Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-10-23
A NAPOLEON OF FINANCE.
His Clever Ruse to Stop Run on
a Bank in Wyoming.

"Wc've got q bank clerk up in our
neck o woods who some day will give
Jay Gould cards aud spa les in the 6 inc
Of inanciering and beat him to a stand
STILL" said Mortz Curren of Cheyenne
to reporter. Gle is only nineteen
years old, but is hummer. Two or
three months ago, while the President Of
the bank was away, the cashier of the
bank was taken sick and in few hours
was in delirious state The young
Napoleon was left in sole charge of the
bank Some evil disposed person started
the story one afternoon that the institu-
ton was in a bad way, aud minated
that the President had skipped the
country and that the cashiers illness was
only bluff
''Before night it was evident there
would be run on the institution the
next morning The young clerk knew
there was scarcely money enough to last
an hour. He had no one to advise him,
but he acted promptly. He called on
the leading hard ware merchant and held
q brief conference. Then this young
Napoleon went home. where he found o
committee from the depositors awaiting
him. He did not wait for them to speak,
but made this bluff: 'Ircluse to discuss
business with you. There will be $50, :
600 in gold here in the morning, and
there is like amount in the safe. You
may draw out every dollar you have de-
posted, and We'll be glad to be rid OF
your small accounts Then he turned
on his heel and left the committee.
Bright and carly there assembled at the
bank the creditors
'Just before time for opening the
doors an express wagon was driven up,
III which were seated two heavily armed
men, one Of them the Waterman Of the
bank A pathway through the crowd
was made and the Waterman began carry
ing into the bank canvas bags containing
gold coin, as indicated by the promincnl
marks. Some Of the bags were marked
| $1,000 and one or two $40, 000.' The
people saw these bags, heard the clink
of the metal, and, believing the bank
was o. X. were about to move away.
Just as the last bag Of gold was handed
into the door the young tinancier threw
the bank open. The crowd dli not
make any effort to reach the paying
teller's window. Come on now, every
one of YOU shouted the clerk. No
one responding, he made another bluff.
You must come and get Your money
We don't wan your accounts any more
Here, jim BARLEY, take this and sigr
this receipt in full. Here, Bill Wyman
come and get your dust He insisted or
their taking the money.
just at this juncture the committee
came in and begged the clerk to stop
They almost got down on their knees t.
ask the bank to keep their money. Tn,
young Napoleon finally consented, but
! declared that if there was ever ANY more
nonsense he would throw every deposi
tors money into the street. The Grove
departed happy and confident that til,
| bank was one Of the strongest institution
Of its kind in America. Their conf
dence might have been shaken had the,
known the canvas bags marked So, OOi
gold, &c, and bedaubcd with red seal
ing wax, contained nothing more or les
than iron washers, which the young ma
had purchased from the hardware man
who had otherwise assisted in the deccp
ton, he being convinced Of the sound
ness of the bank The two men tn
young Napoleon insisted on paying in full
the bank had long wished to get rid OF
II Cheyenne (Wy.) Leader.