Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1877 — Address of the Central Committee to the Democracy of Indiana. THE BANK OF MOROCCO. [ARTICLE]

Address of the Central Committee to the Democracy of Indiana.

THE BANK OF MOROCCO.

Interesting Reminiscence of Early Times in Newton County. [Frjm the Exprtwnmau’n Monthly.] About twenty years ago the State of Indiana had on her statute books what was known as the “free banking law." Its prouisions were similar to the present national bank iaw. Any person wishing to start a bank, had only to procure fifty thousan i dollars in State bonds, and deposit them with the Auditor of State, at Indianapolis, and he would issue a like amount of

registered bank notes, which, when signed by the president and cashier of tiic bank, were a circulating medium, and were receivable for debts due the Stu’e, taxes, etc. The law required that the bank should be located in the Stat 6 of Indiana and that its notes should be paid in gold or silver on presentation at its counter for redemption, and it was therefore quite an object to make that “counter” as hard to find as po: - sible, as the notes were payable nowhere else. Many of the banks did a legitimate business, and in the cities and large towns of the State; but manyof them which went by the name of “kiting banks,” were located in the backwoods, out of the way of any danger of a run, and were generally owned by persons living in New York, or some othei eastern city. One wealthy broker, it is said, owned twenty of them: and when he bro’r his bonds to Indiunapolis to depsit with the Auditor, he went also to a prominent real estate dealer, and got the name-, of twenty m wiy n a le“j aper towns,” in various parts of the State, in which to locate his bunks One of these towns was'Morocco, in the county of Newton, in the north western part of the State; and this town is the “hero* of my story. “Adams & Co.’s Express” did a very pr fitanle business in hi i.t ig up these banks for the brokers of Ciucinimti, Indianapolis uud Madisou, and drew and returned the specie. There were but three or four railroads iu the State, ami India’ upolis was the center from which all th sc expeditions started. Tlie writer was the agent of Adams & Co’s Express in that city, and kept four or five bank messengers in readiness to go to any designated point, on the shortest notice, on this business, and they were kept very

busy. Some broker in Cincinnati procured one thousand dollars of the bunk of Moioc' o notes, and sent them up for redemption. When they arrived there was but one of my messengers in the cPy. and his family was sick, and he did not like to leave home, but agreed to stay in Hie office for me, if I would go to Morocco. I had never heard of the place before,.and the first thing was to find its location. The registi r at the Auditor of State’s office fixed it in Newton county, and that was all I could learn. So I started for Newton county to find it. The Indianapolis & Lafayette Rail.ioad was th- n partly finished, and I went to the end of it and took a stage coach to Lafayette. . Hunting up Mr. Reynolds, now president, of the Louisville, Now Albany and Chicago, and then as n w a banker in Lafayette, I learned that the proper road to tune was through Rensselaer the county seat of Jasper county, and, procuring a horse, I started for that point. On arrival no one had ever heard of it there, so I went on tili I found I was in Newton county; and as both of these counties a-<*in th(> largest prairie east of the Mississippi river, and t ontamed very f -w inhabitants, it was no easy task to get information, and I could get none; so I took the plainest track I could find through the prairie, and, aftrr traveling till nearly night, I saw two cabins a long distance ahead of me, and made at once, for them. One of them proved to be a blacksmith’s shop, uud the other the, residence of the smith,” and these were the only evidences of habitation in sight I rode up to the door of the shop, and asked the blacksmith if he could direct mo to the town of Morocco. He replied: “You need no directing; you are in town now.” I was very much astonished as well as pleased to hear it, and so I inquired, “Is there a bank iu this town 7” It was now liis turn to be astonished, and lie replied: “Yes: why do you ask that question?” 1 said, “I have business with the bank, and wish to find it.”

