Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1915-04-28
LIFE ONE OF TROUBLE
BANK OF ENGLAND HAS HAD A
VARIED CAREER.
TO Her Credit Must Sc Placed the
Settlement Of Many Crises in the
Nations History-Has Conc
Through Panies,

More than once in her history the
"old lady OF Threadneedle street" has
held the fate of the British empire
in her hands. Just recently Britain
has had much to thank her for-espe-
c1ally the way she averted an econom-
fc panic at the outbreak Of the war.
William III had not yet begun to
wear mourning for his consort, Mary,
when the most famous and the rich
est lady in the world" as the late
Lord Goschen styled the Bank of Eng
land. was modestiy Graded at Mer-
GERS hall one July day in 1894, with
that canny Scotchman, William Pater-
son, for godfather.
She was we'll lowered as infants 20,
for the merchants Of London city SUBJ
scribed in ten days the comfortable
sum Of $6,000,00O for her birth dowry,
thus enabling her to begin life as
full-born millionsiress.
But the child had not long to wait
for her first trouble
When she was only two years old
the goldsmiths leagued themselves
against the interloper who was steal
ing their banking business from them.
A few years later the fears of an
invasion by the Pretender brought
her horde Of enemies down on her
again, allied with the rival banks of
Hoare and Child, and she was only
saved from disaster when the dukes
of Marlborough and Newcastle and
many another noble hurried to her
help with coaches brimming with bags
OF boarded guineas. When she left
MERGERS hall-her original nursery
for the more spacious Grocers' hall
her staff numbered but 81 all told;
and when her next migration took
her, in 1884, to the nucleus of her
present palatial home her capital still
fell short Of modest $5o,OOOoO0.
Here, in 1880, she was compelled to
fight for her life.
Newgate had been sacked by a RI
otous mob, a large part of the city
was in flames and she herself was
girdled by fierce thousands bent on
her destruction. But she had gal
liant defenders. Her roof was manned
by clerks, firing volleys of bullets
nodded from the pewter of their ink
stands, which they poured into the
enemy with such deadly effect that
they scattered and fed.
Four years later, "Old Patch" tho
roguish son of an old clothes man,
robbed her Of $1.0OO,OO0 by means of
forged notes. and he had SO many imi.
tators that a staff Of 70 clerks was
kept busy In detecting them.
But the old lady's diary is crowded
with similar sensations and roman
tic happenings. When, for instance,
in the ASS" Prince Charles rebel
army had struggled as far south as
Derby, such was the general panic
that the bank was mobbed by anxious
crowds demanding money for it's
notes. Payment was not refused, we
are told, but the bank engaged a small
army Of agents to present notes for
which they were paid in sixpences,
the agents going out of doors with
their silver and bringing itSback by
another, SO that bona f1de holders of
notes could not get near enough to
present them.
Change Of Denomination.
The collector of bridge tolls in a
Scottish border town was quite char
acter in his way. Upon one occasion
a large party of American clergymen,
who were visiting Scotland, came to
survey the classic Borderland. The
end Of the bridge bears a notice that
not more than ten people are allowed
on it at once, but the clerics chose to
diregard this, and went on in body.
The collector saw them from his
little sentry box, and rushed out.
Back off that bridget" he shouted,
but unused to such tones the clerics
pressed on.
Back off that bridget" shouted the
collector again.
"But, my good man." expostulated
the foremost, do you know that we
are members of the Pan-Presbyterian
congress?"
''Ye may call yourselves Pan-Pres-
byterian or pot-Presbyterian," roared
the collector. but if ye no gang AT
that bridge ye1l be a Baptists in twa