The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1912-09-19
BANK or ENGLAND
Tragic and Romantic Episodes ln
Its Historic Career.
DEADLY BATTLE WITH A MOB.
The Bloody Climax to the AttempSeus
Raid by the Lord Gordon Rioters--AA
Financial Coup That Was Spoiled h%
the Duchess Of Marlborough.

No other banking institution has gO'
10 the Bank Of England. the "Old LaaB
, of Threadneedle Street"
One of the bloody episodes in the his
tory Of the bank is that embraced tzn
the story OF Charles Walter Godfrey.
bne of its early partners in the baniG-
1t appears that Godfrey while crosSiBE
the channel In the midst of a terrific
storm and laden with 100000 in drafts
for the aid Of King william, who wac.
just then besieging Namur against ths-
forces of Louis XIV, insisted upon HIS
right to deliver the warrant for the
money into the hands Of the king. them
In the trenches under hot fire. As hr
handed the document to the king. say
ing. in response to Williams growl or
remonstrance. Am |. then. more ez-
posed to danger than your majesty1"'
cannon ball swept away bis head.
Not so very many years ago there
stood over the massive fireplace in th@
directors room Of the bank three rusty
| SDSClluCllS VI tue Olh LDiOWb DCHFN
gether with a number Of roughly
shaped bullets. In these relics was enS-
bodied picture of the November nighE
in 1880 when the mob of Gordon riot
ers marched down from Newgate SET
ting fire to every Catholic chapel O1a
the way and advancing with force Of
5000 upon the bank itself
/, ha rrrifh r0nctrGfzs
were unprovided with shot Befors'
them lay rows of leaden inkstaEdst.
suggesting the possibilities of a new
use. In less than half an hour the ink
stands had been melted and turne@
into bullets The muskets were Ioad&
ed. At every window of the baMK
stood two marksmen. their guns tra1Er
ed on the mob below. Yet the rioters
came on until they were within eem
yards of the bank gates. Then sharp
and clear above the frightfu din Tose-
the order to fire, and from the wins
: dows poured a deadly voIley. WneM
the smoke finally cleared away. z5S
: lay dead or dying In the open space
now covered by the esplanade OF ths-
ROYAL Exchange. The attacking arnaE
wavered, stopped, broke line and aeda-
and the Gordon riots were at an enA
During the first part of the reign on
George H. It was the practice OF @l@
banks to give a receipt In payment on
| a deposit, the receipts being passeU
from hand to hand and serving thS
same purpose as the check of today
Al that time Chllds' bank. private
concern. which had the backing OF .
J great part of the English nobility, eH-
/, hibited such signs of future greatness
that the Bank OF England became
I greatly alarmed. especially in view oS
the fact that the "Old Lady's" notes
were at a discount of 10 per cent Sc
little by little, through their agents.
the managers Of the Bank of Engian~
bought up every receipt bearing the
ChIlds signature. allowing the coiiec~
tions TO accumulate each year until the
time should be ripe. during shortage
of GOLD. to present the receipts 10 one
4 great mass for payment 1t was deem
ed a certainty that Childs' would ncG
be able to meet the demand and wonto
thus be ruined.
4 The principal ngure in the drama
that ensued was no other than the In
nous Sarah jennings, in whom ChlioS
bank found its stanchest supporter
One night there came a wild changing
at the bell of the great gate of th%
town of Blenheim-a changing that Soo@
awakened every one in the town a
i white faced, travel stained man stag
gered into the ducal hall. begging an
audience with her grace. When tn%
duchess, in her dressing gown. appear
ed. demanding to know the reason 3GE
this unseemly visitation, the man s1z-
planned that the Bank of England hssG
the Childs' receipts in the amount "a
f62O, 900, that those receipts would S@
presented for payment at noon follo'H-
ing, that there was not at ChtioS
enough gold to meet them, that HzH-
less the demand could be satisfied WITH
In eight hours Childs was ruined ana
that there was but one person In the
/ world-her grace-to whom they nigga
turn
I Whereupon the redoubtable duchess
sat down and wrote out check. willcS
she handed to the agent 1t was an
order on the Bank of England for tho
payment of 100000 He was instruct
ed to take this check to the Bank Of
England and to say that If it hesitateo
for a single instant In paying IL tfs%
duchess would proclaim it as a d.
faulter.
At IL o'clock that day there appeas-
ed at the Childs' counter an agent or
the Bank Of England bearing big bag
ful Of receipts and blandly suggesting
immediate payment At the same mo
ment the Childs' agent was in Threao-
needle street receiving cash on tns
check OF the duchess.
The cashiers at Childs' naturally took
their own time in scrutinizing the ~
ceipts. spending fully half an hour over
The first batch alone. They were at th0
end Of the 1rst hundred when their
messenger arrived Then they quick
ened the procedure a little. and within
ten minutes the Bank OF England haE
been paid in its own coin. Tue BeE
result was that Childs' was many thou