The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-08-03
BANK WINS BY ROBBERY.

THE CASHIER TURNED THIEF AND MADE
A GOOD INVESTMENT.
Lacked Sand to Save Himself-Got Away with
$70,O00.OO But Lost His Nerve and Got
Seven Years in the Penitentiary.
This is the true story Of bank cashier
whose speculations with the money of the
bank that employed him were to the
profits of the institution, although the
cahier himself gained nothing through
his deals. The story is accurate in eve-
ry particular, and the man who figures in
it under the name of "Brown" is multi
millionaire we'll known in Chicago and
New York. He is called Brown for the
reason that his name is something else.
When he was fourteen years of age and
attending winter school in backwoods
district in New York State, he fractured
some rule of the school and the strong
armed pedagogue beat the boy nearly to
death. Brown, however, was not the boy
to suffer for nothing when there was a
profit in sight. His father was dead, and
he was his own champion. He visited a
lawyer in the town, to whom he told his
story and showed his bruises. The attor-
ney brought suit for him against the
schoolmaster and recovered verdict of
$1,000, which was compromised by the
teacher for $500.
Having obtained this sum, Brown
deemed his education complete, gave up
the school, and launched into business for
himself. He made money steadily, and
within ten years was the proprietor of a
shoe jobbing establishment in a small
town, near Boston, working eighteen
hours day, saving about all that he made
and climbing rapidly toward the goal Of
wealth he had marked out for himself.
ROBBED THE BANK OF $4,000.
One of his closest friends was the CASH
icr of the bank in which he kept his ac-
count. They were both young men, both
widely ambitious to make money and to
make it quickly. They had many traits
in common, hut when it came to nerve,
Brown, as between the two, had the mar
ket cornered. 1t was in the days before
the stenographer and typewriter, and
Brown was one night scratching away at
his correspondence when the cashier
ratified the latch on his Office door.
He was admitted, and lost no time in de-
claring his mission.
"pm in trouble, Brown, and I want
your help" d.
money or advice?" queried the cautious
Brown.
Both"
tive plenty of the latter" said Brown,
'sbut haven't so much of the first; but
I'll do what I can. What's the trouble?"
"It's trouble enough, I can tell you. I
have been speculating with the banks
money and I'm $4,000 short. The bank
examiner is coming the day after tomor-
row; there will be meeting of the direc-
tors the same day, and there is no way 1
can stand off the exposure unless I have
the money to replace what I have taken.
1 don't know where to get the money,
and don't know what to do."
Brown did not answer for q minute.
All his available cash was in that bank,
and there was chance that it would fail.
The first thing in his mind was to gain
time to save his own money; so he
evaded direct reply, and asked:
"Where's the money!"
"In stocks"
"What stocks? What shapes are your
deals in?"
SCHEME TO SAVE HIS OWN MONEY.
The cashier went into long statement,
the gist of which was that by closing out
some of the deals at once he would have
about $4,000, which could be turned into
the bank, leaving him loser and default.
er to the amount of $4,000. If given
time there were excellent chances that
the other deals also would show profit,
but time was the one thing he could not
have.
While the cashier was going through
his story, Brown thought hard and fast,
and when the cashier had finished he had
made up his mind. His own money in
the bank was the first consideration, how
ever, and he determined to say nothing
until he had secured that. So he said:
81 haven't any $4,000 to give you. I
am not worth that much, but we have
one day in which to raise it. You come
over here at lunch time tomorrow and I
guess we can fix it up so that you will
not have any trouble. The bank may
have little, but you won't. You come
here tomorrow noon, and in the mean
time for heavens sake keep your mouth
shut"
As soon as the bank opened in the