Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-03-18
A RUN ON A BANK.
Local Financial G rIs1s In England
T1ded over BY a Yorkshire Mans
W.T.

A Local Financial rIsis In England
rded over BY a Yorkshire Mans
Wit.
One of my mothers many cousins.
writes Mrs. G. L. Banks, was married
to Joshua Ingham, j. P, and banker
OF Halifax, whose name may be found
in the early Manchester directories as
having a branch in the latter town
or rather attending on the CONNER
claI market days. The Halifax bank
was an old and firmly established one
long before was born, and I was but
an infant when its stability was threat
ened through peculiar and simple
oversight. a party of friends, includ-
ing Mrs. j. Ingham, my mother and
my small self, went together to Bux-
ton, where on the Saturday evening
they were Joined by old Josh Ingham.
as he was called. Sunday passed
pleasantly, and Monday came, when
10! the banker discovered the keys of
of the bank IN the pocket Of his riding
coat. There were no telegraph wires
to flash a message; there was no rail
way train or speedy conveyance. The
dismayed banker could only mount
his steed and gallop off to Halifax as
if riding for his life. At home all
was IN confusion, the keys were miss
ing; the Cashier could not open the
bank. A messenger was dispatched
to Mr.. Ingham; but he was on the
road.
Meanwhile the closed bank had at
tracted attention, excited alarm, and
spread terror far and wide. Soon
clamorous crowd began to gather
round the doors, the cry ''Ingham's
banks broken, having rung through
the town and district with the contag-
ious telegraphy of alright. Manufact-
urers, tradesman, farmers and country
squires were there, with widows and
spinsters, whose all was in the old
bankers hands, alike white with fear
Or crimson with rage. There were
threats to pull down the bank, when
Josh Ing ham, with his horse all afoam,
rode up to private entrance to the Joy
of easier and clerks. The crowd thick
ened to mob. A disastrous run upon
the bank was certain. Sly Josh ing
ham was equal to the emergency.
'Find me three or four panmugs,
cried he, (wooden troughs and zinc
caths have almost superseded the old
Stafordshire earthenware pans Or pan
mugs; but at that time every house
hold contained two or three for bak-
ing, washing, etc. One of these he
filed with gold, another with silver;
others were supplied with sand or saw
dust, and layer of gold on top for
show: these were fairly placed in view
from the counter; and then the door
was opened. The crowd poured in,
struggling who should be first. At
that the the country bankers issued
their own paper, and one pound notes
were in circulation, the Napoleonic
wars having drained the kingdom of
it's specie. The general rush will
therefore be understood.
There was no hesitation in payment
Josh Ingham himself stood at the
counter, while the gold was shoveIed
from the filed panmug, and called to
the people: "Come on, come on give
me your paperl here's gold enough,
and there's plenty more where that
came from. Come along, bring your
books" The sight of the gold had a
magical effect. One Or two of the
sturdy farmers hesitated. "Why
Mester Ingham, they said that your
bank was brokenr Broken! show
me the man that dare say Ingham's
banks broken, or likely to break: nay
man, hand the notes over and take
the gold And so by forcing gold
upon the few he quoted the fears of
many. Those who had been the
most clamorous became the most per-
sistent in their desire to leave their
deposits in the bankers hands, and
went forth to tell the tale of the car
ried-of keys, and ridicule the idea of
a bank breaking with ''panmugs full
o. gold" to pay with. And so was the
credit of the good old bank saved by
toe Yorkshireman's ready wit It
must have been either in the year
1921 or 1922 that this accident occur
red. Mr.. Rice introduced similar
incicent into his novel Ready Money
Mortlboy;" but though I asked him
whether he had not drawn his fiction
from the above fact, he would not say,
Most probably he had.