23 “The Bank of Clarke County, located in Berryville, was entered by burglars on Sunday night, but they had to retire without being paid for their trouble, as all the valuables of that institution were locked in the vault, which bore no marks that a forcible attempt was made to enter it. Entrance to the bank was affected by breaking a slat to one of the window blinds, by using an ordinary screwdriver, which enabled the burglars to unfasten the blinds and raise the window. One of the burglars wore shoes and the other was bare-footed, as was evidenced by the print of muddy feet left on the counters. A small revolver was the only thing carried off by the burglars who, it is believed, were not professionals. Had they attempted an entrance to the vault they would have been baffled, as it is constructed upon the best known principles of the day. Inside the vault is a burglarproof safe of the best material and construction, which cost the bank $1,000.” A rise in counterfeit checks and negotiable instruments during the late 1800’s prompted the Board to instruct the Cashier to refuse to cash checks or drafts unless there were ample deposits to cover the amount. Mr. John B. Neill was appointed Deputy County and Circuit Court Clerk in June of 1890 and offered his resignation. The resignation was accepted and the Cashier was instructed to express to Mr. Neill “the regret felt by the Board in parting with one who had been so faithful and efficient in the discharge of his duties.” The bank’s safe malfunctioned in 1891, which prompted the bank to send the majority of vault cash to other local banks for safekeeping. Hall Safe and Lock Company of Cincinnati and Consolidated Time Lock Company installed a new safe at a cost of $1,000. Thompson and Ogden moved the two safes for $13. In June of 1892, the bank received news of the failure of J. J. Nicholson and Son, the bank’s correspondent bank in Baltimore. Because of the uncertainty as to how the failure would affect Bank of Clarke County, dividends were suspended. By April of 1893, the loss was fully realized at $14,343.76. The members of the Board invested $10,000 to temporarily offset this loss. Other corrective actions included reducing employee salaries and suspending dividends for up to 1-1/2 years. The successful results of bank operations in 1894 replaced the heavy losses by the correspondent bank failure. Profits improved so that the Board declared a 3% dividend and set aside a surplus of $1,100. Speaking for the investors, Reverend Charles Stribling, a local pastor, offered the following resolution during the 1895 stockholders’ meeting: “Resolved that the appreciation and thanks of the shareholders be tendered to the Officers and Board of Directors for the wisdom they have displayed in the management of the Bank under circumstances unusually trying.” Mr. Clagett resigned from the Board in January of 1896. Mr. John B. Neill was appointed to fill the vacancy. The June, 1897 Board meeting was cancelled “due to harvest.” On March 17, 1898, Mr. R. D. Hardesty and Mr. S. F. Baughman were appointed as directors while Mr. M. W. Jones resigned. The Clarke Courier reported that “farmers reaped a bountiful harvest in