Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-22
MUST BE IDENTIFIED.
HOW STRANGERS ARE ANNOYED
WHEN TRYING TO CASH A DRAFT.

''hSiN w ItN1 " SFNO'' - O'"' -
A Man May Have Millions In His Pocket |
and Yet BE Unable to Buy Meal. |
How Checks Are Made Payable In Eng |
land.
A rich man compelled to pawn his watch
Tor square meal and nights lodging.
That was the strange situation in which
young Englishman who had just landed in
New York found himself the other day. He
bad arrived from the West Indies, where he
invested nearly all the money on his person
in draft for e200 on New York bank.
Anxious to get train for St Louis the same
day he hurried to the bank for his money.
The teller refused to pay the draft until he
was identified.
And the young man was an absolute stran-
ger in New York;
"Your people in the West Indies took my
good money for that draft and want it back
again. Am | to infer that this is bankrupt
institutions"
He got no satisfaction, lost his train and
had to pawn his watch for meal and bed.
\ fellow passenger identified him the next
day. | was discussing the matter the other
day with a very liberal American who has
had much banking and mercantile expert
ence here and abroad "Amercans,n said
lie, ''are the worst bankers in the world
They don't know the first thing about bank
ing Even to the smallest details foreigners
can give us points. The methods pursued in
the mere paying and receiving of money in
New York suggests the idea that every man
who enters bank is possible thief. This"
he continued, Judging by the numerous de
| falcations, might apply to the officers of the
| bank, but it is most unjust TO the public. A
| person who goes into store where he is
| surrounded on all sides by valuable goods
| is not supposed to be there for purposes
of rohbery-and why should it be differ
ent in bankf Indeed, New York in
this respect never seems to have
| gotten beyond its village days. Nothing
looks more ridiculous to n London mercantile
man than to see a long string of persons with
| books in their hands waiting TO make de-
pOsit through cubby hole with a solitary
receiving teller-and it is the same with the
payment of money. A bank with a large
| business ought to have half dozen receiving
| and as many paying tellers at large, wide,
open counters Why all these cages and rail
ings and bars and peep holes through which
you are occasionally permitted to catch a
glimpse of the tellers nose who suddenly and
unwillingly hands you your moneya They
don't have these things in England, and rob
berries in banks there are rare Here despite
all these precautions, they are frequent, and
a large proportion are committed by those in
side OF the railing and not outside of it.
NOT A PLEASANT MATTER
Il don't like to be looked upon when en-
ter a New York bank a stranger as if | had q
natural prediction for perjury and forgery
for the teller is not satisfied if You tell hin
your right name and even sign it-you must
be identified In England checks are usually
made payable to bearer. Shall | cross iti
asks the drawer, which means that by draw
ing two lines across the check and inserting
the words Bank and Co between the line.
the money can only be collected through
bank or banking firm. Otherwise any
bearer can get the cash at the bank withou
any questions being asked except, How vii
YOU have it, | may send anybody with M
check payable to bearer for e, 600 to
hank and he will get the money withou
any trouble. In New York bank sucl
an amount would create the utmost con
sternation All the detectives in New
York would be Immediately rung up L
aid the officers OF the bank from presi
dent down to janitor in watching tn
rash intruder Here a check or draft i
usually made payable to order, but
stranger may indorse it in the presence O
the teller and he'll never get the none
without identification, no matter what ord
nary proof in the way OF letters or cards tn
holder of the check may have about his pei
: son. Of course, if paying teller has goo
reason to suppose that check or draft ha
been stolen or found he would be justified i
refusing payment and holding the party wh
presented it: but in ninety nine cases out {
a hundred there are no grounds for susp
| rion. Foreigners are always grumbling 9
| our stupid rules, and if il were once know
abroad that there was banking house i
New York that would pay drafts to peOp
without identification, such a concern woul
soon have the cream of the travellers dra
business
This attack on the system pursued her
which is certainly unworthy of a great IN
tropolis, recalls an experience of my Owl
n II ltnu VI iiiio opiiip 9tais acp SaNu iilo
check for 81 200, payable to me or bearer, c
the Sixth National bank of New York. l pr
sented it. Don't know you,n said the telle
Neither have | the pleasure of your a
quaintance, was the answer, 'but my nau
is on the check and | am also the bearer
"Can't help it; its too large an amount
give to stranger, and you must be iden'
fed" MY friends are out of town, said
"and President Arthur is in Washington.
can't very well send for him" "Well, wor
~ give you the money" "Then write yol
reasons on the check" "No, l won't
that" "Then," said l, II am newspap
man. shall protest this check and proclai
in Wall street this afternoon that the Six
National bank refuse. to honor the chec
drawn on it" got the money.-New Yo
| Cor Globe Democrat