Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-09-25
A Humble Uncle Josh.

Uncle Josh Williams had lived in and
around Jacksonville for fifteen years
before opening the Williams private
bank. Uriah Heep was humble be-
cause he was n hypOcrite and had an
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 fnan'
clally was a wonder to everybody, but
somehow he slowly got ahead OF the
game and finally announced that he
would open a bank. There was no
flourish about the announcement. III
was In keeping with his record-very
humble. He admitted that he lew
nothing whatever about <he banking
business, but would open bank more
for the accommodation Of his neighbors
than anything else. 1t was predicted
that he would he made the victim of
all sorts of gum games and that he
would lose his last dollar within year.
Workmen prepared building, and
the bank was opened. 1t was presided
over by Uncle Josh.
The first attempt on the bank was
with forged check. Uncle Josh salo
he was sorry-very sorry. He wanted
to oblige, you know-he'd get up at
midnight to oblige-but really, now,
he couldn't see his way clear In this
thing. Would thesstranger call againF
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 on?
Then there came man with a lot
of mining bonds who wanted to put
them upAs 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
IL the stranger had fallen off the roof
of q barn and broken a leg. He
thought all mining bonds ought to be
worth at least 10 cents a pound, but
he couldn't help 1t If they dropped to a.
Would the stranger take half O day to
90 huckleberrying with him? Couldn't
they arrange to go fishing togetherf
If the stranger was fond OF the an
cient, there was 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 man with pock-
ct full of snuff. He had piped off the
bank and discovered that Uncle Josh
was there alone from II to 1 while the
nephew went to dinner. He called
to see about loan. He got Uncle
Josh interested. He got close to him.
He out with handful Of snuff to
throw into the old mans eyes and
blind him and 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 aud rubbed snuff in his eyes,
and all the vaingloriousness was taxi
en- out of him. Uncle Josh refused. to
let him be taken to jail He was sorry
for him-truly sorry.
The people who had taken Uncle
Josh for an easy mark because he was
humble soon began to realize that
| there was q 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
| first year without the loss Of penny,
and some folks were very much dlsap-
pointed about it. One Of these disap-
pointed was a tough citizen Of the
county named William Hayes. Will
liam. who was generally called Bill to
distinguish him from William the Con-
| Queror, had read the lives of the
| James and Younger brothers and other
similar literature and longed to dis
tinguish himself
| He kept an eye on the Williams
bank. He thought 1t sin and a
| shame for humble and innocent old
dozer like Uncle Josh to open a bank
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 phianthropists Of his
Tx. and at noon Of one September day
as n confederate was in the bank talk
Ing with Uncle Josh five whOOplng,
disguised men rode into RawSOnvllle
on horseback and made for the bank.
Uncle Josh was humble man with
good ears on him. He heard the
whoops and the clatter. He was talk
ing about taking a mortgage on a
farm, and without breaking the con-
yersatiOn he touched an electric but
ton, and the door of the vault closed.
Then as the five 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 to
leave the six men there, very sorry,
but 1t was his time to SO. II they
could find 1t convenient to call some
other time he might not be so pressed
They talk Of 1t yet In that part OF
Illinois. There were six desperadoes
safely Gagged In the bank, and Uncle
Josh reached the street through the
cellar. Windows were barred and
doors locked, and armed citizens gath
cred to prevent any escape. For thirty
hours Bill Hayes and his gang held
the town at bay, and for thirty hours
the town held them. Then q military
company came down OH special train
and after an hours firing the gang sur
rendered. They made Uncle Josh fee
real bad With their remarks. They
said they had taken him for humble
guileless man and he had been an ole
, II l.a.ra