Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-10-24

"Well, " l said, looking at my pass
book, 4 see | have 60. 335 to my credit.
/ viii leave the odd e35 with you. " He
instantly acquiesced. Had be said, 'No,
You must leave at least $500, as our
rules require" 1 should have said all
right and have made it $500. l drew
out the 60, 800 at once, intending To de
posit $500 before leaving London, bat
in the haste of our preparations l neg
lected it, and my balance at the bank
stood e35 for all the weeks | was on
our piratical cruise to the Spanish main.
Storing most Of our baggage in Lon
don, we took the train to Liverpool, and,
purchasing tickets for Rio, we went on
board the good ship Lusitania.
The firm of Maua in Rio was the
most considerable in all South America,
and Macs introductions were to this
firm. The plan was for Mac to present
himself to Maua 81 Co, and to draw
within "a hours at least so, 900, so as to
make sure of our expenses, and a day or
two before steamer day to arrange for a
very large sum, $40, 900 ar $50, eco
Fate, providence, call it what you
will, seldom fails to upset wrongdoing,
making it rocky for the wrongdcer
By an irony of fortune We carried
with rs that which was going to balk
all, or nearly all, our fine scheme.
In our letters Of credit in some Elys-
terious way the name of the sulnlana-
ger of the London and Westminster
bank had been omitted, although tHis
was absolutely essential 70 the validity
of the letters. There was also another
error, an error Of such an extraordinary
nature-that Of spelling 'indorse with
a "c''-that it is enough to make any
man contemplating an unlawful act de-
spair Of success, since We could be de
feated by so mysterious and Unforeseen
accidents.
A few hours after Our arrival Mac
called at the bankers and was well re-
ceived by the manager.
He told him of his credits for e5, 600
to e20, 900 each, and that he should
want e1O, 900 the next day. Would they
have it ready?
The next day he went to the bank,
George and myself being posted outside
In ten minutes he reappeared with
square bundle under his arm. He smiled
as he passed Us, and, turning corner,
entered a cafe, where we Joined him
His bundle contained 100000 III Bra
lillian bank notes. He assured US that
everything was serene at the bank; that
he could have e1OO, GOO if he wanted TO
ask for it.
The next day Mac went to the bank
ers again and was requested by the
manager TO show the letter Of credit ca
which was indorsed the $40, 0,000 lie had
drawn against ii. Looking at the letter,
the manager said: This is singular
There is only the name OF Nh. Brad
shaw, tho manager, on this letter. j.
P. Shipp, the submanager's Eame,
should be on the credit as we'll " And
then he went on to say that some time
since they had been notified by the Lon
don bank that all letters issued by them
would bear two signatures.
Mac was a man Of nerve, but it re-
quired all he had not to betray his UNI
easiness. He said he really could not say
how the omission had occurred; he sup
posed it must have been accidental, but
he would examine his other letters as
soon as he went back to the hotel
The look Of chagrin and veXation on
Macs face when he came out was
sight to see and one that is as vivid i'll
my memory now as in that faroff day
III 1872. What q sea of misery rolls be
tween then and nowl
He went direct to the hotel, and
there George and soon joined him. We
sat down and looked at each other. The
game apparently was up, and we were
a sorely disgusted party. We did not
fall out with or reproach each other,
but felt we deserved a kicking. We did
not ask each other any questions, but |
know our faces all wore a sadly puzzled
look rs we repeated mentally, "How
could we have made such an oversight:'
But soon another blunder-tLo mis-
spelled wCrd-was to crop up that
made this one ST the omitted name seem
as a fly to an eagle.
Mac and 1 thought the game up and
were mentally planning for fight But
George, being a man Of extraordinary
courage and resource as well, declared
we could and would retrieve the blum
der He declared bold step must be
taken; that as the bankers had only seen
the one credit the name of Shipp, the
submanager, must be instantly put on
the Others We had the genuine sigma
ture Of J. p. Shipp ON q draft, and Mac
at once sat down to write it ON all the
letters. twas a trying ordeal for him,
Macs nerves having had wrench. He
was a temperate man, but under the
! circumstances we advised him to take a
glass of brandy to steady his nerves.
Then placing the genuine signature be-
fore him and the forged letters he began
to put i'll the name. The signatures
were not well written, but under the
trying circumstances it was wonderful
| " well done. All this had taken place
within half an hour after he had left
the bank
II was a trying ordeal but Mac was