The morning times., 1895-09-01
TREASURE TROVE TALES
Money Can Still Be Lost and
Found These Days.
WEALTH LYING IN BANKS
Through Death or Accident Accounts
Are Forgotten, Especially in Saw
ing nstltutIOns-Some Stories OF
Such Incidents Hunted Up by
Times Representative.

The most enhancing OF all EtOTies are
tales of treasure trove These stories
it may regretruny be said, are growing
fine by degrees and beautifully less The
grasp Of the end Of the century man, woman,
and child is 20 firm on the dimes or dollars
that they seldom get lost and SO there are
no finds
The story OF the millions upon millions
that lay for centuries in the savings bank
of the Isle of Monte Cristo was written
once for all time People listen with an
air of surprise to tales of money forgotten
In banks for years and years. They would
as coon believe that one fine day they
might be walking in the shade OF the Zoo
past the branches of the shrubbery, and
walk right into the castle yard of the
Sleeping Beauty
But for all that money does get lost in
banks, sometimes in small quantities, some
times in large quantities. Men are robbed
and murdered. Their pass books are gone
forever. That fellow passes in his checks
thereafter to the note teller in the great
beyond.
Sudden insanity overtakes another man
or woman Perhaps he or she is a miseT
and their books are hidden away from
sight At any rate, they are lost. Ten
TO one they are alone in the world, and
the misfortune oyertakes them IN a foreign
land. Again, there are scores Of people
who, unused TO accounts, keep their own
and imagine that they have drawn out their
whole wealth. A part remains, which in
time climbs up 10 a large sum Men are
accused of crime. They know they are
guilty, and leave their home and city. II
is not worth while to risk detection for q
small sum They win not return and they
will not send for it, and so it lies there
and may become q considerable amount.
ONE CASHIERS VIEWS.
"There is not much chance for the accu-
mutation Of unclaimed sums in our bank, &"
said the cashier Of Riggs & Co the other
day 10 The Times. We keep only active
accounts, and we succeed in locating our
clients whenever their accounts are in
danger of lapsing in confusion or of being
forgotten or neglected
THAT you viii find to be true of all
national banks in Washington and else
where. There is a possibility OF some such
interesting instances OF neglected accounts
in the savings banks, where interest accumu-
lates."
The statement Of the Official at Riggs
& Co.'S was found TO be the fact, by
inquiring at a half-dozen Of the national
banks
At one Of the savings banks, the National,
# was different Cashier T r. Jones
said: "Yes, there were two illustrations
Of the point IN question quite recently
atthis bank Large sums were notinyoIved
for the reason that most of the savings hanks
OF this day have only a modern history,
dating from the panic OF 1878. The prin-
ciple involved N these two cases is the
one, however, on which you make the
inquiry.
"A young man came to me the other day
with an old pass book in his hand. 'Ifound
this he said, among my fathers effects.
What is it worth?' 1 told him its value,
and he received the amount, as he was en-
titled to 1t.
I'm the other case il was a father who
presented the book of dead son, the rec
ord coming accidentally into the posses
sion Of the father
Mr. Jones would not Iurnlsh the names ln
these cases Dor the amounts.
A another bank, the cashier would not
give instances from his present bank but
said tnat the richest field OF inquiry in this
line was the old-time individual bankers
many Of whom survived the crash OF '73.
- was one OF that class myself, he said,
'and III tell you story that a great many
would make a yellow bank book out Of
A SOLDIERS ROMANCE.
.Tn1SG4, a handsome esoIdieraCcompanied
by very pretty girl came into my office.
He belonged to the Fifth United States Artl-
lery and had been on a furlough He
made a deposit OF 81 ,12O in the name Of
James H Hunter. He gave me instructions
to invest for him in real estate here and
I did so buying smaHIot on Massachusetts
avenue north west.
In 1877 lawyer from Summerville,
s. G., called on me on behalf Of a certain
widow, Mrs. Ella B. wellborn, and made
a claim to the property, as the relict of
William Wellborn. WeIborn, he said, had
deserted from the artillery at Summerville
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