Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-26

juicy bone.
He was experimenting the transfer Of a
truckload Of silver when the reporter tried
10 find out things about the bullion carrying
from him He checked on each ingot four
times, not as IL he was doubtful about the
total. but as a matter OF duty.
Then he watched one Of his men stamp
bis firm sign upon each ingot with a steel
die punched By a heavy hammer. gavs his
receipt for the cargo and moved away with
1t down Wall street as Unconditional as any
slab Of silver in the load.
The Rear Guard.
With him was a smaller, more active
looking man with a dash Of the west ap-
parent in his black mustache and shabby
brown sombrero. II the build Of the boss
truckman plainly showed that he could
tell any II. -intentioned crook with one blow
Of his big fist, the other man looked as
though he would surely have q revolver in
his hip pocket and would know how to
use It.
Besides the pair there were on the truck
with the driver a couple OF stalwart men
who had assisted In loading the silver
when it came up on the little ldewalk ele-
vator from the safe deposit vaults beneath.
Just a few passersby recognised the
Nalue OF the lTelRnt IS IL was Carried out
TO the truck. and commented on t..
"Gee!" remarked a weak hinned, over
dressed young man whose trousers we're
turned up to gladden. beholders with a
view Of his gorgeous hose. Wouldn't that
make you sick"
yer couldn't get none OF IT," responded
the hatchet-faced youth who accompanied
him, and IL yer could, yer couldn't get
away with t.. II yer could, no more ledgers
fer me-"
Sometimes there Is a million dollars
worth in one OF those truck loads. Some
times there Is more, but not much.
A million In gold with It's accompanying
packing cases will weigh nearly three tons;
a million in silver more than a dozen times
as much again.
Wal street has at times moved as much
as t25, 900. 900 or $40, 900, 900, all OF this huge
sum In bullion, in a day from different
points in the district to other points or out
Of IT. A single bank or firm of money
brokers has transferred Sc. 900. 900 or So. 000,-
900 In q single shipment abroad.
The money tIuekman carries all this and
he has never lost a single cargo. however
small the amount Once there was a hula
baloo about a missing slab Of silver, but II
turned up In very short order, though the
cry was raised that 1t had heen stolen.
He carries the gold which is shipped
abroad to the vessel which has to carry 1t
and brings back to Wall street the i'm
ported bullion. 1t is lucrative business
and he and his family have had 3 monopoly
Of 1t since II began.
They are likely to keep It. No good end
Is served by taking chances with a new
firm in such a business, and the conserva-
ism OF Barley suits Wall street we'll
Bullion is perhaps the safest kind Of
commodity to transfer in this city. 1t IL
in transferring other kinds Of money that
the banks take chances. II was not for
the sake Of the gold icarted through the
streets that the dead line for crooks was
established at Fulton street.
Messenger and Their Rolls.
The bank messenger coming from the
Clearing house after the days balance has
been struck will often carry back TO his
bank from sl.oO0 900 to 5000. 900 in cash
in his leather pouch or in his trousers
pocket; that Is, in bills of large denomina-
tons. usually 500 notes.
A banks balance at the Clearing house
will range from 81. o0O,O 900 to s5.OoO.OoO. or
even more. The biggest bank, the City
National, will often have at the close Of
business from 50, 200, 900 10 100000 to it's
credit. The messenger takes back to the
bank that amount in bills.
He does not 90 alone. Usually II Is q
party Of three that escorts the millions.
There Is the messenger with the money in
his pocket, q clerk and the banks detective
or bouncer, whose physique and quickness
have usually earned for him his job. The
detective is armed.
SO, though a bank messengers millions
are in shape to be carried on, 1t would
practically be impossible to set Thorn at
any cost. They are not carried Whsrs .
lucky grab would make them even tenn
porarily change ownership.
The most valuable bundle Of wealth
taken through the streets in this city, how
ever, Is not moved in the financial district
at all. 1t passes between the comptroller's
once in the Stewart building and the city
hall, and Eddie, who has been the comp
t~roller's messenger from time immemorial,
carries 1t.
II. consists OF newly. signed city bonds.
wherever an issue Of these bonds has been
made, after having been hlled out In the
comptroller's once. they must be signed
by the mayor. They are not then regis
tered, but with the mayors signature upon
them they seem and might possibly be ac-
cepted in practice as negotiable.
Eddie carries the bonds. a few millions at
a time. to the mayors once, and when
signed carries them back again. How many
millions he has carried in a single trip only
he knows and, like the money truck man.
he isn't telling his business. But the
amount has certainly reached $40, 900. 900 on
occasion.
No crook has ever had the nerve to
tackle Eddie and really none would think II
worth while. The hue and cry which would
be raised over such a theft would in all
probability at once bar the bonds as ne
gotiable securities. even in the world OF
graft. And no thief would get far with the
plumber. The city sees to that.
But the sight Of the messenger with mil
lions in bonds, the little posses OF three or
more bearing millions In real cash through
the financial quarter to the banks, the bare
silver in the money truck, the kegs Of gold
bars and the strong boxes full OF gold coin
must sometimes make some evil minds
dream dreams such as made Superintendent
Byrnes long ago establish that dead line
above the streets OF temptation.