The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-02-14
SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.
Check for Large Sum Was Cashed
in Singular Nam
Hcr.

''There isn't a great deal of ro-
nance in my business" remarked a
prominent Chicago banker to a writer
for the Washington Star the other
day, but now and then something
turns up out of the ordinary and
makes us wonder at the peculiarities
of those who have dealings with us.
| recall an instance just now which il
as yet not explained, and will never
be, l fancy, as the chief actor in it
was killed some time ago in railway
accident. / never knew the man per-
sonally, but he was a depositor in our
bank, whose account was a personal
one to the extent of $4,000. He car
| ried that much as 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
[ nver gave him a thought, for S1O,-
900 is not a large deposit in Chicago,
and beyond his deposit l had no in
terest in him.
at happened, therefore, that when
one day l received a personal letter
from our depositor | was a bit sur
prised, and was still more so when
had read it. | do not recall the exact
wording, but it was to the effect that
within a day or two woman would
| present check 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 means of Identification in the
| person of a little girl, who would an
swer 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
little brother who was dead. Five
thousand dollars was a good deal of
money to let go on that kind of evil
dence, but that was all | had, and the
depositor was in California, so that l
could not see him personally.
well, the next day the paying tell
er came to me with his eyes bullying,
| y
case of beggar woman as he had ever
seen was at the window with a check
drawn to the order 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. I
sent for her to come into my private
/ Nifina which no IiI h,-in ba
| tie girl with her, who was no less a
picture of abject poverty than the
mother was. All that 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 her, if she would
take her little girl with her. 1 asked
the child the questions | had been re-
quested 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 teller's
window. She asked for the money in
$50 bills, and, wrapping it up in an
old newspaper went out of the bank
without a word to anybody.
'She was no longer at the address
she gave when l sent messenger
there to make inquiries, and her ben.
efactor [ never saw again, for he met
his death on his way east from Cal
ifornia. l fancy he would not have
told me the story of his life, but I shall
always wonder if the name we carried
on our books was the one he carried
in his youth"