JUST A GENIAL TRAVELLER

Evening Star, Issue 22149, 2 October 1935, Page 7

JUST A GENIAL TRAVELLER

' : 'A genial but Impoverished traveller, who in: the last .18 months lias visited most of the United States,. is rapidly Saring himself to tho -officials of the Irvin o,l Trust Banking Company, even though his gendrous nature has compelled them to adopt a circular Jotter that informs recipients of his _ county that his intentions are better than the cheques ho .writes, says the -NewsHis travelling equipment consists apparently of only an indelible pencil and a liberal supply of brown wrapping paper cut to the size of bank.cheques That he is easily pleased is borne out hv the files of tiio bank. which show that on *6l. occasions the unknown, warn {mg loathed licit jposa®®*.!

?and consideration” cheques of £2 to £20,000. ~ How many more of the worthless pieces of brown wrapping paper the man has distributed is unknown. His custom is to beg a cup of coffee or a bit of food, generally from a restaurant, and then to show his gratfulness he gives his benefactor a cheque. The signature never varies—it is John S. Smith, Riga, Latvia, Europe.” His activities came to. light recently : when an Associated Press despatch from Spyingfield, Illinois, told that Mrs Carl .). lleifler, of that city, had written to the Irving Trust Company to find out if a cheque for £250, given as a present j for a cool drink of water, was good. Although bank officials said .Mrs Rcifler’s letter had not been received so far, they had received a cheque from Pana, Illinois. This one was made out to. a waitress, .jwd. following her %am§

“Mr Smith’ had written “the waitress with the gold ring on,” •which, was the endorsement on the back of tho wrapping paper cheque. The bank’s first cheque was from Dallas, Texas. It was for £I,OOO for a kindly woman who had given the hitch-hiking traveller a cup of coffee. That was in January, 1934. Since then cheques have come from far and wide, extending to Los Angeles and other Pacific Coast points. The largest cheque, £20,000, came from Fremont, Ohio. The smallest was from Champaign, Illinois. The cheques arc all drawn against | the Irving National Bank of New York City, which went out of existence 12 years ago and was absorbed by the Irving Trust Company. ‘‘ Some of the recipients, believing it a joke, have.held their cheques for some . months,,” said a spokesman, for the coni-:

pany. “ Tlien, thinking it over, they decide that maybe there is .some value to it and give it to the local bank for possible collection. The bank then sends it to us. At first we answered with lengthy letters. Now all wo do is send out a form letter.”