Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-04-29
saE sLuFrEp rHE p,REcroRs.

he BLUFFED THE DIRECTORS.
How u Bank Teller Secured u Raise in
His Salary.
The hotel bell-boy, who was recent
ly sentenced to ten years in the peni-
Tertiary for stealing $3.50 o in a New
York hotel, said that he had hidden
the money where no one could find
it, and where he could get it at the
end of his ten years. term.
If the money is not literally hid
den or buried, but is invested safely
where it will draw interest, the boy
may have about $50. 900 when he. be-
comes IL free nan This boys actions
reminds me of what Il Western bank
teller did some time ago. He was
daily intrusted with large sums of
money. Although his position was
an important and responsible one, his
salary was only $1,000 Il year.
One day he asked the directors to
Increase his salary. They told him
as he was Il single man they thought
he was getting all he needed, and as
much as the position was worth. His
influence with the customers of the
bank. they said, vas not great enough
to Justify an increase of salary.
Next morning the teller appeared
at the bank as usual, about thirty
minutes before the opening hour. He
sent for the directors and said:
Gentlemen, as you know. these
arc panicky times, and an inability
on our part to meet Il single call for
money would precipitate a panic.
There would be Il run on the bank.
and the concern would be ruined"
Eyes"
"Well, there will be a run ON this
bank to-day"
"How do you know"
II know because l have arranged
matters SO that there will be-"
"You?"
"Yes; yesterday you told me | was
not influential, and you declined to
raise my salary. l propose to demon
strate to you to-day that / have in
tiuence to break this bank"
slow will you do it?:" sarcastically
said the President.
~ have taken all the money out of
the safe and have hidden it where
you will never find it,"
"What?"
"There is neither money nor securi-
tics i'm the bank, and when the door
is opened in half an hour you may as
well shut it again at once"
"DOn't you know, sir. that YOU will
he arrested, and that your offcnse
will send you to the State prison?"
IL have considered that. l know
the penalty, and I'm prepared to ac-
cept the punishment. l shall prob
ably get ten years in the p~cnitentiary:
good behavior will reduce that by at
least a year. / shall likely have
light, clerical work to do. easier work
than | do here. and l shall have no
cares nor harassing responsibilities.
| shall have leisure and shall employ
III i'm study. At the end of nine years
l shall leave prison i'm the prinlc of
life. the master of several modern
languages. and otherwise we'll educa-
ted. and / shall have your money as
Il capital to begin life with it. What
do you think of my plan?"
The directors stOrmed and swore
and begged, hut the teller remained
firm. and suggested that they send
for an officer to arrest him. After he
got them thoroughly alarmed. and
when they were almost ON their knees
supplicating that he return the
money, he seemed to rclcnt, and said:
ION II condition / shall return
the money. Ii inside of five minutes
you give me a written contract agree
ing to retain my services for five
years and pay me Il salary of S. 5000 a
year, the money will be on the desk
by the time the door opens for bust
ness"
The agreement was handed to the
teller in about two minutes. He then
put on his Office coat. went to the
safe, opened it. and took out the
money. He had merely pretended
that he had done what he could easil,
have done, and what almost any teller
of any country bank could do any
day. OF course such action is not to
be commended, but it certainly would
serve some bank directors jolly we'll
right If their ill-paid tellers would
give them at least a scare. Tt is a
shame to pay such small salaries to
men who have positions of trust and
responsibility, and it is a wonder that
there are as few defalcations as there
are.-Texas Siftings.
MORE DOGS THAN MEN.