The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-08-13
Selrft MisrellanlJ.
LED BY TEMPTATION.

Our bank was the First National
Bank of Scottsvillc, a town having a
population of about ten thousand.
There were two or three private banks,
but no other institution having the cap
ital and dignity we carried. The stock
holders numbered nearly thirty people,
and all were residents of the city and
county. Among them were four or
five widows, and quite 4 number of
minors and orphans were represented.
At that date | was young man of
twenty-three, and acting rs cashier and
book-kecpcr for manufacturing con-
Germ. had three thousand dollars in
cash, and with this | bought stock in
the new bank. The organization had
been completed and the institution was
ready to open when the president sent
for me and said:
"James, | have known you for the
past three or four Years. Everybody
in the town seems to speak well you.
Your employers tell me they have the
utmost confidence in your integrity,
and each one of our executive board
has purchased $4,000 worth of stock
in Your name to bring your holding up
to s. 900. and am authorized to offer
you the position of cashier
Yes, | had many friends. | was am
bilious and industrious. | was also
honest No man could" Say l had ever
wronged him in any manner. l don't
mean to convey the idea that was an
exception. There has never been any
scarcity of thoroughly reliable young
men, nor will there ever be. | accept
ell the position with feeling of graft
| tude toward those who had rendered it,
and made up my mind to prove my
self competent and worthy in every
| particular.
In one year we had grasped half the
business Of the county. In two years
there was only one private bank left
We had any amount of money to lend
| Oh easy terms, and whenever an eNten-
| sion was wanted it was cheerfully
| granted. | had done more than any
other man to bring about this state of
affairs. | say so because all the otli-
GERS and stockholders said so. In two
years my salary was advanced three
different times. No man could have
been more fully trusted than | was
My advice was sought and invariably
followed, and everybody complimented
the bank on its sagacitv in securing my
services. | had been with the bank
two Years and four months when Il sin
gular incident happened. One evening
rs | sat reading i'll my room the
| thought came to me like a flash to rob
the bank and escape TO foreign c0un
try. | pledge YOU my word | was
frightened for moment. 1t was rs if
Il voice had whispered in NY ears.
Rob the bank. Why, | would chop
off Il finger sooner than cmbeZzl. Il
penny. What could have given birth
to such thought! | WAS upset and
indignant, and yet could not shake
off the idea. To my alarm | found
myself beginning to reason and specu-
| late. Ii was rs if | had double. and
| the double said to me:
"l on are working like a slave to IN
rich others. lou are getting Il fair
salary, but it should be double what it
is. Why slave away for years to get
a few thousand ahead when YOU can
lay your hand on fortune any day?
1t would he stealing. but then we all
steal 1ou are young and fall fcncr-
gy and ambition. With fifty thousand
dollars TO back You you can 90 to some