Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-11-05
A NIGHT IN A HACK.
BY PAUL BoFFIN.


II to pass through our highly respectable
hands, Responsibility is so rare now q. days
as to be expensive; we charged highly for
what we had. Our firm was "Crounse Il
Scott, Attorneys at Law, 4th floor, Pudelo
Block. 80 an. r-T "a rr ~
I'm not Crounse nor Scott-both old,
homely toads of lawyers, knobby with ex-
| crescenees of legal lore, bat with hearts as
warm and as young and as big as aver beat
| in the human form only their head clerk,
Mills, Jenkins Mills little musty and
parchment-like in person and manners, it
Is true, but serviceable, very serviceable,
In hundredways. WASN'T young man,
nor an old one, unless forty years or there.
abouts may be called old. Then, bless
| your heart l had been with the firm
| twenty years, and was as much part of
| 1t as old Mr.. Crounse himself. They paid
me very large salary, more than l could
have made at practicing, and gave me
sort of interest in the net profits was
single man; and as long as | was satisfied
nobody else had right 20 grumble. Fr
| Z Well, as | have stated, our firm had
| legacy. In few words, it was little box
of jewelry--diamonds and other precious
stones in rich, quaint settings-with few
English bank notes as packing paper.
The contents of the box were estimated
as worth about $4,000. The whole came
to us from England as bequest OF heir
looms from Miss Starks to niece in Illi-
nois, Miss Hattie Starks. We had it six
months before we could ascertain where
the devisee lived. Meanwhile discovery
was made which just saved the precious
| relics of the maiden aunt from mysteri-
GUS disappearance, and brought upon the
stage an individual who came very near to
| playing the character of villain to perfec-
| ton.
Mr. Roderic Murtagh was janitor of
our great building. He seemed remarka-
BILE principally because of his height
about four feet eight inches his weight
say one hundred and thirty pounds (;
the gravity of his thin wrinkled face; his
little eyes-like black beads his terkiness
OF speech; his nervous starts at the open
ing and shutting of a door his rapfdity
OF action, and, last, but not least his wife.
The two were new -cOmers-the old ianitor
having suddenly and unexpectedly fallen
heir TO a slip of real estate in cemetery
OF which he had gone to take permanent
possession, leaving the salary and emolu-
ments OF his position to an unnamed sue
cessor. We kept our legacy in the office
safe, and the janitor on the fifth floor OF
the building, where, in nicely furnished
rooms, he seemed to amuse himself at odd
times by standing as target for spare
crockery skillfully SHE'D by ponderous
Mrs. Murtagh, who was great in those
physical traits wherein her husband was
small. Her noted failing was weakness
for the bOttle-an error in Weaning-upOn
which, as human pump, she operated
with extraordinary powers of suction.
She was red-taced, fat, neat as women usrl.
ally are, but with devil dancing contin.
ually in her eyes that spoiled her other.
wise motherly appearance. used to meet
her and her shaggy rat dog on the stairs
and 1t was fortnight, think, before
knew whom she was, and where she dwelt
l write thus particularly Of this couple be
cause, in cunning way, they compassed
, my downfall, old and trusted as L was
Which OF the two was the planner of the
scheme was never known.
| made Mr.. Murtaghs intimate acquaint
ance under very peculiar circumstances
had seen the man skipping hither anC
, thither i'll his duties as office cleaner, anC
thought him shy, insignificant creature
sensitive as to his size, and shrinkin.
from observation and talk, beaten by hi
wife into pitiable slavishness, and harm
less as lamb. Returning from the thea
ter late one night | saw light in the OF
flee. 1t shone dimly through the yellow
shades, which, against our habit, wer
drawn down. was very much sur
prised at this, for Mr. Crounse wa
out of town, and l had Just said good
night to Mr.. Scott at the theater, and tn
janitor should have finished his work a
least five hours previously. 1t was barrel,
possible that Mr.. Scott had gone up, pass
ing me unseen while l was talking witt
friend at the corner. My surprise in
moment gave way to ALARM when
thought of the legacy buried in the safe
of which alone carried the key. Thi
legacy had worried me and broken m,
sleep for manysa night, being, so to speak
under my sole care. ran up stairs yer,
lightly, hearing no sound save the pate
of the feet of frightened rats scamperiny
across and up and down the dimly Lighted
halls, and tried to open the door of tn
p front Office. 1t was locked At the sam
instant heard a sound of violent sweep
, ing within. 1t ceased when pounde,
the door the bolts clicked back into thei
/, places, the door was swung cautiousl
open, and through cloud of stranglin
dust l espied the janitor.
Your works late tonight, Murtagh
l said, gasping "
"Yes, sir. was down with fever al
day and couldn't finish up as early a
[ usual. Better go into the back-room, sil
! I'm through there"
] mo! 1t doesn't matter. Isaw the ligh
q and only came up to see what was goin
. on" l replied cropping through the dust
e toward the safe.
a Yes, sir Am sorry l was late abou
the Office HEtlst
/. 90, never mind It's all right" Blu
: the words were hardly off my lips when
i saw that the safe doors were not tight
| aln n
9 jump of fright. He must have been close
4 ly watching me, for on the instant h
8 stepped forward
a " Beg pardon, sir. found these key
Il on the floor by your desk, little Will
v ago, and was afraid they were important
He never looked into my face as he hel
J, out the keys, among which saw those
n the safe, and his hand shook violently q
h took them from him. He turned ava
!. and continued his work without anoth6
4 word.
!, 1t seemed TO me then, and does now, as
L ercall the place and circumstance, that wa
: never before so utterly surprised by an
v happening as by this one. l would hay
T taken my oath, as strong as it could
worded, that | had carefully locked h
s safe that night as was my habit, just b,
fore leaving the office, What then? TIL,
;. had set down in the huge arm chair an
!. read the evening paper for few minute
/. And after that had dozed seven mil
O utes by the clock, then got up. once MOI
4 tried the safe, knew it was locked, an
q went out of the Office and locked it. No
= the safe was open. Iswung back its door
d Everything seemed secure, untouche,
!. The inner compartment, where's the legac
X and other valuables were kept, was close
and us contents safe, wasperplexed b
yond expression. How did Murtagh oI
,e tain those keysS At first could only Al
,s swer the question by supposing that the
Ie had dropped from my pocket upon u
!. floor while was mapping. But that dl
h net explain why the safe door was opel
4 when / knew / had locked it. In m
Il mind l then decided the matter. While
n was meditating, the janitor, watching II
- oIosaly opd f,Ftf,yolu alI tha f;to .,i-,...s