The daily tribune., 1907-11-27
A Humble Uncle Josh.

lCOpyf1&ntv IWt, ny y. II. SutCuHe.I s
Uncle Josh Williams had lived In and
around Rawsonville for fifteen years
before opening the Williams privnre
bank. Uriah Heep was humble be-
cause he was hypocrite and had IN
object In view. Uncle Josh was hum
BILE by nature. He was humble and
| trusting and honest and sympathetic.
How such a man could get along finan-
cially was wonder to everybody, but
somehow he slowly got ahead of the
sume ana finally announced that he
| would open a bank. There was no
| flourish about the announcement. 1t
was in keeping with his record-very
| humble. He admitted that he knew
nothing whatever about the banking
business, but would open a bank more
for the accommodation OF his neighbors
than anything else. 1t was predicted
| that he would be made the victim of
all sorts of gum games and that he
| would lose his last 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. a forged check. Uncle Josh said
he was sorry-very sorry. He wanted
| to oblige, you know-he'd get up at
midnight to 0blige-but really, now,
he couldn't see his way clear in this
thing Would the stranger call again!
| Would the stranger go home to boil.
| ed 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 on2
Then there came man with lot
| Of mining bonds who wanted to put
| them up as collateral for loan. They
| were quoted at 90 and almost the
same as governments. Uncle Josh
looked them over and, although he had
no daily paper to refer to. he placed
| the true value at cents pound and
stuck to it-stuck to 1t In his humble
way. He was real sorry-as sorry as
If the stranger had fallen OF the roof
| Of barn and broken n leg. He
thought all mining bonds ought to be
worth ut least 10 cents a pound, but
he couldn't help 1t II they dropped to 4.
| Would the stranger take half day to
| go huckleberrying with him? Couldn't
they arrange to go fishing together?
| II the stranger was fond of the an
| Client, there was n ruined old saw.
mill down on the banks of the river,
and Uncle Josh would go along and
| point out the moss grown points of
interest.
Then there came a man with q pock-
ct full Of snuff. He had piped of the
bank and discovered that Uncle Josh
was there alone from IL to while the
nephew went to dinner. He called
to see about 4 loan. He got Uncle
Josh Interested. He got close to him.
he out with a handful of snuff to
| throw into the old mans eyes and
blind him and then rob the bank, but
somehow the snuif went wrong. Then
something hit him. and he lay down.
Then some one battered his head On
the floor and rubbed snuff In his eyes.
and all the vaingloriousness was talk
en- out of him. Uncle Josh refused to
let him be taken to Jail. He was sorry
for hlm-truly sorry.
The people who had taken Uncle
Josh for an easy mark because he was
humble soon began to realize that
there was difference. He had shown
that he could take care of any money
intrusted to him, and the institution
began to flourish 1t got through its
6rst year without the loss of a penny.
and some folks were very much disap.
pointed about II. One OF these disap
pointed was a tough citizen OF the
county named William Hayes. VII
liam. who was generally called Bill to
distinguish him from William the Con.
queror, had read the lives OF TIL.
James and Younger brothers and other
similar literature and longed to dis
tinguish himself.
he kept an eye on the Williams
bank. He thonght It a sin and a
shame for a humble and Innocent old
dozer like Uncle Josh to open a banh
and tempt the wicked. and he finally
decided to remove the temptation and
benefit by 1t himself. He would thus
kill two birds with one stone. He con
suited with other phllanthropists of Ills
flk. and at noon Of one September day
- confederate was In the bank talk
Ing with Uncle Josh Ave whooping
disguised men rode into Rawsonvillc
on horseback and made for the bank
Uncle Josh was humble man with
good ears on him. He heard the
whoops and the ciatter. He was talk
ing about taking q mortgage on q
farm, and without breakinR the con
vsrsation be touched an electric but
ton. and the door Of the vault closed
Then a. the ave riders came rushing
into the bank he touched another. and
the outside door closed after them
There was third button. He pressed
that and went down out Of sight with
q section Of the floor. He was sorry Il
leave the six men there, very sorry
but II was his time to go. II they
could ind II convenient to call some
other time he might not bc SO pressed.