New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-01
SAVINGS BANK ROMANCES.
INTERESTING EXPERIENCES TOLD BY
THE PRESIDENTS.


THE DOORS OF THESE PRosAIc rSsTrTu-
TONS AND HERE ARE FEW OF THEM
savings bank would not generally be looked on as
a place to be haunted by budding genius In search
OF materials for his great romance. which the
monthly magazines will vie with each other to secure
the right OF publishing serally. and which in book
form is sure. in the authors mind. to run through
edition after edition with marvellous rapidly. The
usual conception OF such bank Is that 1t keeps going
through a humdrum. prosaic round. The tellers and
clerks constantly busted with pass books and
cash books and edgers and large numbers Of people.
most OF them of unnteresting type. come In from
time 10 time 10 make deposits. consisting largely or
greasy bills or tightly clutched coins.
True. there vast sums OF money handed. and
IL you 10 get the OF Of the bank officers
he will discourse readily OF the millions OF dollars
worth OF securities deposited In the vaults under his
care the average drygoods clerk does OF the wares
he offers people the other side OF the counter
There Is something beyond the grasp OF the common
mind ir deposits that run up as is the case with one
Of the New-York savings banks to more than $4,000
OO0 and Il gives pause TO be told that the interest
paid by this bank to It's more than hundred and
twenty thousand depositors amounts to upward OF
Sc. 600 annually.
MUST HANDLE THE MONEY THEMSELVES
That truth Is stranger than fiction. or at any rate
sometimes strange, can. however. be learned De-
hind the doors OF a commonplace savings oank'
though the clerks porting the big blank books
from morning till night may know II not Many ac-
counts in these banks opened by people OF little
means and the sums their credit gradually ac-
cumula,e from small beginnings. Thousands OF them
have only limited education. and IL Is hard for them
10 realize that they get the beneht OF the IN
terest accrulng on their money, unless they actuay
see the amount entered In their pass books every six
months. Some so further. The figures are not
enough for them. They must see and handle the
cash for themselves 10 be convinced So it sometimes
happens that one of these doubling Tnomases VIII
present his book to paying teller and have the in
terest due him counted out. and then. without ea'-
ing the bank will join the line on the otner slde oI
the room and deposit IL again
II one has the good luck get several presidents OF
savings banks together and. when they are through
with talking business hear them exchange interesting
experiences. he will have an enjoyable hour. Here
are some OF the things which he will be likely 10 near
or might have heard any time within the last Few
years Imagine a group OF presidents seated around
glowing seacoal fire in the luxurious ONCE OF one
Of them After the conversation has become gen
eral." as some Of the novel-writers say MI dis
courses 10 this effect:
THE PRESIDENT WHO VIOLATED RULE
81 don't know whether any OF the rest of you have
ever had anything like this In your experience or not
II is against the rules of course for our bank to take
charge
must pead guilty 10 violating the rule. to certain
extent. myself In one Of the drawers in my desk.
for the last six or years | have Kept the DOCK
Of woman who opened an account mat long ago;
AS soon a. she had done so she came TO me ana tod
me- a moving tale Of The cruelty Of her husband,
saying that he would give her no peace day or night
AFRAID to take the book home with her. she had
no place to conceal 1t where ne could nor ma H. ana
she didn't want to tell any friend about "nat she
was doing unbeknownsi.' as she misht nave sdIu.
So she begged me, with tears IN her eyes 70 aow her
-. NTH ma nd a a
sen ed to take charge Of It, Every now and then she
in here asks f0 me BOOK IRs Ger aeeoah
now amounts 10 about s6Og And tnink can say
that have never surtered trSna yoIs,ion Of
rule OF the bank
CNsCRUPULOUS LAWYER AND CoNFfDING
DEPOsITOR.
Mr.. having been acquitted by The unanimous
silence OF his confreres, President began 20 speak
4 don't want 70 bore any OF you who may have heard
this before" he remarked. but 1t certainly was a
singular experience Some years ago a hard-working
mechanic opened an account in our bank TO which he
added regularly for time. After that for long
period the account lay dormant. growing by the add
In some way an unscrupulous lawyer heard Of IT,
md after the manner Of his kind went 10 the me
ne he asked II will prove to you that there is
sum Of several thousand dollars due you and put you
n the way OF getting the money! The mechanic /
was naturally astonshed and was easily prevailed
IN by the snooh-tongued lawyer to sign contract
hat II the lawyer could make out such he 7
aid he could the money should be divided between
hem There1pon the lawyer J ie. out , hs sect
| savings bank Oh know all about that replied |
he mechanic: have known all along t. that had
ract in the mans face, and. though Il plain |
,ase Of fraud. the man believed 1t was valid con:
ract and actually gave the scoundrel lawyer half !
he amount in the bank
oAzED BECAUSE SHE HAD so MUCH MONEY. |
After a suitable interval President took up the !
ale. 81 don't know that can do better" he began.
than 10 tell little story which heard few years
lao from the president OF OF the Brooklyn banks
md shall try tell It nearly possible In his
,wn words as I recall them. AS sitting in my
office one day Of the young in the oank
.ame 10 me and showed a book which bore date
II many years before. He said IL had been brough: In
by an old woman told him to send her TO me. On
inquiry | learned that she could neither read nor
write but she said the book belonged her and she
1ad put money in the bank long time before. AZ
nearly she could remember. the amount about
skcd anxiously If it was not ali there assured her
at It was and proceeded 10 question her as TO why
aid that many years before she had been employed
servant in Brooklyn. and had taken all she could
After time she went away from the city and had
never since set foot IN It until mat day she was
90 and get her money Again she asked II /, all
here. indicating the book. and OF course tod her
seemed TO convey no idea to her mind. became con-
vinced that she entitled 10 the money. and told
ID BEEN sg m active ali When
work was done found that the amount due the old
woman about $4,000 She simply dazed, and
asked how 1t could be. explained well could
.boIt me interest but she was unable to understand
when the money was brought to her "Oh, sir" she
said you don't know what you have done for me-
can't understand az all how all that money belongs
10 me; but do you know | shan't have do another
lays work as long as I've I don't think said
my Brooklyn friend in telling the story. that ever
had keener appreciation Of the benefits Of savings
banks than at hat moment and fancy all Of y:
place"