The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1871-10-17
Written for the Saturday Evening Post. j
THE. BANK ROBBERS.
BY CAPTAIN cARNEs.

"ihoo" vi iooiii No. ~ vi Tue SeaSlQ
House. A myriad of sleepy stars win
king through the summer haze outsid
two fiery stars within winking at eacl
other from the ends of our cigars =
Dixs anatomy was in that peculiarl,
American position which brings tn,
level end of the great toes on bee-lin,
with the nose. In other words his heel!
were suspended over the high back O
the chair in front of him. His hat sag
ging well down over the short curls O
black hair seemed ready for any emer
geucy like the oozing out of the intel
lectual sponge of the back brain. 20,
Our theme of conversation had beer
a, very extensive and quite recent banl
robbery. a ->,..,..f ... ,,r..a,c ,.s,
| "Do you reeolleet the B bank
robbery, Carnesp' .-, a-..-. . =
snodded,not caring to lose my mouth
full of smoke to say yes. ........ ...
s'Faith, didn't you have a little finger
in that pie = e. ,......r, .~' .
"a little finger'-and away went my
smoke. r .,.t ...-..i, s..g -,
81 thought so just as soon as l men
toned it. Come, tell us about it." r,.
"Will it pay? and the hall filling with
dancers" a. ....e, O. ~
Dix drew out his watch
Plenty of time, Carnes !; it is but nine
O'clock and my planet does not rise
until later"
Donna Bcll-eh? -? Well, to begin nv
story; it wasn't bad night that found
myself on board the 5 80 train up from
Battcrstown, having been telegraphed
three hours before to meet my superior
officer at Dowling's Station. He, as
chief of police, wished to give me a job
in the line of my business as detective,
to search for a clue, with some dozen
Others of the craft in different places, Of
the B bank robbers.
saw him at powling's Station but a
few mihutes. He had to hasten on to
Batterstown on Urgent business, but
promised to let the 80 train take him
mp there, and we would get a matter of
sixty miles ride together, as lie had to
be in Long-port, a place that distance
away at early morning. The train from
Dowlings made a thirty minutes tarry at
Batterstown Here it was that the bank
had Been lobbed; and here l wished to
tarry few moments for reasons Of iiiy
own.
I had fancy of my own. While the
corps Of detectives were swinging hith-
er and thither, expecting to flank the
robbers, had an overpowering notion
of working steadily near the centre
Sometimes thieves take wide circle
from the scene Of their transgression !;
sometimes they burrow near.
l got out, while the train tarried at
B, and obtaining the necessary in
formation of a porter. strobe directly
to the house of the cashier. He was
lying dangerously ill from the injuries
which he had received in his tussle with
the robbers. In substance l cleaned
from Mrs. this:
Three nights before the family had
retired and were asleep Mrs. -,
with an ailing child, was reposing in an
anti7room adjoining the apartment occu.
pied by her husband. = In the middle of
the night she had been aroused by some
unusual sound in o her husbands apart
ment. Springing up, she was confront
ed by a man masked, who not .ungently
thrust her back upon her pillow, sug-
gesting that the least outcry might prove
fatal to,both herself anG husband He
then very deliberately proceeded to tie
her feet together and her hands also
To her whispered supplications to spare
her, husband, she received the reply :sey.
'.He will not be murdered if he uses
discretion, but he must go with US and
unlock the combination safe of the
BANK -.a a., ..,
A light scuffle was going on in the
other room, and she distinctly heard
several blows struck upon her husbands $
person. Gagged and handcufed, the
brave man was yet struggling with his
captors. The man who had left to assist
his comrades now returned, and bound
her to The bed in such way that she
could not move, and thrust.a linen nap
kin into her mouth for gag. The whole
party then noiselessly withdrew by the
doors which they had left ajar, bearing
the unfortunate cashier between them.
After being gore an age, as it seemed
TO the horriled woman, who was ready
to swoon with terror, they returned, and
laying their Captive upon his back on
the couch, precipitately fed, bearing
away some sixty or eighty thousand
dollars.
'sHad she noticed any peculiarities in
the man who had bound her p / asked.
"Nothing especially by which to iden-
tify him. His face was masked; he was
neither uncommonly large nor small" !"
These were the main points. .'-
The cashier, who had been wounded
in several places by their rough treat
ment of him, while trying to gag and
bind him, had bled considerably.
'"Could / just look one moment into
the room where the outrage occurred ?"
Certainly.
/ took two minutes survey of the
apartment. 1t had not been in any way
disturbed since the morning when the
rest of the family had found the help
less condition of Mr.. - and his wife.
Nothing OF Importance met my glance
excepting one peculiar bloody stain up
on the edge of the door This might
mean something, and it might not, so |
will speak of it again in time.
then had to hurry to catch the train,
which even as l come up was agitating
its monster spine preparatory to NOV
ing. My superior did not come on
board at Dattsrstown, instead L had a
despatch. 1a .iaF.f .'
a"Will catch you at Shannon" said
the lightning. l
1 took my seat in the carriage, my
mind busy with the problem given me
to solve; and as usual, began looking
about to see who were passengers with
me. The usual medley was presented.
lam possessed of very vivid fancy.
Nothing amuses me more than to pick
up some of these stranger people whom
one meets in his travels, and in my mind