The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-10-08
1CONCLuDED.l

the safe into the tO0i-house In the
garden, where supplied them with
the quantity of ale and tobacco agreed
on, AID they shut themselves in.
Its only a case for the alderman,
Bill" [ heard the listle man remark
as L lett them.
In twenty-five minutes, by my
watch, tae bull headed man came aud
told me it was done. mot that we We
been all this time about 1t, though
guv'nor, fer Toney be prised it open
In five rlinutIS, as easy as an oyster,
but we We been settin' and dom q
quite pipe together"
They certainly had opened it, not
by picking the dock, as l anticipated,
but By wrenching on the back, so
that the safe was completely destroy
ed. They had drilled two holes 10
the back plate. to allow of inserting
two immensely powerful steel crowbars
Ia such a position that the leverage of
tho two bars would tell one against the
other, and wrench out the interme-
date piece. From the appearance of
the holes and the smell In the out
house, | judged the men had previous
ly lowered the temper of the steel
back with bloW-pipe IN the places
where they intended to drill. | felt
disposed to be angry at the des.ruc-
ton of the safe, and was going to say
so, when Toney pOiated out a dirty
roll of papers lying inside. | took
them out, unrolied them, and forgot
my wrath Immediately. A prize in
deed Fifty share certificates, each
for twenty pounds, in the "Undenia-
bic Security and Unlimited Discount
Banking Corporation (Limited);"
Offices, Lud street city. l paid off
my two burglars with a light heart,
aud returning to the house, believe
I danced a war dance of triumph
round Mrs. T., exhibiting thousand
pounds worth of property, which
had cost me but three.
There, said /, that's the good of
going to sales!"
Well, but, John, these shares are
not yours"
But they are" 1 retorted. Il
bought them, and they are to Bearer
and no name on them to indicate
whose they are"
But had you not better see the
auetioneer, and tell him what you
have fOundY
why, no, [ bought the lot, faults
and errors of description, and all;
and it is as much mine as i'll had
paid thousand pounds for it.
Yes; but some poor man may be
ruined by the loss of these shares"
We'll" said l, what l will do
will be to go up to London, to the
company's Offices, and ascertain
whether these certificates are claimed
on behalf of any one else, and if not,
to claim them for myself"
l found the Offices Of the "Undeni-
able Security aud Unlimited Discount
Banking Corporation (Limited)"
most imposing edifce of Italian ar
chitecture, with immense plate glass
windows, and Purbeck- marble col
umns, and the name of the medieval
gold letters, running the whole length
Of the building. Evidently a very
prosperous concern. Ga entering,
there was not that amount of business
doing which / should have liked to
see in fact, beyond two clerks-one
of whom was pairing his nails with
the office penknife, while the other,
aud more elderly, was reading the
neWspaper-the place was empty. /
stood quite five minutes at the mas
sive Spanish mahogany counter appa-
rently without either of the clerks be-
coming officially aware ofmy pres
ence so intent were they on their
duties. | therefore raped on the
floor with my umbrella, which made
a great noise in the empty office,
which was church like for size and
echoes. The elder clerk looked up
impatiently from his paper, but re-
sumed its perusal Immediately. The
younger got off his stool, and went to
looking glass, where lie commenced
arranging his hair with q pocket
comb.
Il have called" 1 remarked in
somewhat loud tone, about some
shares in this company, tho certif-
Gates of which [ hold"
"Eh?' said the old clerk, at last
detecting my intrusion.
/ repeated my business.
Certificates Nos. 2034 to 20S3, they
are in my possession; in fact, l bought
them"
well, what do you.want? Do you
wish them registered in your name?
Simpson, (to the young clerk), get
doWn the transfer book"
That is the difficulty, said l. in
the event. for instance, of any one
claiming the shares, for they came
into my possession In a rather singu-
lar manner"
No difficulty at all. You say
you've got the certificates. aud you've
bought them. just produce the
scrip, and write me an authority to
register the shares IN your name,
He looked over the certificates, and
counted them, while l wrote the re-
quired authority.
But" l said, when l bad done,
with view to satisfy my concieuce
IN the appropriation Of property, Il
assure you the circumstances under
which | acquired the certificates are
so singular, that"
You needn't trouble about that"
ne interrupted; "our Office takes no
cogniz2nce Of the way you became
possessed Of them. You are the hol-
der and the registered proprietor of
the shares, and you may be quite sure
no one else will ever claim them"
This sounded sat isfacIory in one
way; but the mans manner of saying
it did not. confess, leave a favorable
impression on my mind. l W ent home
rather uncomfortable, and feeling so
oppressed with the notion of having
property which my conscience would
not eoncede was mine in strict JUS
lice, that it would have been relief
to have had an accomplice with whom
to share the proceeds and the respon-
sibility.
1t may seem singular that when in
town l had taken no steps TO ascertain
the value Of my property; but, IN the
hrst place, know very little of the
ways of tho money market, and the