Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-11-07
STORIES OF BANK NOTES.
Queer RECORDS OF Some of Those Pre-
served In England.


A curious and interesting volume might
be written on the adventures OF some
Bank of England notes from the day
when they leave the printing press, clean
and crisp and beautiful, to the last day
OF their varied careers, when, shorn Of
signature and with a hole punched
through the figures which have made
them so attractive, they are bundled into
a close furnace and converted into ashes.
Their leases of life vary as widely as
their adventures, for, while some return
TO the fold with their work done within
n day or two, there may be seen in
Thrcadneedle street n note which was
wandering for a century and u quarter
before it came again into the "Old
Lady's" keeping.
One of the most historically interesting
of bank notes was that for $1,000 with
which Admiral Cochrane paid the in.
i~quitous fine imposed on him in 1914. 1t
may he remembered that this most gal.
liant of sailors had been accused OF con.
spring to dcfrai-d the Stock Exchange
by circulating . false report Of the death
of Napoleon aid had been sentenced to a
fine OF fl 900, II months Imprisonment
and an hour in the pillory.
A public subscription was raised nmonc
his constituents for the payment of his
fine, and the admiral thus indorsed the
note which they presented him
GRATED CHAMBER. KfSa's BENCH Prison,
July 3, 1915.
Ny health having suffered by long and closc
confinement and my oppressors being resolved &
deprive me OF property or life, I submit to rob
berg to protect myself from murder in the hopi
that | shall live to bring the delinquents to jus
ticc. CoCHRASE.
Once and only once the bank issued by
mistake n note for n penny, which fo'
some years was a source of annoyance
and anxiety. Like a willful and stubbor,
sheep, it would not come back to the fold
and it was only recovered when the banl
in despair offered a reward of IS for it,
return.
In a mood Of rare extravaganza thu
bank once printed four notes, each 70
Fl 900, 900, and promptly destroyed tn
plate. Two of these notes came into th'
very appropriate hands of Rothschild
and Coutts, where for a time they at
tracted many open mouthed spectators
The only notes approaching these ii
value were two for f100, 900 each. whicl
were destined to a very short life
Bank of England notes have often, a
PEI VI lN 4 lol uilIldlllh u, i''ll bNNO' lNN''
with tragedies and crime. 1t is not man,
years since n young gentleman of tn
name of Swami was found dead, shot b.
his own hand, in Il London attic. He ha'
s%quandered Il large fortune in every kim
of dissipation, and when he was reduce
to his last to note he decided that life ha.
nothing more to offer him.
On a table by the side of his ~rcvolve
was found n charred portion of n ban
note, with which, in bravado, he had Ii
his last cigar. and on it these words wer
pcnciled. The last note of n dyin
Swami"
In the days when to steal or forge
bank note was n crime punishable b
death the histories of many notes wer
tragic in the extreme. The circumstance
of one memorable case are peculiarly sac
a certain young man called Howlan
was accused by his uncle, a merchant i
the city. of stealing a $50 note from III
writing table in his study. Although
was not proved that the note had eve
been in his possession or that il had bee
Cashed, the circumstances We're considel
ed suspicious enough to justify convi'
ton, and the young man. who was POI
ular and of irrcproachable character, WI
sentenced to death.
Some years after his execution the not
for which his life was sacrificed We
found in a recess in the library Gimme.
where it is supposed q draft had carrie
it.-London Tit-Bits.