St. Landry democrat., 1889-12-07
a Merchants Story.
A TRUE STORY.


Happening q few days ago into the
office of one of our leading merchants, |
was kindly greeted and the gentlemen
present continued their conversation it
as anent their flight of bank defaulters
to Canada, and the probability of the ex
tradition law being so settled as to cause
the delivery of the delinquents to the Uni
ted States. Many remarks were made on
the subject most of them c0ndennatory
of the unfortunate eziles. The owner of
the office did not say a word, he wss seem
ingly an impressive listener. The CONVEX
sation was about to take turn when Mr..
Chester (such | shall call the merchant)
said, II have heard with attention all you
had to say about detaulters, did it ever
occur to any Of you to examine into the
cause of the Gefalcations. L would be the
last man in the world who would attempt
to defend the wrong doing OF any man, if
a man was led into breaking the trust re-
posed in him either to furnish himself
with means to indulge in a life of sin or
dissipation, or to gamble with on change
in the vain hope of acquiring speedy
fortune thst man deserves to be held up
to public odium, and to be punished to the
full extent the law permits. But there
are cases in which l think there are pallia-
ting circumstances, and which | deem
should invoke commiseration. If you
will listen to me shall tell you q case at
point.
Some years ago | knew a young man
who occupied the position of cashier in a
bank in England, he was married and had
three young daughters, his wife was in
consumption and daily expected an in
crease to her family. | need not tell you
that the pay of bank clerks il England is
very small, ali this man had to live on
was about $3.50 year. Paying doctors
bills and providing wine and delicecies for
a delicate wife, left him at all times in
chronic state of impecunity. This was in
the year 1854 Towards the end of the
month of August the bank clerk found
himself without a penny to purchase nee
essaries for his house. He knew that in
few days that payday would come round,
he had plenty of money in his charge, he
thought it would bs 10 sin to borrow ten
pounds from the bank for few days. He
took the money, and replaced the cartridge
sovereigns he had taken with one Of fafth-
ings.
He went home on his way, buying a
chicken and some wine for his wife, the
doctor had that morning said that it was
absolutely necessary that she should have
such nourishment The next day he was
at his place in the bank, when a messen-
ger came in and told him that his wife
was very sick, and that the doctor had
sent for / im. The manager of the bank,
when told the circumstances, at once gran
ted the clerk permission to go home. He
ran through the streets and arriving at
his home, ran up stairs two steps at time,
went into his wife's room-and there
what a sight met his eyes-there lay the
woman he loved with all his heart and
soul, and b. her side also dead, lay his
babe that he had never before seen. He
threw himself on the dead body-be knew
nothing more for six weeks, when con-
sciousness again asserted itself his wife's
grave was green. and he was a prisoner
for defrauding the bank. The clerk who
had replaced him had opened the deceptive
cartridge coin, and informed the bank
authorities of what be had discovered.
The president of the bank and several of
the trustees were old friends of the clerk
father, and through their influence the
matter was mashed up, but his character
in England was gone, ne had to seek a
new home in America. Do you think
gentlemen that man was guilty of crime
Do you think he was criminal to be
ostracised by society? Do you think him
man unworthy to shake the hand of an
honestc'san? If you do gentlemen you
will never grasp my hand in friendship
for | am that man.-LGp4ktU, in The Ap-
DeHj