The Savings Bank of Wichita

Bank Information

Episode Type: Run → Suspension → Closure
Bank Type: state
Start Date: January 1, 1891*
Location: Wichita, Kansas (37.692, -97.338)

Metadata

Model: gpt-5-mini
Short Digest: 137bb313

Response Measures

Full suspension

Other: Bank made an assignment (assignee J. N. Haymaker) and is described as having 'closed its doors' and 'failed'.

Description

Newspapers (late Jan–early Feb 1891) report a week-long run precipitated by a rumor linking the Savings with the failure of the American National (Kansas City). The bank closed its doors and made an assignment (receiver J. N. Haymaker). Assets exceeded liabilities, so the failure appears driven by a liquidity run from rumor; the institution did not reopen.

Events (3)

1. January 1, 1891* Run

Cause: Local Banks
Cause Details: A rumor after the failure of the American National (Kansas City) that the Savings was involved triggered heavy withdrawals over about a week (reports cite $40,000 withdrawn).
Measures: None reported to stem withdrawals prior to closing; later the bank made an assignment to an assignee.
Newspaper Excerpt: On the failure of the American National, of Kansas City, a rumor was started that the Savings was largely involved ... which resulted in a heavy withdrawal of currency.
Source: newspapers

2. January 27, 1891 Receivership

Newspaper Excerpt: Mr. J. N. Haymaker, who was made assignee, says that the creditors one and all will get every cent that belongs to them. The Savings was the youngest bank in the city ... On the failure of the American National, of Kansas City, a rumor was started ... which resulted in a heavy withdrawal of currency.
Source: newspapers

3. January 27, 1891 Suspension

Cause: Local Banks
Cause Details: Liquidity shortage caused by the withdrawal run (sparked by rumor about involvement with American National) forced the bank to close its doors and make an assignment.
Newspaper Excerpt: The Savings Bank of Wichita doors were not open yesterday morning. ... Mr. J. N. Haymaker, who was made assignee, says that the creditors one and all will get every cent that belongs to them.
Source: newspapers

Newspaper Articles (5)

1. January 27, 1891 Los Angeles Herald Los Angeles, CA

Article from Los Angeles Herald, January 27, 1891

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Article Text

EASTERN ECHOES. The Savings bank of Wichita, Kansas, has closed its doors. Liabilities, $31,000; assets, $75,000. Harris A. Smiler, a New York wifemurderer, has been sentenced to death by electrocution. Near Glenwood, Minn., Christ Abrahamson, aged 18, killed Annie Simonson, aged 15, and suicided. The girl had refused to marry him. During a fit of temporary insanity, B. B. Hopkins, a prominent- Wall street broker, cut his throat in a horrible manner. He cannot recover. The thirtieth day of the strange fast of George Harris, of Newburn, III., has almost exhausted his wonderful vitality, and his unnatural desire to die will probably soon be gratified. When the new administration took charge of the general land office in Texas, last Tuesday, the accounts of the receiver of the office, Hon. O. H. Hollingsworth, were found short about $12,000. The Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal church, organized twenty-five years ago to promote education and religion among the freedmen of the south, is holding a jubitee at Cincinnati. At Milwaukee, Wis., Freddy Hackbrath and August Priese, aged 12, while skating, were seized by three older boys, who said they wanted to "make niggera of them." They held their faces over a log fire until they were horribly burned. The boys will be disfigured for life. The young fiends escaped. A general strike of sheep-shearers and butchers at the Chicago stock yards, for higher wages, was threatened. Forty butchers at Armour's and twenty at Morris's house struck, but their places were quickly filled, and indications now are that no generalstrike will takep

