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Story
December 29, 1889
The Cheyenne Daily Leader
Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming
What is this article about?
In a New York bank on Wall Street, two men quickly deposit over $1.4 million in $10,000 bills. The satchel carried by one contains only a half brick as a decoy to deter thieves, highlighting secure money transfer practices.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
A Million and a Half.
Two men walked rapidly down Wall street yesterday afternoon and entered one of the prominent banking institutions.
They were sturdy, heavy set men. One carried a small black satchel.
Both kept their eyes roaming from side to side. I followed them into the bank. The man with the satchel sat down, dropping the bag carelessly on the floor. The other went into the receiving teller's inclosure, reached down into his breast pocket and extracted a package of bills. These were hastily counted, and the two strangers left. The teller jammed the bills into an envelope, sealed it and pitched it into a safe, afterward closing the door in a perfunctory manner.
The entire transaction occupied less than two minutes. Then the teller turned to me and said:
"How much do you think was in that package?"
"Why, about $500."
"Yes, and a little more. It contained one million four hundred and forty odd thousand."
"You don't mean it!"
"Yes." he said, showing his memoranda.
"You see, it's nearly all in $10,000 bills. There is not great danger in carrying notes of that denomination, because, except here in New York, they are so seldom used that suspicion would at once be directed toward any one who attempted to negotiate them."
One thing still puzzled me.
"What did the messenger have in his satchel?"
"Nothing but a half brick. The satchel is carried as a blind, to throw any possible thief off the track."
New York Cor. Philadelphia Press.
Two men walked rapidly down Wall street yesterday afternoon and entered one of the prominent banking institutions.
They were sturdy, heavy set men. One carried a small black satchel.
Both kept their eyes roaming from side to side. I followed them into the bank. The man with the satchel sat down, dropping the bag carelessly on the floor. The other went into the receiving teller's inclosure, reached down into his breast pocket and extracted a package of bills. These were hastily counted, and the two strangers left. The teller jammed the bills into an envelope, sealed it and pitched it into a safe, afterward closing the door in a perfunctory manner.
The entire transaction occupied less than two minutes. Then the teller turned to me and said:
"How much do you think was in that package?"
"Why, about $500."
"Yes, and a little more. It contained one million four hundred and forty odd thousand."
"You don't mean it!"
"Yes." he said, showing his memoranda.
"You see, it's nearly all in $10,000 bills. There is not great danger in carrying notes of that denomination, because, except here in New York, they are so seldom used that suspicion would at once be directed toward any one who attempted to negotiate them."
One thing still puzzled me.
"What did the messenger have in his satchel?"
"Nothing but a half brick. The satchel is carried as a blind, to throw any possible thief off the track."
New York Cor. Philadelphia Press.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Deception
What keywords are associated?
Bank Deposit
Large Cash Sum
Security Decoy
High Denomination Bills
Wall Street
What entities or persons were involved?
Two Men
Receiving Teller
Narrator
Where did it happen?
Wall Street, New York Bank
Story Details
Key Persons
Two Men
Receiving Teller
Narrator
Location
Wall Street, New York Bank
Event Date
Yesterday Afternoon
Story Details
Two sturdy men enter a prominent New York bank on Wall Street, one carrying a satchel. They deposit a package of bills totaling over $1.4 million, mostly in $10,000 denominations, in under two minutes. The satchel contains only a half brick as a decoy to mislead potential thieves.