The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1896-04-16
cling down q an ! bants II 81.

ting down Of all our banks in St
Louis.
1.-THE old Bank of Missouri had S400.
900 of the city's money and refused 10
let us check out q dollar, and at the
end Of two months the street cleaners
and other working men collected in
front Of the City Hall and threatened a
mob The excitement got 90 great
(the police sympathizing with the
crowd Of 4, 900 or ., O00) that something
had to be done as neither the police.
the fire department nor any Of the en-
ployes of the city had been paid, and
they were in sympathy with the labor
ers. In the meantime, I, as mayor,
had been in consultation with the
comptroller treasurer and others, and
we decided to issue if we could, some
sort Of a Due Bill that we hoped
would pass current, 80 / stepped out
on to o box in front of the City Hall,
and said to the crowd, L am very
sorry that the money of the city is
locked up. I hoped from day to day to
have found relief and hated to stop the
work that l knew you men SO much
needed at this time, when everything
else is stopped II you will go to the
grocerymen and tell them that l will
pledge them my honor that in ten days
you shall all have your money / think
they will credit you until the expira-
ton of that time. l can't tell just how
/ will have you your money, but I will
have it,. A lot Of them threw up
their hats and said, Well trust you,
and the men that were getting ready to
break into bake shops and groceries,
started away to tell those they owed
what / said.
THAT night l started for New York
City alone, but with the signatures OF
the comptroller and treasurer. and
knowing Joseph Seligman, then liv-
ing. l first consulted him about issu.
ing money and he shook his head and
said, You will get into the peniten-
tiary If you attempt to issue anything
to circulate as money!
II went to Mr. Morgan and he dis
suaded me, and the same with Luther
Clarke, who was then living but I
was in for 1t, and while I was willing
to pledge my entire fortune (then a
million) no one would consider that.
FINALLY I went to Rawson, Wright
g. Hatch, who were then photographers
and engravers for the government, and
told them what I wanted, but they said
they would be held liable. I then
offered to hold them harmless to the
extent of my entire fortune and gave
them a bond to hold harmless, and
they printed me $3.50, 900 in is, 2's
and 3's, of a due bill ON the same
paper the government used, with only
this difference, that the back Of the
bill was brown instead of green, and
that was done to try to avoid the law
against circulating paper or following
the style Of paper of the government.
l was home in ten days and the money
was taken by everybody in the city and
in Chicago and all over the country.
when the banks opened again after
the panic and I made arrangements
with them to take, and we to redeem
it every night, which we did but the
large bulk of it never got into the
banks, and no one had any confidence
in the banks and ones, twos and threes
were handy change.
1.-THE government got onto it in q
short time and sent out two detectives
to look into it and l laid the whole
matter before them, showing that it
was do that or the beginning Of riots
all over the country, and they could
see that the revenue Of the city was
pledged to take up which we did.
"They finally left and did nothing and
some of that money was two years in
coming in, and indeed every few days
it turns up now and is redeemed.
I desire to acknowledge my indebted.
ness to Mr.. Brown for his valuable
letter, and to "a Tour of ST. Louis, u
by j. A. Dacus and Jas. W. Buel,
members of the st. Louis press in 1878,
for information which / have used
relative to the early history of st.
Louis.
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