The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-14

1dsntification-A Disbursement of
$500, 900 for One Act-The Mystery
of $4,000 Payment.
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat.
Washington, Dec. 20.-Nerve is a con-
snicuous trait of the successful lobbyist.
New York bank president had this i'm
messed upon him. The bank president
was George S. Coe. At the time he had
been an officer of the American Exchange
Rank twenty years, and during fourteen
of it was president, yet his experience
with the Washington lobby and its queer
methods was something which impressed
his memory with minute details. Among
the depositors having an account with
Mr. Goes bank was Richard b. Irwin.
For five or six years Mr.. Irwin had been
Known to Mr. Coe as a steamship agent.
His balance in the bank had run as high
sssl5,OOO.
Col Irwin, said Mr. Coe. ''came into
the bank one day, as distinctly recollect,
and came into my room. He made some
remarks to me of an ordinary character,
having no reference to business at all, and
then went out As he passed the receiv-
ing teller's desk, in very cool and non
chalant way, he threw down his bank
book with deposit of S735, 900 and passed
out
The deposit was in four checks, one for
$4,000 one for S25, 900, one for $50, 900
and one for S650, 900.
after he had gone" continued the
bank president, 1.-The receiving teller re-
ported to me the facts of this deposit, re-
marking that it was an extraordinary
sum to be deposited by Col Irwin, and /
was quite startled. 1t was about the
time when there was great deal of ex-
element prevailing in respect to locking
up greenbacks. inferred, without know
ing anything about it, that this had some
relation to some stock operation, and pos
sibly some relation TO trick of that
kinda thing that is very odious to me
and asked the young teller why he had
not notified me promptly when the de-
post was made. He replied that, seeing
Col Irwin come from my own room, he,
supposed that knew all about it, and
that answer / thought was quite suf-
fcent to excuse him, for it seemed very
natural. was startled at the largeness
of the deposit by Col. Irwin but the de-
post had been made, and the man had
gone did not think there was any
official prOpriety in my pursuing a custo-
U.
as the bank in its regular course of bust
ness had taken the money. Therefore l
said to the teller:
Let it pass now, but be very careful
and watch the opera tion of this deposit.
4 See who draws the money, so that we
Il may avoid complicating this bank with
& any such operations as are now going on
3 In the street.
with that remark dismissed the sub
lQat font 4 l., 7 = 1
the tellers-al of them-tO report to me
how that money was drawn, whether in
bank notes or in any other form. The
next day passed away and none of it was
drawn at all and the next day there was
Il nothing drawn against this large account
and 1t still remained to the credit of Col
irwin, which was quite mysterious to me-
Inc deposit was made on May %, and
nothing was drawn against it except a
small sum- and it gave an unusual signifi-
canoe to the transaction, in view of the
4 financial interests of the country
AFTER few days 1895, 900 was drawn
out in three checks, one for 1925. 600 and
tne others for 100000 each. These three
cnecks were presented at the counter and
Palo IN money. They came through other
Il Oanks and were so drawn that there was
no way OF identifying the persons who
Ultimately received the cash But on the
s5th OF May there occurred something
Vlat again amazed President Coe and
gave him an impressive experience with
Inc ways of the Washington lobby
IWo strangers came into the bank
gentlemen unknown to me or to any one
taere, y said Mr. Coe. "They presented
themselves first at the paying tellers
gesk and handed him two checks, one for
N'o,0OO and another for $4,000 | saw
.Ie cnecks at the time. My impression is
.ndV they were drawn r. B. Irwin, pay
W my own ORDER and Endorsed in blank,
WI mhlcn made the checks payable to bearer
Inc TWO gentlemen presented them and
euGIiudhued payment in currency. The
Veller' startled by the largeness of the
sums was unwilling to pay them without
oo,le identification, which the gentlemen
REUSED to give. The teller then referred
t tIeIl TO the officers room in the rear of
one o!ank, and they went to the assistant
Lesuier, and he also had the same appre-
nouSloh OF reluctance to pay these large
ttmouuIs without some Identification of
TTe gentlemen who presented the checks.
me TWO gentlemen were then referred to
H. H. qua nearing them very emphatic, for
& nau overheard part of the conversation,
NO aS lN.7 them to sit down and explain to
substance:
and 1--WE We have two checks on your bank
@4a vuey refuse to pay them.
mo- oaiu /: Let me look at them, gentle
o,, Ihey handed the checks to me, and 1
S SSoHe ~ al them. One of them was for
said 'u0i was Aoi Sii''o'0'
varr VOW, gentlemen. you know these are
ny large sums of money!
8 Thu ,nn !! one of the gentlemen remarked:
- so Is not large sum-
E NoI. SAD: Sir, 1915, 900 we consider in
81 ~. lork to be very larg sum-
IN ne answered: we handle larger sums
~ mat or something to that effect.
& tbono 'nen said to them: Now, gentlemen,
me- Is courtesy due between gentle
VIII uu There is a certain obligation
ii in every man owes to the community
& VIII uullng large sums of money and
VI larTo men who are engaged in these
II toks o. transactions owe to each other to
pro,,,'S re OF each other. On that general
q simnI'ui :. l ask you to identify yourselves,
"A paviny Onat | may be sure that / am not
fay gym forged check
sor, me answer of the gentlemen was
Fl thew baI like this, or to this effect, that
ideSStiHsa0u reasons for not wanting to be
identieee9 and that they declined to be
& a roraau l saw that was officially in
Ri ME ne because l could not fail to recog-
IL incoo11;S. ~ rlght Of any man to preserve his
III rigbf a 10 II he chose to do it, nor the
1 chez, VI VI any man to demand money for
& is An payaole to bearer. That, of course,
& gronn5 questionable right. The only