Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-09-15
A Humble Uncle Josh.

around Jacksonville for fifteen years
before opening the Williams private
bank Urlah IIccp was hume be-
cause he IVES hypocrltc and had an
object In View. Uncle Josh was hum
bic by nature. lIc WINS humble and
trusting and honest and sympathetic.
How such man could get along llnnn-
cinlly was Il wonder TO everybody, but
somehow he slowly got ahead OF the
| game and finally announced that hc
would open n bank. There was no
| flourish about the announcement 1t
was In keeping with his rccord-vcry
humble. He admitted that he knew
nothing whntcvcr about the banking
business, but would open Il bank moro
| for the accommodation of his ncighbors
than anything else. 1t W Ssprcdlctcd
TINT lie would be made tho victim of
MI sorts of gum games and that he
would lose his Inst dollar within year.
Workmen prepared building. and
tho bank was opened. 1t was presided
over by Uncle Josh
The first attempt on the bank was
with n forged check. Uncle Josh said
no was sorry-vcry sorry. He wanted
to obllgc, YOU know--hc'd get up at
midnight TO obllge-but really, now,
he couldn't see his way clear In this
thing. Would the stranger call again?
Would tho stranger go home to IL boil
cd dinner with him? Would the stran-
ger ride out to his farm with him and
give his opinion on how the grass crop
was coming on?
Then there came n man with lot
! OF mining bonds who wanted TO put
/ them up as collateral for loan. They
| were quoted Ht 90 and almost tho
same rs governments. Uncle Josh
looked them over md, although he had
no dnily paper to refer TO, he placed
the true value at cents n pound and
stuck to it-stuck TO II In his humble
way. lie was real sorry-as sorry as
II thc stranger had fallen off the roof
OF barn and foakcn leg. He
thought all mining Conds ought to DO
worth at least 10 cents n pound, but
he couldn't help It IL they dropped to 4.
Would the stranger take half a day TO
go huckleberrying with him7 Couldn't
they arrange TO 90 fishing togethcr2
II the stranger was fond of the an
Client. there was ruined old saw
mill down on tho banks of the river.
and Uncle Josh would 90 along and
point out the moss grown points OF
interest
Then there came man with Dock-
ct full OF snuff. lie had piped off tho
bank and discovered that Uncle Josh
was there alone from IL to while the
nephew went to dinner. ue called
TO see about loan. lie got Uncle
Josh Interested. He got close TO him.
IIe out with handful of snuff to
throw into the old mans eyes and
blind him aud then rob the bank, but
somehow the snuff went wrong. Then
something hit him. and he lay down.
Then some one battered his head on
the floor and rubbed snuff I'm his eyes.
and all the vaingloriousness was tax
en- out OF him. Uncle Josh refused TO
LET him he taken 20 Jail He was sorry
for him-truly sorry.
The people who had taken Uncle
Josh for an easy mark because lie was
humble soon began to realize that
there wns n difference. lie had shown
that he could take care of any money
intrnsted TO him. and the institution
began TO flourish. 1t got through Its
hrst year without the loss of n penny.
and some folks were very much disap.
,, pointed about It, One OF these disap-
pointed was n tough citizen OF the
county named William Hayes. VIII
liam, who wns generally called Bill to
distinguish him from William the Con-
qucror. had read the lives of the
James ana Younger brothers and other
Similar literature and longed to dis.
tinguish himself.
lie Kept an eye on the Williams
bunk He thought 1t sin and n
Shame for humble and Innocent old
dozer like Uncle Josh to open bank
ana tempt tho wicked, and lie finally
decided to remove the temptation and
benefit by 1t himself. IIo would thus
XIII two birds with ono stone. He con-
suited with other philanthropIsts of his
ilk. ana at noon OF one September day
as confederate WINS in the bank talk
Ing with Uncle Josh five whooping.
disguised men rode into Rawsonville
ON horseback and made for the bank.
uncle Josh was Il humble man with
good cars on him. He heard The
whoops and tho clatter He was talk.
ing about taking mortgage on a
iarm. and without breaking the con-
veisation he touched ON electric but
ton' ana tho door of the vault closed.
Ihen as the five riders came rushing
INTO the bank he touched another. and
inc outside door closed after them.
Ihere was third button. He pressed
mat and went down out of sight with
section of the floor. He was sorry TO
leaYe the six mon there Very snrrv