STRANGE HISTORY OF A £100 NOTE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 103, 19 August 1876, Page 3

STRANGE HISTORY OF A £IOO NOTE.

(From the Melbourne }

The history of the temporary ownership of bank notes of large value is not ttrifro<iuently of a romantic and even a .ragic character, bud few of such histories can compare with the present one for variety of strange incidents. Mr. Mark Marks, of this city, was carrying on business as a money broker in Liverpool to coming out to Victoria, and in December, 18t>2, negotiated some heavy exchanges of furuigu money with a gentleman who had just arrived in England from the United Status. Tlie transaction look place in fna private office, with closed doors, the only porsons present being Mr. Mark's coafidontiai clerk a.".d the American gentleman referred to. A bundle of £lo»>notes of tlio Bank of England were lying on the table within hand grasp, and ottt of this )fi\ Marks proposed to pay for the equivalent foreign currency he had accepted for oxohange. From the time he placed these notes on the table till when he ran them una? before paying i-'em away his eye novel- lost sight of them, save for one instant, when he had occasion to turn round for some papers. That instant's iiiuttontii>n, however, was pregnant of evil consequences, for tr-on cout'tirg the note# a fyw minutes later, he [omul, to- his great dismay, thai; one ! )f them hart been strl'en. A vbte«tiv® ihu) at once sent for, and when he arrived ;

jUr. IVlarks accused the American of the never for a moment suspecting that lis tried and confidential clerk would atiinipt such, a barefaced robbery. The far, however, aliter hearing all the cirumstances,. unhesitatingly LLttsd upon the lorlt its tho guill.y pers.-n ; but Mr. Marks jjwfseod with this view, and no action !W therefore taken beyond stopping paylent «f the note at the bank. Seven NOT passed away w ithoui, anything being sard respecting the matter, and then Mr. lurks emigrated to this Colony, leaving ihind him a power of attorney in the uuls of his agent to receive this particular on«y whenever the bank woutd consent rofnn I it. A few months subsequent to t. Marks' departure the clerk, who* id been in his employ, prt-Ststtted o identical note at the Bank of JEng-

ul for exchange, but on reference ini( made to the stopped payment it it was detected as one of the number, id consequently impounded. The clerk otested that he was the rightful owner, 111 it was discovered that his name was

illy on, the boofes as owner, 111 &*\ aani'S appended. _ The &n|! of Cat latter was chen communicated

til by (she Ban!*, and wveanvatts the rk disappeared mysteriously. Mr. irks' (tower of attorney v:».-t produced, 1 formal applicatu »Cor fjatvtnfcior made virtue of it, hat tha agen-', w;is now tr*mud that unless tbe clerk's authority

[9 given conjointly with Mr. [Guide could not. accede to the appttcabbyfyre » period of twenty ye&i's had bstul from the Uniu of stopping paylit ! A diligent, though fruitless, pill vvaa Mun made for ths j'-rrk ; a?nl unlsU September oil last! year, when a itive of Mr. Mack* orunalty mi'. him ir. trout: at Sottttuun;. to.:, war. fiver*; a; trig BUBn or heartl oil hint. Mr. Marks' ml immediately communicated his disory to the agent,, arid the result was f tho dork was- induced to* sign the issary document. And aow, after thi lo of nearly a :ks finds himself in a fair way of reiriii({ his £IOO.