HE WOULDN’T BANK ON IT - Thomas Haskins was interested in banks. In fact, Haskins was the vice president and director of the Bank of Dudley. He owned quite a bit of the capital stock of that bank, as well as an interest in one of the banks in Dublin. Trouble was, Haskins didn't trust banks, not at all. In fact, when he died, Haskins didn't have a lone Indian Head, V nickel, or silver coin in the Bank of Dudley or any other bank for that matter.
The old man thought his cash would be safer in his tin box, which he kept in an old desk. On the day after his funeral, his family opened the box and found $11,400.00 in cash along with $18,000.00 in notes and mortgages. His widow was afraid to open the cache. She asked some friends to count the money. During the previous year, Haskins invested a great deal of his currency in promissory notes. It wasn't all paper money, Haskins had a considerable amount of gold and silver coins stashed away.
Just a few months before his demise, Haskins sold his plantation to an Atlanta man, who paid him half in cash and half in gold and silver. He put the coins in one pocket and the currency in the other pocket. Just for one day, he let the bank hold his silver coins. Though some doubted his distrust of banks, the reason most often given for Haskins' refusal to use deposit slips was that he wanted to keep his wealth a secret. On the other hand, word of a treasure chest was never made public as to not entice burglars and robbers to take their wrongful share of his wealth. After the money and notes were properly counted and documented, Mrs. Haskins did the right thing and put it all back in the bank to earn some interest.
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