Stupid Bank

During the past several weeks Prince Barbu Stirby's chauffeur has been cashing at the Bank Generale, in Bucharest, large checks drawn against the Royal Exchequer, in virtue of His Highness' former authority as Keeper of the Privy Purse. Officials of the Bank Generale all know that the Prince has ceased to hold that office. Yet the chief teller paid the checks on sight, paid out 6,000,000 lei, or $36,000.

Eventually last week a director of the Bank Generale remarked casually to Prince Barbu Stirby upon his recent large drafts on the Privy Purse. "But I have signed no such checks!" exclaimed His Highness, "I could not! Surely you know that I am no longer Keeper of the Privy Purse."

To shorten a long tale, the chauffeur was arrested, confessed that he had forged Prince Stirby's signature, vowed that he had smuggled the $36,000 to confederates outside Rumania, Among the many bitter --enemies of Prince Barbu Stirby the charge was heard, last week, that he was probably his chauffeur's confederate.