Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-23
THE BEST WAY.
SAVINGS BANKS OR LIFE lNSUR-
ANCE, WHICH2
Advocates of Both DO Little Figuring,
Follow The Results and Take Your
Choice, as Figures Don't Lie.


Don't you be too sure about thai, sonny
said Mr.. Layitup. Let ne tell you little
story.
Fire away" said Mr. PhiggerS; and so
Mr.. Layitup fired away as follows.
You recollect woman named Margare;
Williams that lived in my family some If
teen years ago. don't YOU We called her
Maggie" PhiggeIs nodded We'll. her
name when she came 10 Us was Margaret
Jones. She was 4 widow. Ii was when
my daughter, now Mrs. Kendall, was born.
Phiggers nodded again. We'll we hadn't
got quite ready for il, and there was no
nurse engaged, SO we took the first respect
able woman we could ind. Ii was Maggie
Jones. She had AZ the time Il little glrl
about two years old. and altho' we didn't
want 10 have the child IN The house, the
mother had no place 10 send il tO-She was
an EuglishwOman, you reCOLect, and Just
over, with no friends in this country: 50 We
had 10 let her bring II along temporarily, IS
we said at first, but IL the child stay ed on
we al got fond Of it ana we put of seudlng
it away until the little girl became actually
as much a part OF the family as the mother
was, and she grew up Is Nl.>. Kendall $ lit
tie companion and playmate. ami her mother
STAYED on as children'S nurse. Well, when
Lizzie Jones was about nine years Old her
mother. Maggie Jones, took it into her head
10 marry again. and that's the way she be-
came Maggie Williams.
John Williams had been foreman of 4
small foundry, and had also been married
before and had three SONS. He had saved
some money and started a OackSmlth'S
shop on his own account. ami was al right
everyday; but when he got married some
life inSurdce fellow got hold Of hun and IN
sured his life for $500. advised him TO
put his money in the savings bank, but he
was pig-headed about II, and stuck 10 the
iuS II turned r'ipHf b.
however, in his case; for in about four
Years one day in the early sprlng-tme, ne
thought il wOulU be u good idea TO leave his
forge for awhile. where had he
got into d washing sweat over the
anvil, and lie down on the damp
ground for little while 10 cool OF.
Then lie cooled Oh into a pneumonia. and
next ne cooled off into his CONN And 50
Maggie came back TO Us widow for the
second time.
Il collected that policy about as quick is
l ever did anything III my I've. AS ! recOI-
lect 1t, there were nearly $500 dividends on
it. That just about paid for burAiug John.
and the rest OF the money divided INTO 1--WE
equal parts. put $500 INTO the EmigrantS
saving banks. nut $500 into tie Seameu'S
savings bank. 800 into the Union dime say
inCS bank. $500 into the Greenwich savings
bank and $500 into the BowerY savings
bank all ia Maggies name: but made her
give me the books, and promise she would
not tease me for any OF the money for an
object l did not approve of.
This seems Il little bit involved, but
you'll see its coming out all straight
sLizZie was about thirteen years old At
that time, and things ran along for about
four years, when she got engaged to be
married. Maggie came to me and said she
thought she ought to have one Of the books
10 tit ont Lizzie to get married and to fur
1. 10 at rr.Ylr Ir.rf
was a good scheme, and gave her the pool,
on the Emigrant Savings Bank. She hadn't
drawn the interest, ami The bank paid her
about-hold on-I've got the exact amount
in my memorandum book; | keep these ac-
counts always with me to show the value of
4 savings bank deposit. The exact sum was
1858 IS. SO lizzie was launched.
- suppose you know what happened
next. In little over wear Lizzie had
baby. It WAS i boy. and they called it
Walter. Maggie came to me for another
book. told her | thought that was TOO
much. and she ought TO ger along with half
of it, which she did. She drew half the
dividends, TOO and that came fo-let me see
just 1885. IS, and this L little more than
paid for the Doctors and other bills and TO
rig out the baby.
But Lizzie was never very strong after
this. She didn't get very well, and lived only
about eighteen months after the baby'S
birth, and then poor Maggie took the other
half of the deposit in The Seamen's bauh,
which had grown 10 $500. -. 10 bury her
child.
SHE lived with us for while longer.
and then the three boys, who had all got
work III New York, formed Il plan to set up
housekeeping together and have Maggie
keep house for them.
''Of course they must have some money
to furnish an apartment, but after that
they agreed 10 run the concern. So | CON
scented that Maggie should draw out the de-
post i'll the Union Dime This came to
s1iS.9S, and set them all up in a respectable
fiat in Third avenue very nicely There
they lived for five Years longer, when Mag
gle died.
Maggie had made will, leaving me her
executor, and trustee for her grandson,
Walter. l didn't think it necessary to
make any division of the household effects,
but let the boys have what was left; and
they buried Maggie at their own expense.
There We're two books left. BY Mag
gie's will l was TO keep these books intact,
and hand the money over TO Walter to set
him up in business when lie came OF age.
AT the time OF MagGie'S death he was he
tween six and seven years old. That's now
about fifteen years ago and about SIN
months back | drew the amount of the
books in Greenwich and the BOwery banks
all together amountineto 81. g3i l., and
bought him i half interest with I. boss
plasterer. to whom he had been appren-
ticed, and he's doing L good trade ana say
ing money.
Now, look here. There was that $500
originally-no more. The savings banks
took ii and they set up Lizzie when she got
married with over $500; they paid the cost
of her confinement and clothing the baby
with over $500; they buried the poor girl,
paying nearly 800: they set up Maggie and
the three boys housekeeping with nearly
$500. and they put Walter III a good paving
business with cash capital Of within
fraction of 5000 more, The total sum made
out of the original $500 was-to be exact
s.. O49 SO Beat that. if you cam
Have you got all through said Mr..
Phiggers.
Yes. for the present" said Mr. Layitup.
We'll. then, I'll ask You few ques-
tions,' said Mr.. Phiggers. and after that
III do little lecturing myself ! keep
memorandum book. too. How old did YOU
say YOUR friend John Williams was when
that life insurance man got hold Of him.
Il didn't say" answered Layitup: but
can tell you-he was just forty-three
And when did he die
Well let me see. He took that policy in
the spring-yes-it was in March. 1853. and
he died. recollect that date very well. in
April, 1863. The policy was paid less than
q month after.
All right: now we can drive ahead"
said Mr.. Phiggers. Come forth. policy
life-quarterly premium, assume quarterly,
wasn't it,"
Yes
Quarterly premium-s9G CO per thousand
total on $500. s2265 March, April
seventeen premiums paid-say 1885 % all