2. January 27, 1891 The Wichita Daily Eagle Wichita, KS

Article from The Wichita Daily Eagle, January 27, 1891

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Article Text

THE SAVINGS BANK CLOSED. The Savings Bank of Wichita doors were not open yesterday morning. The Savings was the youngest bank in the city, Wm. E. Mathewson, president; A. E. Dodge, vice president; and C. E. Curtes, cashier; and directors J. C. McCormick, Martin Hellar, R. M. Piatt and Mr. Merriman. On the failure of the American National, of Kansas City, a rumor was started that the Savings was largely involved, which was not true but which resulted in a heavy withdrawal of currency. The closing of the doors caused no excitement. The truth of the matter the assessts of the institution will pay all indebtedness two or three times over. But for the want of ready cash to meet the quiet run started by the rumor the bank would have went along without even an apprehension of trouble. The entire deposits undrawn, as shown by the books were but $27,700. Everybody felt bad over the occurrence especially as all Wichita's eight banks had gone through the squeeze in fine shape. From the cashier we obtain the following statement of the condition of the saving at the hour of closing: Due depositors, $27,700; bills payable, $3,000, or $30,700 total liabilities. Assets as shown by books, $94,000; stockholders liabilities, $183,150; total assets, $277.150. Mr. J. N. Haymaker, who was made assignee, says that the creditors one and all will get every cent that belongs to them. The damage done is more in name than in fact. There is a general regret in the city that a Wichita bank should have been compelled to make an assignment, but otherwise the closing of the Savings doors in no way troubled the business interests of the city or had any perceptible effect.

3. February 4, 1891 The Globe-Republican Dodge City, KS

Article from The Globe-Republican, February 4, 1891

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Article Text

Miscellaneous. Eight kegs of beer in the National Hotel at Leavenworth were recently seized by the police. Judge Peffer, recently elected United States Senator, will continue his editorial control of the Kansas Farmer. Judge Houk, of Hutchinson, has ruled that original notes and mortgages, not copies, must be produced in court in all foreclosure cases. The Savings Bank of Wichita has failed. There had been more or less of a run on the bank for a week, and $40,000 had been withdrawn. Bishop Fink's reported removal and the removal of the diocesan headquarters from Leavenworth to Kansas City, Kan., has been confirmed by VicarGeneral J. C. Cunningham. The change will not be made immediately. The State Central Committee of the People's party held a meeting at Topeka the other night and elected W. L. Brown, of Emporia, chairman. Mr. Chase, who was deposed. will pay no attention to the order. He holds that the meeting was irregular. James O'Leary, foreman of Abernathy's furniture factory at Leavenworth, committed suicide the other day by shooting himself in the head. No cause known. He was about 22 years old. sober and industrious, and was apparently very prosperous. A late fire at Osawkee destroyed five business houses and a residence. The hardware store and residence of Samuel Stephenson, grocery of D. D. Brammell, drug store of J. A. Stotler & Co., the office of Dr. Tucker and general store of R. E. Haberlein were burned. The remains of a mastodon were found by ? S. Northiap, of Anthony, while on a recent hunting trip on the Canadian river, in the Indian Territory. The skeleton was complete and measured 21 feet in length and 18 feet in height. The horns measured feet on the inside and 10 feet on the outside and the jawbone over 3 feet. Some of the teeth were 12 inches across on the surface. The National conference of the representatives of the People's party, which was called to meet in Cincinnati February 23, has been changed to May 19. The day was agreed upon through a conference at Topeka of P. P. Elder, chairman of the Union Labor party: S. W. Chase, chairman of the People's party of Kansas: W. F. Rightmire, secliance. and repretary of the Citizens' resentative of the Indiana State Alliance. The lifeless body of William Horneman, a hermit andmiser, was discovered the other afternoon in a miserable little hut. which he called his home. near Argentine. A hole in the top of his head and the disarranged condition of the bedding and furniture told the story of what is supposed to have been a murder. His body was in a state of advanced decomposition and the indication were that he had been dead at least ten days. S. A. Hoy, operator of the Santa Fe road at Holloway, a station about twenty-five miles west of Kansas City, and his young wife were struck by an engine the other morning and Mrs. H y was instantly killed and the young man supposed to be fatally injured. They were going to breakfast and stepped upon the track to avoid a mud hole when an engine that was backing struck them. Both were less than 20 years of age and had been married but a few weeks. A stock train on the Kansas City, Wyandotte & Northwestern road was wrecked the other afternoon at Calorific, a small station nine miles northeast of Kansas City, Kan. A stockman, whose name was not learned, was reported to have been so badly frightened by the accident that he dropped dead after walking about half a mile from the scene of the wreck to a farm house. This was the same train that went through a bridge some weeks ago by which the fireman and lanother man were killed. Charles Goble, an iron worker. shot and mortally wounded Anna Louther, at Rosedale, the other night, and then blew his brains out. Goble was an old sweetheart of Miss Louther's. He offered himself in marriage two years ago and was rejected. Since that time he had not called upon her. On the night of the tragedy he entered the house by stealth and went to her room and told her he had come to kill her. He drew a revolver and fired two shots at the young woman. One hit her in the arm and the other in the breast, inflicting probably a mortal wound. He then placed the revolver to his head and killed himself. Miss Louther resided with her widowed mother and sister. They are highly respected people. William Swigard and wife had a quarrel at Hutchison recently, and he attacked her with a butcher knife. The six-year-old son cut his father in the leg with a pocket knife. and then mother and son fled. This so enraged Swigard that he beat the six-months-old baby so severely that it could not recover. Threats of lynching were freely expressed

