The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-20

| stepped to the desk and wrote a check
talking meanwhile with the teller, with
whom he was on intimate terms. When
he had finished he threw over the
check and the teller counted him out
$4,000 When the check passed 10 the
! bookkeeper he discovered il was not
signed.
That was a remarkable mistake: but
the one that happened at the Girard
bank in Philadelphia did not have SO
trifling an ending. \ customer asked
the teller TO balance his book. II was
found that he had a credit for $500
Il will draw that. Give me sight
exchange ON London" he said.
When the bank balanced its books IL
was $500 short. the sum for which the
clerk had written the exchange, aud
which the cashier himself had signed.
Meantime the buyer of the exchange
had gone on a fishing trip and had for
warded the bill of exchange 10 his cor
respondents in London, but until the
bank could locate their customer they
could not ascertain the Whereabouts
Of the missing draft All that could be
done was TO notify their correspondents
in London not To pay its face. The cX-
change was presented in London Tor
the fun amount and protested When
its purchaser showed Up he was able
10 make Il fresh start in the transac-
ton that Strengthened it out, but the
bank sacrificed the services of a clerk
lwho had previously been valued en-
plOVe.
Mistakes of this kind are not frequent
in financial institutions but one took
place in the defunct Globe National
bank in Chicago that drew check for
81 900 and confidential clerk was sent
for the money. II was an oVerdratt
OF some S400 and the paying teller de-
INJURED at paying 1t. The clerk APP
4E4lH
pay the fuil amount and put his lnlIlalS
on the check. There was line OF
people at the telleT's window when the
clerk returned. He waited until the
teller was relieved, then wrote the
check for $4,000 instead Of $1,000. the
cashiers initials were 4 guarantee anu
the check was paid without question.
The clerk had been 4 trusted employe
in q brokerage house. but the sudden
chance to get large sum OF money
was too great 4 temptation. The bank
stood the loss.
The ease with which 4 mistake can
be made is Illustrated by a fraud i'm jest
that was played on William n Sing
erly Of Philadelphia. He was among
other things. president of the Chestnut
Street National bank. and among his
, particular friends We're Frank Moran,
the negro minstrel and Richard Len
/ non, politician and merchant, all of
them members OF the Benevolent and
, Protective Order of Elks, and fun of
, practical jokes, \ man up il Erie had
issued a fac-simile of a certified check
as an advertisement. II was for $500.
drawn upon the Bank of Good WIFI
and Endorsed by the cashier OF the
National Bank OF Good Fortune" II
was stamped and looked like bona tide
Commercial paper. One OF them
reached the hands of Moran and Len
{ non. who strayed into the president s
Office just before banking hours were
: over. and asked him to cash it. MIR.
! Singeriy. with . glance at the amount,
l appended his initials, and ealing a
clerk directed him 10 bring him five
J 800 bills for the check. The clerk tool.
it to the teller who counted out the
, money and returned it TO Singcrly. who
- passed il to Lennon. Moran invited the
president 10 met him at q road house
on Wissahickon drive in two hours and
went away. Next morning, in making
: up checks for the clearing house the
| 'phOny' one was detected and referred
8 to Mr. Singerly. who simply said: 81
thought Frank was spending Il lot OF
= money last night. He gave us a mighty
y good supper" But the lodge of Elks
= had fun over that check at many q
. subsequent session.
| II not infrequently happens that q
< man writing check enters one sum il
< figures and another sum is written oui
. in fun. This is. of course, mere mad
: vertence, and if the check reaches Tho
= bank on which it is drawn, the lesser
@ amount is the one that is paid.
= The other day a grocer in Harlem
+, cashed such a check for a customer
u for $50. the amount that was writer
out and the amount the customer asked
. for. But the figures We're for s.. Th'
g grocer took only a cursory glance q
. the paper and the next day sent i
e with other checks to his bank. Wher,
n it was accepted for s.. In a like way
f OF carelessness persons often forget L
= date their checks. Usually the banl
l. viii supply the date on small checks
IS on current account, but on importan
= sums they viii be thrown out.
Paymaster =. y. WhitehOuse of tn
j navy, attached 10 the European squad
n ron, drew at Plymouth for 5000 OF
J. :. Morgan & Co. London, and pre-
II sented the draft to the Plymouth
- branch OF tho Bank Of England. TIL
&c money was TO be used by the crew o
IT the cruiser Boston, who were TO hav
II shore leave at Plymouth. It was in
dorsed by the commander of the shil
- and the United States consul at Ply
r mouth, and the consul went to tn
n bank with the paymaster for tn
= money. The manager declined to pa,
the draft until IL was accepted by J. 5
l. Morgan & Co. because he did no
te know the officers The draft must b
: drawn in tTiplicate, he explained. an,
they should be dated as emanatin
. IRON the ship. and altogether he wa
very Suriy 10 his visitors. 4 dispatcl
- from Morgan brought 4 satisfactor
acceptance, and the manager of tn
= plymouth bank counted forth tn
n money in Bank OF England notes, on
n of which Mr. Whitehouse took up an
., read aloud-"at sight. the Bank Q
d" England will pay 10 bearer"
This is note OF hand he said. Il
is not accepted viii take gold
,r don't know anything about this paper
II is not n legal tender"
II The bank manager had nothing to d.