The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-07
I'LL HAVE B|)IJNGERS
How important Men Are Pro-
teCted From CrankS
IN FINANCIAL DISTRICTS
Of New York Every Office Has
Special Policemen.


I sort OF barrier has to be erected and there
Is always some one deputed 70 see that
none but those properly accredited obtain
personal interviews. If access to promi-
nent men of affairs were easy. they
would not only have the greater part of
their business hours taken I'D with trfv-
iai matters, but would also be subjected
at times 10 no little personal danger. from
cranks and criminals. Accordingly. in
big Offices Of every kind in this city. hall
men, special policemen, detectives. clerks.
private secretaries or ordinary Office bows
are assigned as Intermediates between
the visitor and the man he desires %
see.
1t is in the financial districts, where
large sums Of money, as well as import
ant men. have to be protected that this
work is BEST systematized. Nearly. every
bank or large financial institution en-
ploys one or more men as special officers
Their duties are usually three-fold. They
accompany and guard the messengers
when carrying large amounts of money
through the streets; when in the bank
they watch for "cranks" and criminals
and many Of them act as confidential
men. TO the president or cashier.
At least 80 per cent of these men. il is
estimated, are ex-policemen. They get
their jobs. as oen Of them expressed If
through Innocence. ike everything else"
AS matter Of fact, many have the high
est OF recommendations for honesty and
faithfulness. They are physically power-
Iul, and their experience on the force
Is supposed TO have familiarized them
with the under world and its methods
member Of one banking house said he
had watched a certain patroiman's record
Tor more than twenty years had seen
him promoted to roundsnan. and when
he was retired. offered him at once the
Wall street positioF which ne still holds.
one former London bobby holds posi-
ton in the street
As an additional protection to the imam
cial district and the jewelry district there
Is force OF detectives, now under Ser
geant Dunn, with headquarters in the
stock Exchange building. There is. more
over, the famous dead line established
by Inspector Byrnes, along Fulton street.
and below which no man with a criminal
record is allowed TO go.
Inside the doors of the bank there is
little danger from the criminal classes.
and the duties of most Of the special Of
ueers are chiefly those of 'crank-catch-
ers The typical crank is the one who
comes for money, usually several million
dollars which ne must have right away.
The following letter is typical produc-
ton of the more harmless type of dun
ming crank
Dear Sir: Trusting you will readily IN
derstand the following. Being known or
or termed an outsider by an organization
called Swim. secret, OF course. If the lat
ter name is correct, 1 can hardly conjec-
ture
am supposed to be dead 10 the world
by this same secret organization. and am
left to my. own resources to find the rea-
sons trust to your kindly advice TO en-
tighten me under the above peculiar cir
knowledge of such matters, being in your
line. If it is necessary to be enrolled and
cnetered on any list of Freemen to be in
the so-caIeld Swim shah be most happy
to comply 7 have also claims Of life
time to be considered and adjusted Hop
Ing YOU VIII have no trouble in compre-
hending the purport Of the above. re-
main, yours -"
on the envelope enclosing the enusion
was written. "Ful claim, SIS, 600, 600: will /
compromise for 100000"
Not long ago a long haired person with |
wild eve came into the Office of the /
United States sub-treasury and asked to |
see the assistant treasurer. R. ID. B-aley. !
the detective 1T the wal lstreet door,
asked the man what his business was. !
After glancing furtively about. he led Mr. |
Braley into a corner. and in a mysterious !
voice unfolded his mission. He had in /
vented 3 machine. he said which was
guaranteed to make all the government /
clerks work hard for not less than eight
hours day. For this discovery be asked /
the very moderate compensation ofS6. o0-
0o1. Now. it is said TO be q fact that a
machine really accomplishing such q re-
salt would be worth much more than
100000 to the government yet AIR Bra
ley was skeptical He referred the man
20 the custom house. At the custom house
he was told To so to the city hau steps
and that man with black hat who
would soon come out of the building was
the man To see. That particular crank
was never seen again. and il is not known !
whether he found the man with the black
hat A common performance of these &C.
centres is 20 write themselves checks for
fabulous amounts on slips of scrap paper
These they present at banks for payment
and are furious when the money IS nor
forthcoming
All these varieties are harmless enough.
but the actual bomb-throwi0g which
killed a wei known bank officer few
years ago in this city has created in the
minds OF many an almost morbid fear Of
''cranks More chan one bank president
keeps a revolver in the top drawer Of his
desk. and one has devised q contrivance
which is concealed inside his desk and
would blow a visitor into eternity at the
touch OF lever Where possible bombs or
are concerned he believes
triniag is out Of place.
Quite as ingenious as the .'cranks" are
the "grafters" Of various kinds who pick
up what they can In the financial district
before the police run them out The com
nonest graft and consequently the least
successful IS the fake" subscription list
circulated r-sone ostensihly charitable
purpose ana headed by list Of prominent
names. all forged, Of cours-.
a swarthy man. wearing q sombrero.
made tour Of the Wau street oa3ces
several years ago. selling what he called
the Mexican "cozeta' plant lie had some
curious haif-grown plants with him as
specimens. but cid not sell these Instead
for several dollars a package. be would
ssh minute seeds from which he said any
one could raise the wonderful plant IN q
shore time bv merely laying them on psds
81 rnoisteuea cotton a good many bros- {
- and bankers Die and he went away
IA good sum Of money. The seed
out to be common grass seed. I
rr.r.e .