Well, he guessed he had a friend, a lawyer-friend, too. His intimacy with the man, whom he considered one of the bank’s best customers, had grown. Black now was trusting the bookkeeper to notify him whenever that exasperating account was about to be overdrawn.
Jones was not disappointed. The installment people were placated. In one interview his friend of the 10-cent cigars arranged a basis of settlement and even advanced the first payment of $7.50.
This was the story that Jones told yesterday to a roomful of lawyers, bankers and bond company representatives, and to one woman--the little girl who had married him at 17.
In the next chapter it was his benefactor who needed a favor.
It was in the power of the bank bookkeeper, the financial weakling, to favor the man of affairs. Black had written more checks than he could meet. He wanted a check for $100 held out for a day. It would be easy for the bookkeeper to slip it from the pile that came in from the clearing house. Of course, the man of affairs might ask Mr. White, the cashier. But sometimes Mr. White was willing to favor and sometimes not. It depended a good deal on how he felt. And this was important.
That $100 check was not made good the next day. It went over to the “next day.”
Others, at the insistence of the man of affairs, were added to this.
The picture Jones drew in the minds of those that heard him was of a nervous young man, hurrying from the bank to the office of the man of affairs and greeting him with all the apprehension that had grown upon him every time he looked at a bank book.
“For God’s sake get this money and get this straightened up.”
“Now, that’s all right. I’ll look after this.”
And after a few minutes Jones would be surprised to find himself picking up some of the other’s confidence. He would go back to his post confident that the money would soon be raised and his duplicity toward his employers wiped away.
“93, 94, 95, 96 are coming in. Take care of them.”
It had reached $9,800 when the prospective consolidation threatened disclosure.
Jones had the advice of the man of affairs--to keep quiet and trust in him as his lawyer.
When arrest came Friday, Jones called for his lawyer. The lawyer was at church. The messenger reached the church too late.