The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-21
SAVINGS BANK MYSTERIES.
HUNT ron THE OWNERS OF DOR
MANT ACCOUNTS OR THEIR HEIRS.
Strange stories Ii observation-disclosures
Abandoned Through Death or Loss
OF Memory Comes as GOdsend 10
Others After Many Years.

The dormant accounts Of the savings
banks probably cause those institutions
more trouble than all their other accounts
put together, This is not only because
an effort must be made to find their own
ers or the owners heirs, but because
they are looked upon as veritaole capt
Kidds treasures by outsiders, and there
is always some one trying to gain pos
session Of them.
The dormant account differs from the
treasure of Capt Kidd in the fact that
ii really exists, but. like that hlusTaous
eentleman's well hidden booty, the
amount is greatly overestimated, and the
demand for il has been consequently ear
nest and persistent. From time to time
bills have made their way into the legis-
laure providing for the confiscation or
this supposedly large sum lying in the
New York banks. 1t was at one time 10
build the capital al Albany at others IL
has been TOR other purposes anu Tor
whatever reason the money has been de-
maHded, it has always been fought by
They claim that while an account is dor
mant. il is never dead, thar even after
many years there may be claimants Tor
the money and they have no right 10 give
il up. Al one tame they were Obliged BY
the legislature TO publish the names or
the depositors of The dormant accounts
and the amounts, and with most unIortu-
nate results, They were Immediately
overwhelmed by a horde Of lawyers, usu-
ally described under the expressive term
ot "shyster" who brought in fictitious
claims for the moneys. some of them 50
cunningly arranged that the money could
not be refused.
The search for the heirs of the deposit
ors of the accounts now dormant is in
teresting. The Bowery Savings Bank,
which is the largest in the world, aud
next 20 the oldest N New York city, haV-
ing taken out its charter in 1854 has had
many interesting experiences in this way.
In aNaf E.h
RENTING. AT one time there was some
thought Of employing one of the famous
detective firms of the country to locate
the claims, but the cost was so great that
the effort was given up and the work is
done by the bank employees.
Some of the cases that We have seem
like romances" says the president OF the
bank, and they would be If they were not
realities. A dormant account is one to
which no deposit has been added to or
draft made for originally twenty, but now
twenty-five years. When the money has
remained for that length of time undis-
turbed no interest is paid from the time
of the last deposit or draft until a sub
sequent one is made.
Secrecy which is so often an accom-
paniment of an accumulation of money, is
Responsible for many Of the dormant ac-
counts. People put money in the bank
secretly in the names or some members
OF the family intending 1t as a surprise
and in case of their deatp there is often
no way Of tracing the accounts. Many
people too al one time made a practice
OF keeping their books at the bank for
safety, which added TO the Difficult ties
Now We do net allow them to do SO. They
have their books made up, and take them
away again.
Sudden death. loss Of mind owing to
ola age, paralysis, and mental incapaCity
are the cause OF many of the dormant
accounts. But We consider them only
dormant though they remain standing
fifty years, and we hold the money in
trust and will never give it up except TO
the rightful heirs unless forced to do so
by the highest tribunals.
zone OF the accounts which will soon
be settled is that of man who was In
the pipe business in Canal street num-
Der of years ago. He was in comfortable
circumstances and deposited money in the
bank Then he died suddenly his bank
book being in, our care His wife became
insane after the loss OF her husband and
was sent to an asylum, and the children
were cared for by the Gerry society and
placed out under indenture. Since then
they have grown up, and one of them see
ing our advert isernents in one of the pa
pers answered IL and instituted inquiries
at the bank. Some search was made,
and letters OF administration, with copy
of the administration papers, We're found.
They Tailed with our memoranda. The
heirs have opened the account again by
depositing ST. and they will undoubtedly
come into possession Of a sum amount
ing 10 over $1,000.
A Soldiers Queer Case.
"A curious case is that of a soldier who
went off leaving word with us that if he
never came back his mCney was to be
given 10 the HISt poor man you meet.
He never came back and his account Is
still standing Another soldier depositor
was an old cavalryman, a civil war PEN
sioner, to whom we paid 500 one day last
week He had deposited only $40. Some
one had esled his attention 20 an adver-
tsement and he came TO the bank to see
had put money in the bank, although ne
remembered that he had tried to do so
at one time, but on account of some for
mality was unable to do SO then. But
the name. regiment and the test questions
with the signature agreed with our books,
and we were convinced that he was the
man. IL was a pleasure TO see his delight
when he received the money. One dor
mant account we traced and found the
heirs, two Of them both in prison. Thai
matter We let stand for the time being
James Galatin. Sr, opened an account
IN trust for lie Grand White in 1854. The
boy was taken sick about that time and
went TO Texas. taking his bank book with
him he died in Texas of yellow fever
and his band book was probably burned
with his other effects 10 prevent conta-
Elon. Mr.. Galatin's heirs, after his death
made no claim upon the account, as they
might have done under the laws as they
were then. the money having been deposit
ed in trust, ana Adrien lsiin, his execu
tor. some thirty years after the accoun
was opened hunted up Whites heirs ana
found two sisters, searnstresses, who prov
$500 "sH ''s"'''s a"' "ii' 00'Ain S0"'
Mr. Brown, the former president of tn,
bank, was interested in one of the littli
fomances of the bank in which the heir
10 dormant account We're found. The de
positor in this case was a Staten Islam,
man who he'd made the deposit for In
benefit of the children of his pastor there
who needed some assistance, and ne di,
Il without the knowledge of any one. Tn
book was lost. and no one knew that thi
deposit had been made. But after som
search the children for whom the none,
had been deposited were found, and III
money deposited had accumulated in tn
time il had been standing to a suficien
sum 10 give them each good many hun
dreA dollars.
"One OF the earliest OF the many 'Appl
Marys' that have been in New York wa
one OF our depositors. She kept an appl
. stand at Broadway and Tin Pot alley an
al the time her account became dormau
ii amounted TO some So 500. Mary had be
come insane in the meantime and had bee
taken TO Norris Plains asylum. where sh
died. All trace of her was lost at III
bank, but a clue was finally given BY
choir boy of Trinity Church and her heir
We're found and received nice little sun
BY her thrift and investment IN real Is
tate Mary made them well off
"A curious case was that of a man VIII
came 10 the bank some forty-five year
ego bringing pass book showing tina
there was quite large sum of money dfi