His Own Banker — Kept Barrels of Money

Wisconsin, 1898

A Merchant who Kept Barrels of Money In His Store

George Hiles came down from Wood county, where he had a store, saw mill, large tracts of pine and other interests which later made him several times a millionaire. At that time and for many years before, Mr. Hiles was his own banker. He kept his money loose in flour barrels. It was not an unusual thing for him to have a barrel of silver and gold and another of paper money in the back room of his store, says the Chicago Times-Herald.

Later he became an official of a Milwaukee bank and put aside his Dexterville methods of banking. It was always the boast of Mr. Hiles that be never lost a dollar by his old-time banking ways. Once, however, he had a close call. A rough river man who had heard of the barrel of bills in the back room hung about the store until it was time to close and all had gone but Mr. Hiles and a boy.

The rough customer knocked the boy down and made a rush for the president of the bank. Mr. Hiles was something of a rusher himself in those days. He met the river man more than half way and in less than two minutes the would-be bank robber was in the middle of the road with two broken ribs, minus several teeth and blind of one eye. No one else ever attempted to rob that bank. Hiles died in Milwaukee two years ago.