Evening journal., 1899-02-17
ODD AFFAIR IN BANKING.
Peculiar Manner In which Chicago
Deposition InduIged in
Charity.

There isn't a great deal of romance
in my business" remarked a prominent
Chicago banker, but now and them
something turns up out Of the ordinary
and makes us wonder at the peculiari-
ties Of those who have dealings with us.
1 recall an instance just now which is
as yet not explained, and viii never be,
l fancy, as the chief actor in IL was
killed some time ago in a railway acci-
dent. Inever 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 indicated what
his business was. He was about so
years of age, and very rarely came TO
the bank. Naturally 1 never gave him
a thought, for $4,000 is not large de-
posit On Chicago, and beyond his de-
posit had no interest in him.
Il happened, therefore, that when
one day 1 received a personal letter
from our depositor was a bit sur
prised, and was still more so when /
read it. do not recall the exact word
ing, but it was TO the effect that within
day or two a woman would present a
check drawn by him for So, 900. and that
as she was unknown he wished me to
see that she received the money with
out trouble and that she would bring
with her a means of identification in
the person Of little girl. who would
answer correctly the questions / must
ask her, as directed in his letter, with
the answers as he gave them. These
questions were simple enough, being
only the child'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. Five
thousand dollars was a good deal of
money to let 60 on that kind of evil
dence, but that was all 1 had, and the
depositor was in California, so that
could not see him personally.
"The next day the paying teller came
to me with his eyes bulging, saying that
about as hard a looking case of beggar
woman as he had ever seen was at his
window with a check drawn to the or
der 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 the money, he had come to ask me
about it. sent for her to come into my
private Office, which she did, bringing
little girl with her who was no less
a picture Of abject poverty than the
mother was. All she could say was that
she had received the check by mail from
a 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. 1 asked the child the ques-
tions l had been requested 10 ask and
she answered correctly each one, which
relieved me of further responsibility,
and / ordered the check to be cashed.
The woman did not seem TO be greatly
overcome by her good fortune, and as
l 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 win
dow. She asked for the money in $50
bills and, wrapping it up in an old news
paper went out of the bank without a
word 10 anybody.
"She was no longer at the address she
gave when sent a messenger there to
make inquiries, and her benefactor
never saw again, for he met his death
on his way east from California.
fancy he would not have told me the
story of his life, but l shall always won
der if the name we carried on our books
was the one he had carried in his
youth. h."-Chicago Inter Ocean.