4. February 5, 1891 Barton County Democrat Great Bend, KS

Article from Barton County Democrat, February 5, 1891

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Article Text

Elder 10, Willits 12, Davis 4, Bridenthal 8, Doster 5, Snyder 2, Vrooman 3, Rice 1, Cogswell 2, Overmeyer 1, Scott 2, Maxon 2, Olds 2, Hurt 2, Osborn 1, Harris 1. The balloting continued with Peffer in the lead. Willits and Elder ran up to 20 votes on several ballots and on the enteenth ballot Peffer received 48, Willits 44 and Elder 1. The eighteenth and decisive ballot resulted Peffer 54, Willits 39, and Judge Peffer was declared the nominee of the Alliance. Miscellaneous. Eight kegs of beer in the National Hotel at Leavenworth were recently seized by the police. Judge Peffer, recently elected United States Senator, will continue his editorial control of the Kansas Farmer. Judge Houk, of Hutchinson, has ruled that original notes and mortgages, not copies, must be produced in court in all foreclosure cases. The Savings Bank of Wichita has failed. There had been more or less of a run on the bank for a week, and $40,000 had been withdrawn. Bishop Fink's reported removal and the removal of the diocesan headquarters from Leavenworth to Kansas City, Kan., has been confirmed by VicarGeneral J. C. Cunningham. The change will not be made immediately. The State Central Committee of the People's party held a meeting at Topeka the other night and elected W. L. Brown, of Emporia, chairman. Mr. Chase, who was deposed, will pay no attention to the order. He holds that the meeting was irregular. James O'Leary, foreman of Abernathy's furniture factory at Leavenworth, committed suicide the other day by shooting himself in the head. No cause known. He was about 22 years old, sober and industrious, and was apparently very prosperous. A late fire at Osawkee destroyed five business houses and a residence. The hardware store and residence of Samuel Stephenson, grocery of D. D. Brammell, drug store of J. A. Stotler & Co., the office of Dr. Tucker and general store of R. E. Haberlein were burned. The remains of a mastodon were found by O. S. Northup, of Anthony, while on a recent hunting trip on the Canadian river, in the Indian Territory. The skeleton was complete and measured 21 feet in length and 18 feet in height. The horns measured 9 feet on the inside and 10 feet on the outside and the jawbone over 3 feet. Some of the teeth were 12 inches across on the surface. The National conference of the representatives of the People's party, which was called to meet in Cincinnati February 23, has been changed to May 19. The day was agreed upon through a conference at Topeka of P. P. Elder, chairman of the Union Labor party; S. W. Chase, chairman of the People's party of Kansas; W. F. Rightmire, secretary of the Citizens' Alliance, and representative of the Indiana State Alliance. The lifeless body of William Horneman, a hermit and miser, wasdiscovered the other afternoon in a miserable little hut, which he called his home, near Argentine. A hole in the top of his head and the disarranged condition of the bedding and furniture told the story of what is supposed to haverbeen a murder. His body was in a state of advanced decomposition and the indication were that he had been dead at least ten days. S. A. Hoy, night operator of the Santa Fe road at Holloway, a station about twenty-five miles west of Kansas City, and his young wife were struck by an engine the other morning and Mrs. Hoy was instantly killed and the young man supposed to be fatally injured. They were going to breakfast and stepped upon the track to avoid a mud hole when an engine that was backing struck them. Both were less than 20 years of age and had been married but a few weeks. A stock train on the Kansas City, Wyandotte & Northwestern read was wrecked the other afternoon at Calorific, a small station nine miles northeast of Kansas City, Kan. A stockman, whose name was not learned, was reported to have been so badly frightened by the accident that he dropped dead after walking about half a mile from the scene of the wreck to a farm house. This was the same train that went through a bridge some weeks ago by which the fireman and another man were killed. Charles Goble, an iron worker, shot and mortally wounded Anna Louther, at Rosedale, the other night, and then blew his brains out. Goble was an old sweetheart of Miss Louther's. He offered himself in marriage two years ago and was rejected. Since that time he had not called upon her. On the night of the tragedy he entered the house by stealth and went to her room and told her he had come to kill her. He drew a revolver and fired two shots at the young woman. One hit her in the arm and the other in the breast, inflicting probably a mortal wound. He then placed the revolver to his head and killed himself. Miss Louther resided with her widowed mother and sister. They are highly respected people. William Swigard and wife had a quarrel at Hutchison recently, and he attacked her with a butcher knife. The six-year-old son cut his father in the leg

