Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-29
THUMB PRINTS ON CHECKS
Pudd'nhcad Wilson Autographs
Feature of Cheyenne Bank
ing Business.

The old Chinese system of Identification
by thumb marks has been adapted to mod
ern banking. and the method made famous
by Mark Twain in "Pudd'nhead Wilson is
now in practical use in the First National
bank OF Cheyenne as a means OF Identifying
the signature OF the many foreigners who
make deposits at that institution. In fact
the thumb mark has become as necessary
on checks drawn by that class OF the
banks depositors as is the written signa-J
ture Of the drawer, The system has been in
use in the First National for more than a
year, and in that time the bank has not
had the slightest trouble with Its foreign
depositors, The arrangement works to per-
fectlon.
There are probably more nationalities
represented in and around Cheyenne than
In almost any other city in the country.
The great mining camps OF the state have
drawn every nationality of Europe to them
selves, while the Union Pacific and Burling-
ton railroads have brought hundreds of la
borers from Asistic countries, CoreRns,
Japanese, Chinese, Mexicans. Indians, Liz
thuaniana Czechs, Poles, Hungarians, Boz
hemians, Welshmen, Irishmen, Greeks,
Italians and about every other nationality
can be found around Cheyenne In the
course Of a days search. Many of these
people deposit their savings in the First
National, and very few OF them can write
their names. especially In letters which
! can be read by an ordinary American BUSH
ness man. l a.. Is'
An additional source of trouble to the
banker is the great resemblance 80 many
foreigners bear to others Of their own ma
lionality, a resemblance so strong that
Identification In many instances is almost
- ~
Japanese resembles every other Japanese,
while Cinnamon are as alike as two peas.
Unless they happened to be well acquainted
with q deposition. the ban officials soon
discovered they were having q great deal
of trouble in Identifying either the drawers
81 the payees of checks which came to
them. r5
At the time OF opening an account with a
bank 1t 10 always customary 10 have the
depositor file his signature, the more read
lily to detect forgeries. But the First Ma
tional people were nonplussed when many
Of their depositors. placed signatures on
file which would throw the ordinary CHI
biographical expert into a fit. One day the
assistant cashier. A. d. johnson. bethought
himself of the Mark Twain story OF
'Pudd'nhead Wilson and Immediately put
the scheme into. operation.
AS a result each foreign patron or the
bank when he makes a deposit is now re-
quired to place his thumb on an linked pad
and then make an impression on a card,
which, with his ordinary Signature
and his name as written by the
bank cashier, Is deposited in the records
Of the bank. Whenever a check is presented
drawn by this patron his thumb signature
must appear on the check and must cores
pond with that on the card in the record.
II it does not so correspond the check il
thrown out as q forgery.
Mr.. johnson has become 20 proficient in
reading thumb signatures that he can
recognize the prints OF a great many OF
the banks patrons without reference to the
records.-Cheyenne Letter in New York
Tribune.