The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-08-16
Miss Haines's Brother,

Alihuagh the bank NJ Valley City
was called "The Valley City Bank"
aud was supposed TO be u private inNti-
tuition. it was really one of the seven
branch banks belonging To n Snu
Francisco syndicate of bankers. was
simply IN charge of il on II moderate
salary and under heavy bonds, and !
where no credit was due. The syndi-
cntc erected One-story building Tor
thc bank. The front of This WIS rallied
oil ia the usual why, md the rcnr Wal
divided into two rooms Que was
used as private room in which
business appcrtaining to the bnuk
was transacted and the other was
my bedroom. I was u young man nnd
single, and I hnd not only to net as
president, cashier and teller during
the day, but MS watchmnn Mt night.
The only help ! had was Il book
keeper, and he was only vita mc
three hnlf days per week. The re-
mnindcr of his time was put in with II
shipping firm in the same town.
You will say this was II curious way
OF running n bank, but ! can find
you dozen of them in the territorial
towns of to-day conducted on the
same primitive principles. | was do
ing business with one six weeks ago
where the family kitchen was directly
in the rear of the cashiers window,
and woman who was cooking dinner
left the meat frying on the stove to
come in aud cash check forme. Along
side the burglar-proof safe WAS trun-
die bed, and ON top of the safe itself
was smoked ham and II sack of flour.
II was banking and housekeeping
combined.
II was figured that had only one
danger to guard against \ tough
man might drop in some day and resi-
the muzzlcs of his guns on the ledge
OF the window and order me to pass
ont the money in sight. The safc wn'
always Kept locked, and il was seldom
that | ever had more than 5000 out
side. To prevent any experiment.,
however, gave out that | had ar
ranged II shotgun battery Just where it
would DO the most good, and that by
pi ,ssing lover l could blow the body
o. any bad, bad man through the front
window and clear across the street,
and that he would be dead Mt the end
OF his voyage Everybody believed
this fiction to be fact, and some peo-
pie were so timid that | had to do
business with them away from the win
dow. 1t was expressly stipulated in
my contract With the syndicate that il
received anything for safe deposit it
must be at the risk of the depositors.
and they must be so warned in ad-
vance. l had scarcely opened for
business before n dozen people in
town wanted the use OF our safe, As
we We're to do more or less business
with them, could not refuse to take
p temporary charge of valuable papers
and various sums of money.
The bank had been running about
three months, when my brother Tom,
who mad been telegraph operator at
Big Head, $50 miles away, was trans.
ierred down to Grand Crossing, only
ton miles away, and he seized the first
favorable opportunity to come down
and see me. may tell you that Tom
was u mechanical and electrical genius,
and is now living on the royalties paid
him for hall dozen good things.
When he had visited for couple OF
hours, and he had looked things over,
he said
''You sleep here, and You are loaded
for bear, but it wouldn't be any trick
nt all for u sharp man TO clean you out,
1t won't be another three months be-
fore somebody will try it on"
"Howl"
"Well, you'll get caller in the
evening probably, and the first thing
you know you'll get rap on The head,
and before you come to he'll have
opened the safe and skipped with youi