The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-02-01
AN OLD BANKING STORY.
1t Tells the Peculiar Methods Of a Chi
cago Philanthropist.

1t Tells the Peculiar Methods Of Chi
cago Philanthropist.
There isn't great deal of romance
in my business remarked a promin-
ent Chicago banker "but now and then
some thing turns up out of the ordinary
and makes us wonder at the peculiari-
ties of those who have dealings with
us. / recall an instance just now which
is as yet not explained, and never will
be, / fancy, as the chief actor in it was
killed some time ago in a railway acci-
dent. 7 never knew the man personally,
but he was a depositor in our bank,
whose account was a personal one to
the extent of $4,000. He carried that
much as a rule, and the few checks
that he made against it never indicat-
ed what his business was. He was about
fifty years of age, and very rarely
came to the bank. Naturally I never
gave him thought, for $1,000 is not a
large deposit in Chicago, and beyond
his deposit I had no interest in him.
1T happened, therefore, that when
one day 1 received a personal letter
from our depositor was a bit surprised
and was still more so when l had read
it, do not recall the exact wording, but
it was to the effect that within a day
or two woman would present a check
drawn by him for S., 1000 and that as she
was unknown he wished we to see that
she received the money without trouble
and that she would bring with her a
means of Identification in the person of
a little girl, who would answer correct
ly the questions l must ask her, as di-
rected In his letter with the answers as
he gave them. These questions were
simple enough, being only the caild's
full name, her age to the month, where
born, the full name of her mother and
her father, and of a little brother who
was dead. i've thouand dollars was a
good deal Of money to let go on that
kind of evidence, but that was all had,
and the depositor was in California, so
that l could not see him personally.
The next day the paying teller came
to me with his eyes bulging, saying
that about as hard looking case of
beggar woman as he had ever seen was
at his window with a check drawn to
the order of Mrs. Blank by Mr.. -,
and that as he did not know the woman
and the woman did not know how she
was to get them oney, he had some to
ask me about it. I sent for her to come
into my private office, which she did,
bringing a little girl with her who was
no less picture of AFFECT poverty than
the mother was. All she could say was
that she had received the check by
mail from man whose name was not
familiar to her, with instructions to
present it at the bank and the money
would be paid to her, if she would take
her little girl with her. / asked the child
the questions ] had been requested to
ask and she answered correctly each
one, which relieved me of further re-
sponsibility, and I ordered the check to
be cashed. 1.-THE woman did not seem
to be greatly overcome by her good for
tune, and as I could tell her nothing of
the man who had given the money to
her she didn't seem to have any further
use for me and went back to the paying
teller's window She asked for the
money in $50 bills, and, wrapping it up
in an old newspaper, went out of the
bank without a word to anybody.
"She was no longer at the address she
gave when / sent a messenger there to
make inquiries, and her benefactor 1
never saw again. for he met his death
on his way east from California. fam
cy he would not have told me the story
of his life, but / shall always wonder if
the name we carried on our books was
the one he had carried in his YOUTH
The Chicago Inter Ocean.