St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-13
UNCLAIMED DEPOSITS.
Some People Forget That They
Have u Bank Account.

Boston journal.
There were many deposits" Sold
the treasures, which the owners
had entirely forgotten about. Some
were sums that were placed to
the credit of children by fathers who
had never told them of it. Advertising
them had the effect of causing an in
quiry, and very many of the deposits
were claimed by their owners. L cannot
say whether the amount is greater or
less than in 1887, as only an extended
search through our books could de-
termine that point -
when our list was published" re-
marked the officer of another bank,
lone OF our depoSltors whom we had
not heard word from for about thirty
years learned of the fact way out in
Iowa. He Immediately put on his hat
and walked from beyond the Mississippi
to Boston. When he came in he asked,
with some indignation. what we were
making his account public for. He
said he had kept track of the bank and
knew it was all right, and rather re-
scented our making him take con-
Stltutlonal of some 1,500 miles for such
a trivial matter of writing up a book
of deposit.
Another of our depositOrs was a
newsdealer; in TACT, he sold his own
papers on the street. He used to store
the papers that were left over in large
room where he kept his desk. The pa
perS were packed around the walls of the
room, and in time so narrowed the space
in the center that at last there was only
room for chair and table. Then he
had to clean house, and III removing his
papers he came across his old bank book.
The account, which had reached more
than S1.S00 and was drawing nOinterest,
had been repeatedly advertised. and the
owner had time and again carried papers
containing his own name. AS he could
not read. the advertisement was lost on
him. The book. however. proved to be
reminder, and he came i'll and got his
money. A sea captain sailed away, and
was not heard from for more than twenty
years. His wife did not lay the founda-
ton foran Enoch Arden story by marry
Ing again, out when twenty years had
passed dOnned her widows weeds and
applied for letters of administration
upon his estate. This awoke the latter
day Rip Van Wrinkle from his twenty
years silence, and in strong letter
from California he protested against be-
ing administered upon until he was
dead, and ordered US to hold his money.
1t seemed he had track of his family
and his moneyin roundabout way, and
when he saw that his money was likely
TO be touched he dropped circumlOcu-
ton and spoke directly to the point.
Ordinarily executors and adminlstra-
tors are much more jealous in looking
up possible deposits than the men IN
whose name they stand. Scores of let
ters and dozens of people come in to in
quire if such person had deposit
here. They think he ought to have
saved some money; that he lived in Bos-
ton and made good wages; or possibly
they think they have seen the bank book
at one time or another, or are quite sure
the person in question said he had
money in a Boston bank, but do not re-
member the bank. There isn't one case
out of a thousand where anything comes
of these searches. but the fact that they
search so diligently reduces very much
the chances of any deposit being per-
manently unclaimed. In any case all
the banks can do is to hold the money
committed to them, for they cannot tell
when the rightful owner or its legal
representatives or heirs may not walk
in and demand it"