Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-07

know she had 5000 coming to her She
had forgotten all about the matter.
She deposited the money in early life.
when she was another mans wife and
was struggling along. 1t was only small
sum- Then she married into great wealth.
She never had need of the money AS
the years went by she forgot all about
tho modest bank deposit of her youth, and
was simply astonished about three years
ago to learn that under her former name
there was a deposit in a certain bank
amounting to S5OOO The banks officials
had not connected the name on their
books with the widow
She took the money and said she was
glad to find such painstaking effort shown
by the bank people.
In one of the accounts all that was
known of the man who put the money on
deposit was that he made the deposit be-
fore he went to the Civil War. All trace
of him was lost after that. Finally, by a
search Of the army records, it was learned
that a man of that name had gone to
Texas to live. A hunt in Texas disclosed
the whereabouts of the man. He proved
his identity and said he had forgotten
about the deposit. After serving in the
army until the close he settled in the
south and had fought hard to make a
living. The $1S5 he originally deposited
Another Case
Another case settled recently was that
of a mechanic who twenty-five years ago.
when he was in business on his own ac-
count, had had a savings bank deposit.
Affairs with him went from bad to
worse The bank had not heard from him
for more than twenty years.
He had moved away from where he
used to live. Gradually he was hunted
down and he and his wife were told that
nearly $1,000 belonged to them if the man
could prove his identity.
BY that time he had forgotten that he
ever had an account in that bank.
All that he recalled was that once he,
had a savings bank account, but just
where he did not remember.
At any rate he was sure that he had
drawn out all his money years and years
ago That man would not be convinced
that the money on deposit was his. The
bank people had to get his relatives to
reason with him. 1t was a long time be-
fore he would come to the bank and give
a duplicate of his signature.
There was no doubt of his identity after
he came, and then he recalled the former
deposit.
One of the most peculiar cases was
when a discovery was made that an ac-
count for several thousands of dollars be-
longed to a very rich man who for nearly
forty years had gone under an assumed
name For a reason involving family
matters he had changed his name He
had become rich. He knew that he had
bank account under his old name, but had
decided never to claim it because it would
reveal his secret. He did not need the
money.
Denied His Identity
The matter was traced out and ne was
confronted with his real name and the
facts in the case. He stoutly denied that
he was the man.
He said he had never heard of the old
name. Absolute proof was presented to
him.
Still he would not acknowledge that he
was the man. Finally a suit was threat
ened bv the bank to compel him to take
the money. That brought him down
Publicity was imminent and he compro-
missed. promising to take the money II
the bank officials would not disclose the
facts in the case. Under such en- promise
he went to the bank, signed his old name,
took the money and continued to live
under his assumed name.
There was another case in which
woman had deposited money In three
banks under different names.
She was saving the money for children
about whose parentage there was some
question. In one of the banks she used
her right name.
She died and the banks tried hard to
clear I'D the accounts. Finally it was es-
tablished by handwriting experts that
one woman had deposited the money in
all the banks and after a long hunt her
heirs were found and the accounts wiped
off the books.