Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-29
FUN IN a BANK.
Laughable Incidents That Occur ll the
 Centers of Money Handling.

Centers of Money Handling.
 No one would imagine, to glance in upon the grave-faced business fellows who are the tellers and cashiers of banks, that they had, during working hours, any chance to make merry. Yet says the New York Graphic, it seems that they have their share of fun even in the midst of their most important duties.
 Do funny things occur around bank!" said one of the gravest-looking of the boys in the Park Bank the other day. "Wcll, 1 should say so. Most people have an idea that dhere is nothing except what is prosalc and commonplace in the banking business, but they are altogether wrong. Some of the funniest scenes 1 ever witnessed hap pened rght here in this bank. I'll give you sample. Years ago a man whom we will call Jim Simpson, because that wasn't his name, was one of the depositors. Jim was a character He kept a tavern few miles out of the city, and dld brisk business. He was Yorkshire EngGshman, stoutly built and over six feet high, with a ruddy face and keen, twinkling 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. Standing by desk ! near the teller's window he would take out his big pocket-bool, draw out hlS roll of bills
 
 ones, twos, lives and tens each in d separate pile. Then he would pick up the fvcs, lay them crosSWlse of the tens, count them again, put the tWos across, go through the same process until he satisfied himself that his count was correct. It often took him fifteen or twenty minutes to get his money arranged in shape for deposlting.
 "Ono day,when he had an unusually large amount of money spread out before him, a 4l,- Jim without saying a word. nudgcd the old man with his elbow, and pointed to the floor under the desk The old fellow supposed, of course, that he had dropped a bill, and stopped down to look for it. Quick as flash the other man swept the pile of bills off tho desk, crammed them into his pocket and was out in the street before Jim had time to straighteu up. He looked around, saw the retreating stranger then looked at the place where his money had been, and broke into a loud and hearty laugh. Well, I'll be hangedn said he, then laughed more noisily than ever.
 'None of us in the bank had noticed what was going on, and we had no idea what the old man was laughing at. I never saw a | person more amused than he app cared to be He haw-hawed till the walls fairly echoed It was some time before he recovered his gravity sufficiently to explain what had oc- cured. He was so greatly struck with the ridiculous nature of the trick that had been | played upon him that he seemed to regard l 1t as more than an equivalent for the money 1 he had lost.
 Another man who used to have an ac- count here, whenever he drew any money always asked for small bills, twos and 1 threes,' and he kept up the practice years and years after three-dollar bills ceased to be issued. He kept some Government bonds here and came around .at regular in | tervals to request us to cut off them there | cowpens' for him.
 "You have read, perhaps of the country man who bought draft to pay note which was about due at some bank in a distant city, l put the paper in his pocket, imagined it to be a receipt and only dreamed of his mis- take when he received notice that his note was about to be protested. 1 have known | just such cases myself But people may joke as they like about the country folks had much rather do business with them than some of the smart city men who i'm agine that they know every thing and seem to think cashier is woefully ignorant if he says he does't know them.
 An amusing thing took place in our bank few days ago. A laboring man had been | given check by well-known contractor, 1 and came in to get his money. I told him he must be identified. The mar started, not havlng the faintest idea what the word meant.
 "' Do you mean vacrinated?' he asked.
 No, mo- replied, after turning away to laugh. Bring some body here that knows 1 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 heartily surprised when I told him that her Identification of him would not be sufficient, and that he must t Ing some body who was known to the people in the bank. After I had wasted half an hour making explanations the maker of the check { happened to drop in and I got rid of my troublesome visitor.
 "1 have seen men get so angry over a polite request that they may be identified that they would actually tear up their checks, meanwhile denouncing loudly the man who paid his debts with worthless pieces of paper instead of cash
 | "There arc any number of people, some- timess 1 think, as many as nine out of ten, who seem to think it no crime to cheat q bank. If there is a streak of meanness anywhere in a mans nature it will crop out ! when he is put to the test on question of money. Sometimes 1 have amused myself by experimenting with men to find out whether they were honest. There is an easy way of ascortaining. For instance, a depositor hands ill his handbook, together with a number of bills and checks, the amount of which is to be placed to his credit.
 'He has made out deposit ticket, which he holds in his hand while l count the money How muchH 1 ask. What do you make itn he inquiries. 1 name a sum five dollars or ten dollars larger than have as certained the amount to be. If the man is honest he will say that he thinks am mis- taken; but often he will turn around and make out another deposit ticket, fixing the amount to correspond with the figures ] have given. Then, of course, count the cash again and announce that have made mistake, and to prove 1t hand back the money and let him recount it. Men whom nobody would ever suspect of crookedness are often very quick to take advantage of a little mistake in their favor. l know sev- eral wealthy gentlemen who truly believe would never think of paying any sum, large or small, that got into their hands through bank clerks mistake.'
 The Good Old Times.
 A gentleman who resides in Bath, Me, recently gave the item of q trips to Peoria, H., which he and his wife took thirty five years ago. The same trip can now be