The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-22
AN ODD BANKING STORY.
1t Tells the Peculiar Method of "A
Chicago PhiIanthrOpist.


From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
There isn't great deal of romance in
my business" remarked a prominent Chi
cago banker, but now and then some
thing turns up out of the ordinary and
makes us wonder at the peculiarities of
those who have dealings with US. 1 recall
an instance just now which is as yet not
explained and never will be, I fancy, as
the chief actor in it was killed some time
ago in a railway accident. I never knew
the man personally, but he was de
positor 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 ne made against it never in
dictated what his business was. He was
about 50 years of age, and very rarely
came to the bank. Naturally l never
gave him a thought, for $4,000 is not
large deposit in Chicago, and beyond his
deposit had no interest in him.
1T happened, therefore, that when one
day received a personal letter from our
depositor 1 was bit surprised, and was
stiI more so when had read it. l 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
5000 and that as she was unknown he
wished me 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 correctly the questions 1 must
ask her, as directed in his letter, with
the answers as he gave them. These ques-
tons were simple enough, being only the
chiIds fun 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 go on
that kind of evidence, but that was ell
had, and the depositor was in California,
so that 1 could not see him personally
1.-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 order
of Mrs. Blank by Mr.. -, and that as
he did not know the woman and the wo-
man did not know how she was to get
the money, he had come to ask me about
it. l sent for her 60 come into my pri-
waite office, which she did bringing a 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 re-
ceived the check by mail from a man
instructions to present it at the bank
and the money would be paid to her, if
she would take her little girl with her. I
| asked the child the questions / had been
requested to ask and she answered cor
rectly each one, which relieved me Of
| further responsibility, and l ordered the
! check to be cashed. The woman did not
seem to be greatly overcome by her good
| fortune, and as ! 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
| teIler's window. She asked for the money
in $50 bills, and, wrapping it up in an
old newspaper, went out of the bank with
! out a word to anybody.
''She was no longer at the address she
gave when I sent a messenger there to
| make inquiries, and her benefactor l never
saw again, for he met his death on his
way East from California. I fancy he
! would not have told me the story of his
| life, but l shall always wonder if the
name we carried on our books was the
| one he had carried in his youth"