The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-24
POOR PEOPLE
GIVEN MONEY
How Dormant DepoitS are Re-
covered Occasionally.
THOUSANDS IN NEW YORK
Instances of Forgotten Sums
Deposited Long Ago.
THOUSANDS IN NEW YORK

Evening Post prints the following:
Early last month there was published
in this paper a brief article on the sub
ject of the dormant accounts" in the
savings banks of this city, and the ted
icus task of tracing their rightful own
ers. Specific instances from the records
of one of these banks show that even
such a dignified and workaday place may
have a department whose records read
more strangely than much fiction The
term dormant accounts, it may be re-
peated describes accounts which have not
been disturbed by deposits, drafts, or even
by the drawing of interest for twenty
TWO years. Among men Of the fraternity,
it is known that John d. Hicks, President
Of the Bowery Savings Bank, makes a
hobby Of the task of tracing depositors
or heirs of depositors having such &C
counts in his bank. The success of this
work is demonstrated by the fact that
there is less than $4,000 on the books
| to the credit OF such unknown owners.
The work is necessarily slow, involv
ing not infrequently advertising for and
| correspondence in distant parts of the
world. Fortunately. in this bank the
records have been kept in complete form
since 1884. This, naturally. facilitates the
work. although it seldom lessons the time
required in tracing depositors who have
! been lost TO sight, as a rule. wholly
/ through their own neglect to notify the
/ bank Of change of residence.
case in point of the means taken to
| trace depositors and thwart designing
/ lawyers who scheme TO divide up the
precious deposits for their own benefits.
Will show how truly the tracing of dor
mant accounts is in the interest Of poor
people. Correct names in cases described
must be omitted for obvious reasons. A
soldier who may be called Sam Sawyer
sent $40 to the Bowery Savings bank dur
ing the war Accounts used to become
dormant In twenty years. and at the end
of that time. nothing being heard Of Saw
yer. his money. which at the high interest
and extra dividends paid in the SEES and
'70s had reached a snug sum, was held
by the bank as dormant. Efforts were
made TO locate the soldier, but without
success. In 1885, after some correspond
cree that consumer much time, it was
learned that Sawyer lived in Brooklyn.
and he was asked to call at the bank. In
some manner a lawyer got hold of the
letter and tried to get half the money
for revealing Sawyers whereabouts. He
was found, however, without the law
yer's help. and was unfortunately in
great need. The slOo. TO which sum his
original deposit has grown to a small for
tune. He had given the money. he said
to an express company, not knowing
where it was going. He had seen other
soldiers doing this on the advice OF Of
ficers, and had not the remotest idea to
which bank the money had gone.
Several years ago letter was sent to
the Commander-in-Ch Chief OF the Grand
Army of the Republic. enclosing a list of
old soldiers who had dormant accounts in
this bank. The situation was explained
and it was requested that the names be
published in some general orders. This
suggestion was carried out. and most OF
the surviving soldiers of the Union army
received the list. Not long after the pub
lication of the list in that manner.
letter was received from an old soldier.
who resided in Wisconsin. He said that
one on the list. who may be called James
tanhope had been his "bunkie" or tent
mate. Stanhope had been wounded in
the battle of the Wilderness, he said,
and had persisted IN the flames that
afterward swept the field. Stanhope had
relatives in Germany. his sbunkie' wrote.
who lived near Berlin. letter was sent
10 the address given. enclosing a letter
Stanhope had written from America about
-
active The writing agreed with that
in the signature book OF the bank. and
the sum OF 500 was paid to the public
administrator. who forwarded it TO Stan
hopes relatives.
Following up the rightful owners OF
dormant accounts Is something like IN
winding a ball OF Irvine" said Mr.. LiddIe
dormant account clerk Of this bank. when
the actual difficulties OF tracing the peo-
pie were compared with the seeming sim
piicity OF the work by which the desired
end is achieved. If you get hold OF the
right end. it has an easy outcome; but
the right end is not always in sight
\ letter from the bank and another
from person in Germany CHANGED 10
reach the Secretary Of War al about the
same time. They both concerned the /
same party; one Being in search q the f
owner OF some money. the other IN quest
OF news % a missing relative who il was
thought, might have served II the United
States army The man. who may be called
August Guder. for Convenience. was dead +
The Secretary OF War. after notifying 4
the German relative Of the ueagre facts (
in possession ~ the department.. sent the 4
correspondence TO the bank The latter !
wrote Cuder's family and received a let 4
ter relating that the writer vas a brother +
o. the dead soldier. that he VAS seventy
years % age and n great need. bit (
that there were two other brothers re-
siding in Chicago. The German resident 4
enclosed a letter fror August. which os- 4
tsbIishe5 the iden;ity o. TIE soldier as +
that OF the depositcr. The Chicago rel
etlves were more nerceuary than heir i
brother. zithozsh they sntimste1 aothing
that suggested poverty. Zach conveyed
the ir1Pression hat Re Ezs ihe sase liv-
ing surviving relative. TIE facts Eere
brought ous By a little further inxesiI-
eaflou. ard Gaters &c wzs divided ins3 4
thirds
Lesta Icing vas fourteen years q age
when she started Al aceogni AZ 1he hank
she was ore o. the brightest young O.
posltors who visited Ire inst4t1sioz. and
TIE clerks took quite fancy 70 hex. Her