He thought a moment and then inquired: “What is the nature of your business?” I told him I would state it to the bank officers if I could find them, but did not want to publish my business to every one. “Well,” says he, “hitch vour ‘critter’ there in the shade and come in. and I will go with you to the bank.” I did so, and ho washe i his hands and face and started for th * cabin where hu lived, and 1 followed him As we .-u to red the door he said: “This is the Bank of Morocco; take a seat.” I asked him if lie was cashier, and he saifi: “I don’t know what they call me, but I do all the business that is done here.” I then told him thatl had one thousand dollars of the notes of his bauk. for which I wanted the gold. “Well,” says he, “it is late now, and you will have to stop here over nlghr. i will put out your horse, and in tlie morning wo will transact the bauk business.” I had no other alternative but to comp y, and taking the saddle «nd hr die from my horse,he drove a sta e iu the pi uirie and tied him to it with a long Tope, so that he could feed, ni d we went in the house for supper. After the meal was finished, tr.e blacksmith remarked, “You see we are not well fixed for keeping tavern, as those two beds are all we have for myself, my old woman and tl*e four childrenr but as the weather is warm, I sleep on the prairie, and if you will accompany me, I will furnish you a blanket and pillow, and make you as eoiufoitable as I can.” It was “Honson’s choii e.” and I remarked, “That will suit me c-xac ly.” Seeing that I -was a little unea y about sleeping on the prairie with a thousand dollars in my pocket, he said, “If you wish it. I will put your money in the bank vault to night, an 1 give you your gold in the morning.” That pleased me exceedingly, and I handed him ti e package. He went to t e or..er of tle cabiD, and commenced taking potatoes out of a barrel that stood there, and after filling a large basket full, he placed my money package in the barrel, and put the petatoe back, remarking, “That vault is easily unlocked, but it is as safe as a iy you l a e in Lafayette.”— he supposing I resided there. I tho’t it was at least as safe as in my pocket, sleeping on the prairie, and I was satisfied. We both madejour beds on the prairie an 1 slept soundly all night, and after a very comfortable breakfast iu the morning, the blacksmith remarked, ‘We will open bank now, and proceed te business.” Going to tlie same barrel he removed the potatoes as before, until he came to my package, when ho sat down at the breakfast table and counted the money, and when satisfied it was all right, went back to his pot»to-barrel, took out the remainder of the potatoes, and then drew out a bag marked, “Five

Thousand Dollars,” from which he counted fifty double eagle gold pieces and handed th«m to me, put tnv one thousand dollars in notes in the bag with thefgold, deposited it in his bankvault again and locked it with the potatoes. I asked for my bill, but he would not take a cent, remarking, “You are the first man who has ever found the Bank of Morocco and if you will keep the location to yourself, you are welcome to all I have done for you.” I promised to do so, and started ror home well pleased with my adventure. The Remington Times says, “The village blacksmith above mentioned isVTohn Ado, cashier of the Kentland bank.

The Colorado contest, in the House, terminated otherwise than it shoub'. As our readers know, James B. Bel fordc a mei 8 t h ough an electi n to the last and the present Congress on the election held in Octobet. 1876, at which he had a majority over Mr. Patterson, awarded the seat, for both Congresses. At a subsequent ele > tion, in November fn 1 >wing. on t e day designated by law of Congress for holding elections for members of the House, Mr. Patterson had a large majority on a very light vote, Mr Belford relying upon the October result, and giving no attention to the November contest. Technically, Mr. Patterson had the only legal claim, as between the two, for a seat in this Congress, yet he wasnalpally not the choice of this rotten borough State. Mr Belford rebutted his opponent’s claim on the ground that he was chos en for both Congresses, and as there was no time for giving notice for an election in November, non* could he legally held until the fate of the then inchoate State should be determined, and no alternative was left but to hold the election in October, or go without representation until the prop er machinery could be put in motion to choose a representative. In determining the question the House,in our judgment, unwisely determined to admit Patterson, perhaps to resent the seating of Kellogg of Louisiana in the Senate, with the aid of the Colorado Senators, to which he had the shade of a shadow of a title. It is not wise, and of course not right, to allow such influence to prevail.--Neither Patterson nor Belford should have been admitted. The case sho’d have been remanded to the people of the State, and a new election held. The House did wrong, and is not exceed, because radical Houses have furnished innumerable nrecedents for like wrongs.—Lewistown (Pa.) Democratic Sentinel.