The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-28
SOME STORIES ABOUT
 THE BANK OF ENGLAND.

some occasions since the birth of the venerable Old Lady of Threadneedie Street when her stability. if 1t has not been seriously threatened. has at least sustained many severe catastrophes. any one of which would have proved the death blow of a less sustantial concern.
 Contrary to the usually accepted mo- ton, the bank Is not a business under private undertaking. which acts as the bankers of the Exchequer Department. although by virtue of it's long and hon. orable standing 1t has many rights and privileges.
 It is a popular error, too, to suppose that the Bank of England is the oldest ia Great Britain. As matter of fact, this honor belongs to Messrs. Childs' Bank. which was established in 1559-more than 100 years before the Bank of Eng land.
 The first tragedy connected with the bank bears in some respects resem- blance to the last although it had a more tragic conclusion. In 1895 Michael Godfrey, the then Deputy Governor of the bank. took funds to King William III. who was at the time actively con ducting operations in the siege of Ma mur. The King was remonstrating with MT. Godfrey for taking needless risk and while that gentleman was in act of replying shot crashed through the windows and he was killed at the Kings feet.
 Runs on the bank have been many; most have. happily, been weathered. but the straits to which the bank officials have sometimes been reduced have been serious. On one occasion early in the banks history, when an excited horde of T rIa yya0rin0 for their money, persons in the employ of the bank were given bank paper, which was casiied by the cashiers in sixpences. and immediately 1t was handed over the money was paid in at another counter. Thus time--which Is verify money on these occasions-was gained. 4
 On another occasion the credit of the bank-and, indeed, of the country-was saved when hope had almost been given up by the accidental discovery of for gotten box of 1 pound notes in the very nick of time. They represented an amount sufficient to discharge the im- mediate requirements, and thus very serious crisis was tided over.
 Despite the most stringent legislation, the Bank of England has always been considered fair game by rogues and swindfers. Almost every kind of fraud has been practiced upon 1t. The first at tempt to initiate the notes issued ap- pears to have been the work of a gentle man who wished to enhance his import ance in his lady loves eyes. and to ap- pear a man of great substance. He forged a sheaf of notes. and boastfully presented them to his fiance.
 Another early fraud was committed by teller named Guest. He was noticed to put by all the new guineas which came to him in the course of business, and 1t was also discovered that he had in his possession an ingot of gold. Sus- picton having fallen upon him. he was watched, and 1t was found that he had been in the habit of filing the gold coins and melting the filings into an ingot which he, of course, disposed of to gold smiths.
 On one occasion, however, the bank officials proved to be little overzealous. George Morland. the famous artist, over whose work artists still rave, was, as Is not unusual with artists. at one time very impecunious- His Netired manner of living convinced busy bodies that he was a bank note forger, whereas he was actually hiding from his creditors. The police, however, raided his home, and Morland. thinking they were bailiffs. es- caped by a window at the back of the house. The cloud had a silver lining. for Morland received 70 pounds as sola- tium when the facts were discovered.
 Even with the affairs of the Bank of England it has not always been the great est offender who has received the great est punishment. clerk named Aslett, who was a nephew of the chief cashier, netted 32OO0O pounds by very ingenious frauds; but. owing to a legal flaw in the indictment, he was acquitted.
 William Turner another clerk who sue cessfully defrauded the bank of 10000 pounds was, when his theft had been dis covered, locked in room in the third stcry of a hotel while the directors con sidered his misdeeds He dropped from the window sill of the room to the street and although he was badly hurt. he lived to go to court and in spite of his lun- doubted guilt, he secured an acquittal.
 One of the greatest frauds ever at- tempted on the bank was only prevented by a trihing omission on the part of the swindlers Three Americans-of whom the leading spirit was man named Bid- well-went to England with a substantial capital, with the express intention of committing huge frauds. By judicious investment they obtained genuine bills which had emanated from the great city houses and with these as copies they forged many others so skillfully that the attempt at fraud was never suspected.
 A forged bill. however, payable three months at sight" did not, by an error, bear the date of the sighting" and in order that this might be remedied, clerk was sent to Messrs, Bydenstein, on whom the bill was drawn. They, of course. repudiated the bill and by this trifilng carelessness what would have been one of the most gigantic frauds ever attempted was exploded. Bidwell and his confederates received penal servitude for life.
 Almost any great financial concern can be made or marred at the will of the di- rectors of the Bank of England,
 On the 10th of May, 1866. the great house of Overend & Gurney applied to the bank for the loan of 100000 pounds. The directors, after consideration, re- fuse.. to grant the request. and at half past in the afternoon the great house closed it's doors Then followed the great est financial panic ever known. Several banks were drained of their ready money and many others had to follow Overend & Gurney into bankruptcy.
 
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