The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-12-22


"Well, will tell you all that know
about it, but that is not much, as the
whole transaction was very mysterious,
and it has never yet been cleared up.
The robbery, for such it undoubtedly
was, took place some three years and a
half ago, and therefore about six months
before you came to this branch. 1t hap
pened in this way: We had dinner
party one evening, and my wife, when
dressing, took some iewelry out of her
case, which l brought from my private
safe for that purpose. This case she LETT
on her dressing table, and when we went
out to our bedroom, after our guests
had gone, it was nowhere to be found.
We had a servant who was to leave the
next day, the cause of her dismissal be-
ing her habit of going out without per-
mission and keeping late hours. On in
quiry, found that this girl had been
away from the house for about two
hours during the time we were with our
guests. This circumstance, coupled with
others, excited my suspicious so far that
I sent for the superintendent of police,
but after long and tedious inquiry, it
was impossible to obtain any tangible
evidence against her. Among our guests,
on the evening in question, was a gen.
tleman named Garstang, who filled the
post of accountant in the bank here, but
who was ON the eve of his departure to
take the managership at N. My
wife was always firmly impressed with
the idea that Garstang was connected
with the disappearance of her jewels,
but of course l looked upon such a sus-
picion as simply preposterous; in fact,
her only grounds for it were, her gene
raj dislike to him, and the fact that he
had departed before the rest of the COM
pany upon what she thought an INSULT
cient plea"
whether wrong him or not can
not tell, and may never know" said Mrs
Wilmot, "but 1 have always felt an ir-
resistible conviction that my impression
was right. You know, Stephen, that l
expressed dislike to him when first I
saw him. There was something about
the expression of his features that was
very unpleasant"
THAT is my strongest reason for dis
trusting your conviction, my dear. l
onsider that it was the result Of the
bad impression he made upon you at
ir.t, indefinite at starting, but suddenly
reduced to shape by the circumstances
of the robbery. If, however, you will
consider Mr.. Garstang's prospects at
that very time, you must see that it
would be absurd to suppose for mo-
ment that he could be guilty of such an
tgregious act of folly-an act the dis
covery OF which would have hurled him
from most enviable position to fel-
on's cell. Such a suspicion is unjust
and dangerous, and should tremble it
thought any one could get an inkling
OF 1t. need not impress upon you the
necessity of silence upon SO delicate
subject; and, of course, Ddnby," said
he, turning to me, lyon fully under
stand that what you have heard is un-
der the seal of friendship, and must new
'r be even whispered to your own ears"
signifed my firm intention of never
breathing word on this dangerous
subject and turned the conversation to
more ordinary matters.
We had just commenced dessert, when
a telegram was brought in by one of the
servants, and handed to Mr.. Wilmot.
who quickly read it, and with q look of
surprise, passed it to me. Now, in the
course OF our extensive banking bust
ness, it was continually necessary to
by wire from one branch
to another, on important matters, and,
tor the sake of the needful secrecy, a ci-
pher code was adopted. This code was
only known to the chief officials at each
branch, and hence none of the telegraph
clerks could understand our dispatches.
The telegram was in this code and was
rom NJ, town about forty miles
otf, where there were two banks-viz.,
our branch and a private bank. The
telegram stated that this private bank
had closed its doors finally that after
loon at four; that Mr.. Dane, our mana
ger at M, had just got this informa-
ion, and that he expected severe run
lpon our bank in the morning. He
Urged us to send him immediate relief,
md suggested that we should telegraph
% our branch at O. for gold for our
ise, SO as to send him as much as posi-
Die. The case was q most urgent one,
Ind MIR. Wilmot quickly decided what
% do. l started in a cab to fetch the
'ashi' +, who had one of the three keys
II the bank strong room, the others be-
ng in the respective keeping of myself
md the manager. While | went on this
rrand, Mr.. Wilmot sent off telegram,
living copy OF Mr.. Danes, with come
urther hints to the manager at O..
Mr.. Wilmot was at the bank when / re-
urned with the cashier. We found the
'orter, who, like myself, lived on the
'ank premises, at home, and we were
lot long in packing up, in suitable Ca
es, sum Of seven thousand pounds in
,old, and about two thousand in Bank
# England paper. For the conveyance
# this to the railway station, we sum-
noned two cars from an adjoining stand
Is these cars drove up, l ran somewhat
quickly out of the bank, and, in so do
ng, came against u tall man who was
'assing along the foot-path. He had
muffled about his throat,
md his coat buttoned up to his chin, in
Iddition to which he held a red silk
handkerchief to his nose and mouth.
The inclemency of the night sufficiently
ccounted for these precautions, but, as
jostled him, his hand was for an in
tant cast aside, and saw his face. 1t
vas one not easily forgotten. 1t was
handsome and yet repugnant. How
ver, | was busy. He passed on, and
bought no more about it. The mana
,er and myself got into one car, and the
asher and the porter occupied the 9TH