee and gave the pass
word. I thought / recognized the face,
but still I did not feel altogether salts
fed in my mind about it. I got our de-
scription book, and then put this singu-
lar question to her:
"'You are not so old now as you were
when you deposited this property; can
you explain thisr
"'Oh, yes she replied; it was my
mother; but she is sick in bed, so she
| gave me the password and asked me to
do her business for her.
"Of course that accounted for the
strong likeness which had struck me at
first. However, l had to tell her that
unless she produced an order, correctly
and fully filled out by her mother, I
could not give her admission to the
vault"
In both of these companies build
ings watchmen patrol night and day,
fully armed, and the faithful perform
ance of the duties is insured by de-
tectors and electric time-clocks. In a
thousand and one unlooked-for and un-
expected places alarms, police-calls and
apparatus for severely furnishing those
%imprudent enough to lay their hands
where they should not be, are hidden.
Fire is combatted on the principle that
prevention is better than cure by a
method of heating by steam generated
by boilers under the street and isolated
from the main NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Times.