Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-07-19
FUN In A BANK.
Some of the Laughable Things That
Occur in the Centers of Money
Handling.
A Few Suggestions That Many People
May Profit BY.

York Graphic reporter the other day.
"Well, l should say so. Most people have
an idea that there is nothing except what
Is prosalc and common place in the bank
ing houses, but they are altogether wrong.
Some of the funniest scenes / ever wit
messed happened right here in this bank.
I'll give you sample. Years ago man
| whom We will call Jim Simpson, because
| that wasn't his name, was one of our de-
positors. Jim was character. He kept
tavern few miles out of the city and
did g brisk business. He was Yorkshire
EuglIshman, stoutly built, and over feet
high, with rudy face, and keen, twink
| ling eyes.
Jim used to come in every Saturday
and deposit his receipts of the week, often
| 5000 or $500. Well, he Invariably went
| through the same performance. Stand
ing by desk near the teller's window he
would take out his big pocketbook, draw
out his roll of bills and begin counting
them over, laying the ones, fves and tens
| each IN separate pile. Then he would
pick up the fives, lay them crosswise of
the tens, count them again, put the twos
across, and go through the same process
until he satisfied himself that his coant
was correct. 1t often took him fifteen to
twenty minutes to get his money arranged
in shape for depositing.
"One day, when he had an unusually
| large amount of money spread out before
| him, stranger entered the bank, walked
up to Jim without saying word, nudged
the old man with his elbow, and pointed TO
the floor under the desk. The old fellow
Supposed, Of course, that he had dropped
bill, and stopped down to look for it.
Quick as a fash the old man swept the
pile of bills off the desk, crammed them
into his pocket, and was out in the street
before Jim had time to straighten up.
He looked around, saw the retreating
stranger, then looked at the place where
the money had been, and broke into a
loud and hearty laugh. We'll, I'll be!
said he, then laughed more noisely than
ever.
''None of US in the bank had noticed
what was going on and had no idea what
the old man was laughing at. l never
saw person more amused than he ap-
peared to be. Repeating over and over
| that he was willing to be - haw-haw-
ed till the walls fairly echoed. It was
sometime before he recovered his gravity
sufficiently to explain what had occurred
He was so greatly struck with the ridicu-
lous nature of the trick that had been
played upon him that he seemed to re-
gard it as more than an equivalent for
the money he had lost.
"Another man who used to have an &C
count here, whenever he drew any money,
always asked for small bills, twos and
threes,' and he kept up the practice years
and years after So bills ceased to be is
sued. He kept some government bonds
here, and came around at regular inter
walls to request US to 'cut off the cowpens'
for him.
you have read, perhaps, of the coun-
tfyman VINO bought draft to pay q note
which was about due at some bank in a
distant city, put the paper in his pocket,
imagined it to be a receipt, and only
dreamed of his mistake when he received
notice that his note was about to be pro-
tested. have known just such cases my
self, but people may joke as they like
about the country folks; / had much rath-
er do business with them than with some
of the smart city men who imagine that
they know everything and seem to think
cashier is wonderful ignorant if he says
he doesn't know them.
"Often in answer to request for iden-
tiication, 1 have been greeted with the
L
with this bank before you was born It
is amusing to see what a ridiculous pas
sion such man Will sometimes get into
when he told the fact may be exactly as
he states it, but the bank does not know
him now. It is to be expected that people
who are unfamiliar with banking rules
and methods will give good deal of an
noyance, but there are others like the
man I have described, who do the same
thing in order to impress Us with the
sense of their Importance.
Gan amusing thing took place in our
bank few days ago. A laboring man
had been given check by weil-known
contractor and came in 10 get his money.
[ told him he must be identified. The
man started, not having the fainte5t idea
what the word meant.
DO you mean vaccinated?' he asked.
Ono, no. replied, after turning away
to laugh. Bring somebody here that
knows you are the person named in the
check. We can't pay money to people we
don't know
"The man departed and returned in
about fifteen minutes accompanied by his
wife. he seemed greatly surpris I'd when
told him that her Identification of him
would not be sufficient, and that he must
bring somebody who was known to the
people in the bank. After had wasted
half-hour making explanations the maker
of the check happened to drop in and L
got rid of my troublesome visitor.
"There are any number of people, |
sometimes, think, as many as nine out
of ten, who seem to think it no crime to |
cheat bank. IF there is a streak of
meanness anywhere in mans nature it |
will crop out when he is put TO the test
on question of money. Sometimes |
have amused myself by perimenting
with men to find out whether they were
honest. For instance, depositor hands |
i'll his handbook, together with a number |!
of bills and checks, the mount Of are to |
be placed to his credit.
HE has made out deposit ticket, |
which he holds in his hand while I count
the money. How much I ask?' What
do you make it?' he inquired. I name
a sum S. or 80 larger than [ have as
certained the amount to be. If the man
is honest he will say that he thinks I am
u -3taken; but often he will turn around
and make out another deposit ticket,
fixing the amount to correspond with the
figures L have given. Then, OF course, I
count the cash again and announce that
have made a mistake, and TO prove it
hand back the money and let him re-
count it. Men whom nobody would ever
suspect of crookedness are often very
quick to take advantage of a little mis-
take in their favor. / know several
wealthy gentlemen who 1 really believe
would never think of paying any sum,
large or small, that got into their hands
through bank olark's mistake"
A BATTLE IN THE MOUNTAINS.