5. February 6, 1891 The Kinsley Graphic Kinsley, KS

Article from The Kinsley Graphic, February 6, 1891

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Article Text

Miscellaneous. Eight kegs of beer in the National Hotel at Leavenworth were recently seized by the police. Judge Peffer, recently elected United States Senator, will continue his editorial control of the Kansas Farmer. Judge Houk, of Hutchinson, has ruled that original notes and mortgages, not copies, must be produced in court in all foreclosure cases. The Savings Bank of Wichita has failed. There had been more or less of a run on the bank for a week, and $40,000 had been withdrawh. Bishop Fink's reported removal and the removal of the diocesan headquarters from Leavenworth to Kansas City, Kan., has been confirmed by Vicar-General J. C. Cunningham. The change will not be made immediately. The State Central Committee of the People's party held a meeting at Topeka the other night and elected W. L. Brown, of Emporia, chairman. Mr. Chase, who was deposed, will pay no attention to the order. He holds that the meeting was irregular. James O'Leary, foreman of Abernathy's furniture factory at Leavenworth, committed suicide the other day by shooting himself in the head. No cause known. He was about 22 years old, sober and industrious, and was apparently very prosperous. A late fire at Osawkee destroyed five business houses and a residence. The hardware store and residence of Samuel Stephenson, grocery of D. D. Brammell, drug store of J. A. Stotler & Co., the office of Dr. Tucker and general store of R. E. Haberlein were burned. The remains of a mastodon were found by O. S. Northup, of Anthony, while on a recent hunting trip on the Canadian river, in the Indian Territory. The skeleton was complete and measured 21 feet in length and 18 feet in height. The horns measured 9 feet on the inside and 10 feet on the outside and the jawbone over 3 feet. Some of the teeth were 12 inches across on the surface. The National conference of the representatives of the People's party, which was called to meet in Cincinnati February 23, has been changed to May 19. The day was agreed upon through a conference at Topeka of P. P. Elder, chairman of the Union Labor party; S. W. Chase, chairman of the People's party of Kansas; W. F. Rightmire, secretary of the Citizens' Alliance, and representative of the Indiana State Alliance. The lifeless body of William Horneman, a hermit and miser, was discovered the other afternoon in a miserable little hut, which he called his home, near Argentine. A hole in the top of his head and the disarranged condition of the bedding and furniture told the story of what is supposed to have been a murder. His body was in a state of advanced decomposition and the indication were that he had been dead at least ten days. S. A. Hoy, night operator of the Santa Fe road at Holloway, a station about twenty-five miles west of Kansas City, and his young wife were struck by an engine the other morning and Mrs. Hoy was instantly killed and the young man supposed to be fatally injured. They were going to breakfast and stepped upon the track to avoid a mud hole when an engine that was backing struck them. Both were less than 20 years of age and had been married but a few weeks. A stock train on the Kansas City, Wyandotte & Northwestern road was wrecked the other afternoon at Calorific, a small station nine miles northeast of Kansas City, Kan. A stockman, whose name was not learned, was reported to have been so badly frightened by the accident that he dropped dead after walking about half a mile from the scene of the wreck to a farm house. This was the same train that went through a bridge some weeks ago by which the fireman and another man were killed. Charles Goble, an iron worker, shot and mortally wounded Anna Louther, at Rosedale, the other night, and then blew his brains cut. Goble was an old sweetheart of Miss Louther's. He offered himself in marriage two years ago and was rejected. Since that time he had not called upon her. On the night of the tragedy he entered the house by stealth and went to her room and told her he had come to kill her. He drew a revolver and fired two shots at the young woman. One hit her in the arm and the other in the breast, inflicting probably a mortal wound. He then placed the revolver to his head and killed himself. Miss Louther resided with her widowed mother and sister. They are highly respected people.