The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-01-07
BANK USES old
WORLD SYSTEM
Thumb Marks Adapted to Mod
ern Day Banking in
Wyoming.

Cheyenne, Wyo-The old Chinese
system of identification by thumb
marks has been adapted to modern
banking, and the method made famous
by Mark Twain in 'Puddin' Head Will
son" is now in practical use in the
First National bank of this city as a
means Of identifying the signatures of
many foreigners who carry deposits. In
fact, the thumb mark has become as
necessary on checks drawn by that
class of the banks depositors as is
the written signature of h drawer of
the check itself. The system has been
in use in the First National for more
than a e and in that time the bank
has had not the least trouble with it's
foreign depositors, but, instead, has
found the arrangement working to
perfection. ...~
There are probably more nationali-
ties represented in and around Chey-
enne than In almost any other part of
h g country. The great mining camps
OF the state have drawn every ma
tionality of Europe to themselves,
while the Union Pacific and Burling-
ton railroads have brought hundreds of
railroad laborers from the Asiatic
countries. Korean "%ditchers," Jap sec
ton men, Chinese workmen, Mexicans,
Indians, L~ithuanians, Czechs, Poles,
H~ungarians, Bohemians, Welchmen,
Irishmen, Greeks. Italians and about
every other nationality can be found
around Cheyenne In the course of a
days search. Many Of these deposit
their savings in the First National
Bank OF Cheyenne. n very few
of them, comparatively, can write
their names. especially in letters which
can be read by an ordinary American
business man.
An additional source Of trouble to
the bankers was that so many of the
foreigners resembled so closely others
or the arm nationality that identif-
cation was almost impossible in nan
cases. To the average American, every
Jap resembles every other Jap, while
Cinnamon are as much alike as peas.
Upon opening an account with a
bank. 1t Is always customary to ave
the depositor file his signature, the
more readily to detect a forgery,
should n be attempted, But the
First National people were up against
1t" when many Of their depositors
placed signatures on file which were
altogether past being decipherable.
One day Assistant Cashier A. d.
Johnson, of the First National, be-
thought himself Of the Mark Twain
story Of Pudd'n Head Wilson, and i'm
mediately he put the scheme in OPP
GRAFTON In the bank. .
As a result each foreign patron Of
n bank, when he deposits money
with the First National, is required to
place his thumb on an linked pad and
then make an impression on q card
which, with his ordinary signature and
his name as written by the bank
cashier, is deposited in the records of
n bank. Whenever a check is pre-
sented drawn by this patron, his thumb
signature must appear on the check
and must correspond with thai on the
card in the record. II 1t does not SC
correspond, the check Is thrown out as
a forgery.
A. d. Johnson, the assistant cashier,
who has charge Of this branch of the
bank work, has become so proficient
in reading thumb signatures that he
can recognize the prints of a great
many of the banks patrons without
reference to the records.