Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-10-26
THE HIDDEN HAND
W. Ihapma N


1
able series of attacks upon its stand
ing have shown so much plan and per-
sistency that Howard Sutherland
passes his hours of distress fearing
that it is only a question of time when
the final move or fate, or a powerful
relentless enemy. will precipitate an ul-
innate catastrophe of ruin. There have
been three events of pOrtentous sig
! nificance.
"First-the Waidner fraud: A man
giving that name came into the bank
three weeks ago wishing to open an
account He selected the busy hour
He had his deposit slip made out for
$4,000. This comprised three checks
aggregating $4,000, and he exhibited
$4,000 in currency. At the Sutherland
institution the slips do not itemize
such details as checks, drafts, curren-
cy, but one aggregate is given. Young
Sutherland o. KID the account, after
verifying the checks and counting the
bank notes, and directed this Waidner
to the receiving teller On his way to
the latter, Waidner extracted $1,000
! from the currency and substituted a
check for that amount. He had casu-
ally mentioned to young Sutherland
that he might want to draw on the de-
post, and the latter naturally noted on
the slip the cash limit of $4,000, the
checks to go out for collection. The
| next morning a check was presented
for $1,000, paid, and the bank was out
! for that amount, for the deposited
checks were worthless"
Not new, but not often tried" OBJ
served.
Second" proceeded Marvel with his
narrative, "the bond substitution. This
was where a man came into the bank
wishing to sell $4,000 worth of bonds.
They were non-registered, but of the
highest grade. He offered fair dis
count, and Howard Sutherland knew
they were likely to go up on rising
market. The arrangements were set
tied and the purchase price paid in
currency. The banker placed the
| bonds in a box envelope, noting the
numbers and denominations on the
outside. Just then there was scream
| outside of the room and Sutherland
| fastened to the door of his office to
trace the ccmmotion. A woman had
tainted. but to quickly recover. The
envelope was handed over to the cashs
Ter, placed in the vault, removed for
sale two days later and found to con-
! tain some worthless mining stock. The
| fainting scheme had been put up to
distract attention, while the broker
changed the securities behind the
back of the unsuspecting banker"
"These incidents might come up at
any bank in the course of it's history"
said
True" agreed Marvel; cor because
they are a new house Sutherland &
Son might have been selected as fresh
victims by clever crooks. That phase
however, fades into nothingness when
we come to consider. Incident three:
81 800, $4,000, and now $4,000. You
see the scale is an ascending one"
The $4,000" began.
Covers something so new, SO un-
usual, so inexplicab1e that it is fairly
staggering. A man, a Mexican, came
to the bank sixty days since and depos-
tied $4,000. He named himself Miguel
Cristol, and claimed to be a success
full miner who had made his pile and
had come north to see little of life.
When he made his deposit he produced
a small metal box with four half keys
fitting intricate locks. His interview
was with Dunbar Sutherland. Opening
the box, he had its contents verified.
1t contained $4,000 in treasury notes.
He locked the box, sealed it, gave two
half keys to young Sutherland and
asked him to keep the box in a safe
place subject to call. Sutherland Il
Son have no safety deposit vaults, but
the box was placed under special lock
and key in the treasure safe. He
drew out his regular account IN
termittently. Three days ago ne
appeared, saying he had a de-
mand for all his money, as he was
about to invest it in the purchase or
hotel at Los Angeles. The box was
brought from the vault. A clerk was
called in to witness the safe return or
the contents to it's owner. The seals
were removed, the keys fitted, the box
opened"
My friend paused impressively. Then
he reached over towards his desk and
took out metal box. 1t answered to
the description of the one he had re-
ferred to and knew it must be the
same.
when they opened it," announced
Resilius Marvel-"this."
He moved the box about to indicate
that it was empty then as empty now.
He drew his finger across the inner
surface of the box cover. A slight
smudge adhered to his finger tips,
nothing more.
"What?" inquired, at sea.
mot a trace of the original enclos-
ure was discoveraole except a thin