The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-27
BANKS HAVE ODD CALLERS.
CRANkS ALMOST As MUCH TO IN
FEARED As CROOKS,

As 70 Tar the Resources OF the pAs
That old man who has just left the bank
said the teller a. he ran his fingers quickly
over the new bills. has been coming to this
place every day for the past two years calling
for money. He comes in every morning ex-
actly at II o'clock and asks quietly if his check
has arrived. / always have 20 tell him M.
and he thanks me graciously and goes away.
was new at the bank when he came In the frat
time. but ! saw at a glance that he had some
thing the matter with his headgear. When hs
asked about his money l told him that We had
nothing and he looked greatly surprised and
worried. He asked many other questions and
then left. He returned the next morning and
the next. and he has been coming ever since.
One day he failed to show himself and I thought
he had given up the hunt as a bad thing For
a month he kept away. but by and by he bobbed
up serenely again.
"I'ye been SICK he said. 'and I hoped I
have not caused you any inconvenience In hold
Ing my money. No money here? What that
Is strange
with this he thanked me and went away.
He will be here again In the morning and he'll
keep coming day after day until death sends
him to a bigger bank. The mani Ia Just a sample
Of what We get every day. although he Ia
the most regular chap OF the kind ] have ever
seen. The boys around the bank feel rather
superstitious now II he fails TO come in, and
I'll gamble that that black porter yonder Will
quit his Job the very first time that old man
fails to make his daily visit"
The teller leaned on the counter. YES he
went on, 1T would surprise you TO know how
many people come here day after day 10 get
money when they have absolutely no reason
for coming. They have no papers on which
money can be secured. but they Just como
right along, hoping. l guess. that some day
they will hit the bank. Now. last weeh a big
fellow who had evidently been drinking rushed
In and yelled to me that he wanted 5000. I
had never seen him before and he made no
pretence Of handing up any papers. He said
he was In a big rush. ! realized at once that he
was crazy and l acted quickly. Reaching back
TO my drawer l put my hand on my revolver
and waited. He did not SEQ the weapon. The
vault Is closed I said, and you cannot get any
money to-day With that he reached hs
hand to his hip pocket, but did not move. I
looked him ~sqlarely in the eye, and waited, He
stood there for twenty seconds, with his hand
So d Without a word he turned his back 10
me and walked out. ] tried to find out who the
man was, but failed, and he never came back
Another time l had a really dangerous crazy
man to handle, but acted ike a nash and pos.
one summer day when the, weather was st,-
fling. .The front and side doors were propped
open v Jet in the breeze; ana ! was looking % ;l, 2ar,
door screaming. looked. W, and saw him
flourish q butcher knife. which fairly slistened
in the light. Where did he 60 witt with mat al
halted and looked at me. Right out that
door | said. quickly, and in a moment the man
had dashed through the door and went sailing
down the alley. A policeman was called, but
| the man was not seen afterward, am sure
] would have felt the edge Of his dangerous
knife II / had not sent him out that door.
was working as a clerk. in another hank.
was standing by he. teller's counter when a
nicely dressed young mar came In, "alsIns
f iSe trllo aWS aSd presented ns % a paper. !%wii 20"
| please cash this for me?' he said. The teller
took the paper mechanically and l9oked at ne
s tTnls e Only ,w y Ticos ,h of white + no paS S"Gd' what Rs s KIND
OF a game are You trying to work. The man
gasped, VIII i is a check. he called Hu,hS anE
The man looked at 1t. Good Cod he cried.
then l am blind. They took him away and he
died at the hospital before he had a chance to
the mans body was kept for six months. Fl
nally II was sent 10 Kansas on the order OF q
woman who wired a description and said 1t was
Handling crank forgers is another dificult
thing about bank work" continued the teller.
after he had paid a mall check for a young girl
Notice that girls eyes? Well, / always do.
Now that girl had a pair of flashing blacks.
The only eyes ! ever saw like them were stuck
deepin the head Of a handsome woman who cams
n here one morning Just after We had or.nsd
She was nervous and kept looking back at tho
door, She went to the wrong window with herr
check and was sent around To me. l took the
p~rofYered paper, looked at II, and turned quickly
toward her. The check called for 81 $50 and Yasl
signed by a retired merchant who always kept
big deposits with us. The signature was rather
peculiar, and the check was drawn in another
didn't like the signature Under the pretence
Of. going TO answer call Tor my services at the
telephone I slipped in and showed the check to
the president. He said IL was good; certainly IL
was, and told me to pay II. But ! hesitated. and
decided right there 10 accept the responsibility
by refusing. went back and told the woman
that the depositor had drawn all his money the
for a friend who had failed TO pay. and that his
other deposits would not be In until the next day.
The woman was excited and became angry, but
expressed my regrets and said II could not be
helped then, although | would be most pleased
TO honor the check the next day. Well, she
wanted 10 make IL warm for me-, and she said
that the man had lots Of money in the bank and
III be here with himjn the morning. You know
he has money in this bank
with that she went away. The president,
who heard the conversation, said ] had acted
unwisely and told me TO go and call her back.
j got the man over the phone and asked him
about the woman. He had given no check, and
the next morning a detective waited In the bank
for the woman. She did not return. This seai
ring ] have here was given me by the man whose
money ] had saved"