Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

80 HISTORY OF THE BANKThe minute books throw an interesting light on themethods of guarding bank premises in those days. For instance,in 1871, authority is given for the payment of fiftycents a night to an officer of one of the branches for sleepinginthe bank during the absence of the manager in England.Later on, a "guard" of this kind, sleeping near the vault door,was required at almost every branch, and fifty cents a nightbecame the recognized remuneration for this duty, which wasassigned to a bonded officer of the bank and not to a messenger,porter, or minor employee of the unskilled order. Usually themembers of the staff qualified to do so took turns week aboutin sleeping "on guard."Naturally around this custom there grew up a number ofstories, with which junior clerks who had just qualified forguard duty by the confirmation of their appointments, and whowere about to take their turn at it for the first time, wereregaled. In one of the western cities of Ontario it was relatedhow the officer on guard, sleeping with a revolver under hispillow, had been wakened suddenly one night by the flashof a lantern in his face, to find a burly policeman standingover him. As was only natural he forgot all abouthis revolver, and when sufficiently awake to realize who hisnocturnal visitor was, he was told by the policeman that hehad found the front door unlocked. On another occasion theguard was awakened by ominous sounds coming from the coalcellar, as of the rattling and sliding of coal under some person'sfeet. The shivering clerk went to the head of the cellar stairsin his night clothes to receive the intruder, and as the latterappeared out of the darkness, recognized the police uniform,and was told that the wearer had found a cellar window open,and had entered by it to investigate whether anyone else hadpreceded him with evil intent. A third incident is recalledby more than one officer of the bank at the present day. Ajunior clerk was taking his turn on duty, and had just put outthe lights and got into bed, when the transom over the side doorof the bank revealed to him that he had forgotten to put out