The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-29
RETURNED THOUSAND FOR ONE
FORGOTTEN NOTE THAT PASSED
BETWEEN BROTHERS.
Thirty Years Later the Man Who
Signed it Paid $4,000 For
$50 Note.
(Kansas City starr

l tNanSaS lily starr
Bread east upon the water often re-
turns increased many fold. but it is
! seldom that a good deed is rewarded
by the recipient at the ratio Of 1000 for
l. Yet this happened a short time ago
TO well known business man of Kan
sas City. whose Office is not far from
the corner of Tenth and Walnut
streets.
Thirty years ago the business man
and his brother We're living in ST. Louis.
They were young men and were strug-
sung lnduStTiOUsly to gain a footing
| IN the commercial world. The business
man loaned his brother $50 20 buy cloth
Ing, and received as an evidence of
the debt note for $50. The note was
laid ASIDE. and in the busy years that
I followed was forgotten. The brothers
separated. The one who lent the money
came to Kansas City and pr0spered.
The other brother remained in St Louis
ana fortune. too. smiled upon him. He
IS now vice president and general man
ageT of one of the largest trust com
panies in New York City, and has a
big private fortune.
Some time ago the Kansas City
brother was ASKED to hunt up some
old family papers and bring them to
MS brother in st. Louis. He ransack-
ed chests, trunks and drawers, and
found them. At the bottom of an un-
used trunk he discovered an old red
pocketbOck- Inside was the s35 note
given thirty years before. The paper
was discOlOTed by age the writing was
faded, but was still legible. The ex-
isEence of the note had been forgotten
by both brothers. When the Kansas
City man went to St. Louis with the
family papers he took the note with
him. After &. pleasant chat with his
brother he said to him. Iaughingly:
Charlie, why don't you pay your
debts?''
What do you mean. WaIter?"
We'll, here's a note you gave me
thirty years ago. and you haven't paid
either principal or interest
The brother took the little piece Of
paper and looked at it in perplexed
manner for d few moments Then be
laughed, ana said:
1t had slipped my memory. You
gave NE that money 10 buy clothes
I'll tell you what I'll DO. I'll pay tha,
note right now. and pay you 900 for
one" He turned to his desk and wrOts
out a check for s35 coo and handed it to
the aStOunded Kansas City man. His
protests We're in vain. He was forced
to accept the money, and he marked
the note paid.
man returned home with SD 900 of the
$4,000 in cash in his pocket. His sleep
that night was. haunted by fear Of
train robbers, and he did not breathe
freely until the money was in the vault
of the First National bank. He had
drawn the money from the bank the
day he left st. Louis to use it in
prospective real estate deal. It was
in the form of 81 900 bills The deal
was not made, and as the banks were
closed. the Kansas City man decided
to take a chance and bring the money
home with him. At the st. Louis union
depot some one stole his umbrella, and
visions Of thieves following him caused
him to keep his hand tightly pressed
to his breast pocket, where the money
was concealed. Just before boarding
the sleeping car the Kansas City man
met Ed Hickman. secretary to John
Hayes. chief of police Hickman was
travelling on the same train. ami the
Kansas City man told him about the
money, and asked his assistance in
guarding it. BY arrangement Hickman
occupied the lower berth. and the Kan
sas City man the upper berth in the
same section Each had d 45-caliber
revolver under his pillow. The owner
Of the money pinned it inside his pa
jamas. just over his heart. He dreamed
Of train robbers and fought with them
TOT ILle money Ill lllEUL- i wv dIuS
when the train was at a
lonely spot east Of independence, two
shots rang out. Trains had been robbed
there before, and all the passengers
were ready for a "hold-up. The air
brakes were put on and the train came
10 a stop. Hickman and the Kansas
City man jumped from their berths
with their revolvers in their hands.
It's train robbers said Hickman.
Let's get some of them" Both men
-an to the door OF the car and jumped
TO the ground and looked around for
he robbers. A short distance ahead
hey saw in the early morning light a
wrecked freight train. The supposed
shots were the explosions of torped0es,
placed on the track to prevent the pas
rnger train from running into the
wreck. Both men laughed and then
shook hands. The 81, 900 had been
saved.