Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-23
THE WIDOW DID ALL
He Never Lost nis lead in Busi-
ness but love Bested
Eve" Him:
Story Of Danall cameron, Bank
er and the Willy Widow
from America.
Altering His Node of Life, He
Loved, No, Wisely but
too Well.

the commercial world, says an EX-
change, was a private institution, own
cd and managed by Donald Cameron,
who appeared to be about 80 years old
when | entered his employ and who
did not look a day older ten years later
when the tragedy of which I am about
to write took place CAS- good as Cam
eron's bank" was a popular saying.
AS honest as Donald Cameron" was
another. LAS hard headed and sensible
as Cameron was a third. He was, as
matter of fact, q shrewd, levelhcaded
Scotchman, as honest as you please and
as conscientious as you ever find a
man in business or out of it. He want
ed all that was due him, but nothing
more.
There were four employees in the
bank, and Cameron himself did not
miss q day for twenty years. He was
his own cashier, while | had the place
of teller. | don't think there was ever
an opportunity to put my hands on
over $4,000 had | desired to rob the
bank, but before | secured the place
he made himself safe to the amount
of $4,000. Even the janitor had to
furnish q bond, although there was no
possible chance of his getting at a dol
lar. While he paid fair salaries, Mr.
Cameron had the reputa ton of being
very tight and close. Some people said
that he had never been married be-
cause he was too stingy. After a year
nT /
was because he was unlike other men.
He did not seem to be aware of the
existence of womankind except when
one of the sex had dealings with the
bank, and then he treated her exactly
rs if she We're a man.
While | fell into his ways after bit
and was with him for ten long years
| never got to know him. He never
smiled nor joked He never threw off
his icy dignity for a moment. He never
departed from the first rules laid down
He had our time figured down to min
uteS If any of us were obliged to re-
main even one minute over time we
were paid for it. If anyone was min,
ute late in arriving at the bank it was
charged against him. We had so much
stationary to last a month, and if one
extra envelope was used it had to be
accounted for. He once charged me 4
cents for accidentally breaking ruler;
he made the hooklleeper pay 2 cents
for hreakiI . a nenhoIder; the ianitOr
fell over his broom and had to pay 10
cents for Il broken handle, although
he spliced it and continued to use it
for weeks. tell you these things
about Mr. Cameron not to slur his
general character, but that you may
thoroughly understand the sort of man
he was.
For nine years there was but one
break in our routine We reached the
bank at q certain hour and moment,
and generally left just as promptly.
Everyone hung up his hat and coat
on the same hook and selected at the
start There was no change in en-
ployeS. no painting or papering-noth-
ing new The break occurred when |
cat'led a forged check for 1000. It was
4 neat piece of work, and I believe
Mr Cameron himself would have been
aupnd When | discovered that | had
been bitten | handed the banker 600
and the forged check. He made no re-
mark whatever, but at the end of the
month he charged me UP with loss Of
interest on the money for thirty-four
hours. | made no protest and that
ended the affair The forger might
have been caught. but Mr. Cameron
had suffered no loss and he would have
charged me with lost time had / spent
even five minutes consulting with the
police. This was in January and the
beginning of my tenth year with him.
One day in May q strange lady called
and had a long interview with Mr..
Cameron in his private office Tt was
only at rare intervals that a strange
lady entered our place This one was
about % years of age. richly dressed.
and as handsome q woman as you
would find i'll 4 weeks travel We
learned after 4 bit that she was a
Scotch-American who had returned to
the mother country to assert her claims
to 4 large estate. I suppose the object
Of her call was purely business. but it
had queer effect on Donald Cameron
You'll think ii funny that 4 man like
him. 7rd If th9t date fully 60 years
old. should be upset al of 4 sudden by
4 woman. but such were tho facts in
the case. When that hours interview
was ended and Mr.. Cameron returned
to the counting room he was n changed
man. He was actually trying to smile
When he attempted to nick ND the
routine business no waS nervous and
uneasy. and WHOM no put on his hat
and went ont unon the street without
saving whom no would return we look
cd at each other with something lilSt
CONSERVATION
Well we had queer times in the
Cameron bank for the next few months,
and the public did a good deal of sly
gossinning about the banker We got
the news from outsiders that the vo-
man WAS widow aud very we'll off:
that she expected to get about 100000
out of an estate: That she was STAYING
at Il Fashionable hotel and that the
most famous law firm in Scotland had
her case aud were sure of success. A
well-llnawn estate was then in litipa-
ton. md tho papers had something
to say almost daily. Mr. Cameron
could have found all the inside nartir11-
lars fv having lawyer So. but l doubt
if he would have parted with q bob
for full information. After events prov
ed that he accepted the widows state