Sketcher.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2017, 14 January 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

Sketcher.

Tracing a Bauk Note. Some years ago I was a resident in New York. One day a gentleman who announced himself as the British consul at that port, entered my office, saying that he wished to speak with Mr, M. . “ That is my name,” I replied. “ Pardon me,” said the consul, “ but I was under the impression that Mr. M. , whom I am desirous of seeing, was an older man than von are.’ 1 “ Ah, it is my father, then you want. Unfortunately he is confined to the house by indisposition. Can you communicate to mo the nature of your business, and it may be in my power to attend to it in his absence ?” *■ I am obliged to you,” said the consul. '■ Well,” he added after some slight hesitation, *• I should like to spsak to you in private for a few minutes, if convenient." “ Certainly." Having showed the old gentleman into an inner room 1 requested him to be seated and waited for him to broach the matter concerning which he had come. Without preface, the consul took out from a pocket book a twenty pound Bank of England note, handed it to me, and said, — “ 1 believe this note passed through your father’s hands about two months ago.,’ “ Very possibly,” 1 replied, rather surprised at the question ; “ but I can ascertain for a certainty in a moment.” Summoning a clerk I desired him to get me the rough cash-book. On looking over its pages I soon came across an entry regarding a Bank of England note, the amount, date and number of which corresponded with that before me. ” I find,” I said, “ that this note was in my father’s possession at the time you mention. But may I ask the object of your inquiry ?” “It is this : Some fourteen months since this note was abstracted from a letter posted at Glasgow for Aberdeen. Nothing was heard of the stolen money until five weeks ago when the note was stopped on the being paid into tbe Bank of England by a firm of private bankers. They stated that it had been received by one of their customers in the ordinary course of business, The customer, when applied to, said that it had been remitted to him by a Mr. M of New York. I have therefore been instructed by my government to trace, if possible, the note during the period it was in this country. Can you inform me from whom your father had it?”

“ Easily," I said, referring to the book before me. It was bought from a Mr. White, who has an exchange office in Wallstreet. But I fear you will find it very difficult, if not quite impracticable, to carry the matter further, since it is the usage with brokers to buy English bank notes offered for sale without asking any questions, being aware that, even if they have been stolen, the innocent holder can legally enforce the cashing of them." “ That is true. I agree with you that it is most unlikely that Mr. White will be able to let me know who the person was from whom he bought the note ; however, I shall call upon him without delay, since it is just possible that he may have it in his power to afford the information I seek.” Then.aftor thanking me for my courtesy in the matter, the consul took his leave, and presumed that I should hear nothing further concerning the matter. Borne months later, however, I was dining one day when the consul entered the room. Recognising me, he came over to the table at which I was seated and took a chair beside me. In the course of conversation he said

“ You recollect the circumstance of my calling on you some time ago with respect to a stolen Bank of England note ?” “ Perfectly.” “ Well, after all, I was successful in tracing the note."

“ How was that?” I enquired. “ When 1 left your office I went to that of Mr. White. He referred to his books and found that he had changed the note for the manager of one of the agencies of the Central railroad company. I then called upon the gentleman. He had no recollection of the individual from whom he had received the money, and, disappointed, I was leaving the establishment, when a clerk interposed, and, addressing bis employer, said “ ‘Mr. Suydem, wo had the note in question from a man who bought a through ticket for Chicago. He came in to inquire what was the fare that city. I told him. He said that he would go by our line, but that he must first change some English money at a broker’s. I informed him that this was quite unnecessary, as I weuld take it in payment for his ticket at the current rate of exchange. To this he agreed, and thus the note came into our hands. Why I remember the transaction so clearly is that the man’s name was a rather unusal one—Blenkiron, and I had to ask him how he spelled it. Mr. Blenkiron mentioned incidentally that he was going west to fill a situation in a large manufacturing establishment, but be did not mention the nature of the business nor the name of firm which had engaged him.” “ Furnished with these particulars." continued the consul, 11 1 met the difficulty of putting myself in communication with the man in this way. I wrote to him, stating the information L sought, and addressed my letter to him at the Poste Kestantej, Chicago. At the same time I caused advertisements to be inserted in two of the leading daily newspapers in that city, notifying Mr. Illcnkironthat there was a letter for him at the head post office. Well, some days afterwards 1 had a reply to my communication, informing me that the writer had received the bank-note from an uncle in Bombay, whose address he gave me. This information I forwarded to tlie postal authorities in England on whom, of course, devolved the duty of pursuing all further inquires with respect to the matter, and for some little time thereartcr 1 heard nothing more about the busin ‘Hs. However, subsequently I learned the sequel of it. The Mr. Blenkiron rosident in Bombay, when communicated with, stated that the note had been sent to bim by a merchant in Glasgow. That merchant bad received it from a tradesman in the same place ; that individual in his turn, had taken it from a clerk in one of the branch postoffices in that city, in payment of bis account. Tims, finding, the theft of the money having been brought home to the clerk in question, he was duly tried and convicted of the offense.”

This was the consul's story, which struck me as rather curious one. It is said, with justice, that the strength of a chain is simply the strength of its weakest link. In this case some of the links of the chain of circum stances which had rendered it possible to trace the people through whose hands the stolon banknote had passed had been of the slightest, and had threatened on more than one occasion to part. Vet, by a concurrence, of purely fortuitous events, they bad not done so ; but, on the contrary,the chain had held together so strongly as to bring an offender to justice after so long a period had elapsed since the commission of the crime that the criminal doubtless supposed himself quite sate from detection.