The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1871-11-10
MO. 623.

"Ccr:ainly, sir. with pleasure,
replied Mr.. Braintrec, who. by the
way, was particularly partial to clcr-
gymen, doubtless because they form
ed such striking contrast to the in.
habitants Of frontier cities. "Mr.
Archcr," added my chief, "will you
be good enough to light the dark Ian.
tern and accompany us?"
1t wanted about twenty minutes
to our usual hour of closing the bank
and I had just finished my work.
Had such not been the case, I shoul d
in all probability have sent one of
the clerks in my place.
There was nothing, however, to
prevent me from doing as the Presi-
dent requested; I therefore lighted a
dark lantern, and we all three de-
scended the steps leading to the
vault. (.
The specie and valuables of the
bank were kept in an immense iron
safe, which was placed in a stone
chamber. The walls of this cham
Der were of extraordinary thickness,
and the entrance to it was through a
massive iron door, which was secured
by thick bar of iron fastened by an
immense paddock.
BY this means the specie of the
bank was doubly protected, for, even
supposing that a robber should sue.
coed in obtaining an entrance into
the stone vault, he would still have
to force the immense safe, matter oi
impossibility, unless he happened to
possess the secret, which was turn.
ing the handle around exactly seven
times. Once more or less would be
of no avail.
I unlocked the paddock, leaving
the ksy in tho lock, and We all en-
tered the stone vault. The Rev.
Mr.. Elliot appeared to be strangely
interested in the place. He gazed
around him in seeming wonder; he
measured the thickness Of the wall,
and the length and breadth o. the
stone room.
"Very secure! very secure, in
deed!" he murmured. "You can set
bank robbers at defiance with room
like this, Mr.. Braintree."
'Yes, sir; l believe We can, for,
even if any one should succeed in
getting into the stone vault they
would still have the safe to force. :"
True, very true," responded the
reverend gentleman, "but I noticed
one popularity about your safc," he
added, glancing toward it as be spoke,
"you have no lock on it,"
1T is not necessary" returned
Mr.. Braintree, "for unless a person
happened to knov the secret of open
ing the door, I would defy him to
open it. You sce," added the presi-
dent, suiting the action to the word,
''in order to effect an entrance 1t is
necessary to turn the handle around
exactly seven times"
After the seventh time, Mr.. Brain
tree gave a strong pull and the heavy
door slowly turned on its hinges.
The reverend gentleman glanced in
side with excusable curiosity.
"Very curious! very curious, in
deed!" he murmured. "IIow won
derful is the ingenuity of man."
At that moment Mr.. Braintree
called the clergyman to see some-
thing else in the stone vault, and
they both moved away to the OK
treme end Of the apartment.
On glancing into the safe l noticed
that two ledgers were out of their
places. I entered the safe to place
them into their respective cases,
when either the clergyman or Mr..
Braintree brushed past the safe. un-
consciously knocked against the door,
as be did so, which gave such an i'm
petus that it closed on me, and the
bolts shot noiselessly into their sock
cts and I was a prisoner.
There was an acoustic phenomenon
connected with this safe which I new
er heard explained. and that was, any
one shut inside it could hear every
word that was uttered in the vault,
while no noise that he might make
could reach the outside. I was
aware of that popularity and knew
that it was utterly useless for me to
call out.
The only hopo I bad was, that
when Mr.. Braintree missed me, be
would surmise VIII ere I was. But in
a few moments this illusion was dis
PEELED.
NWhv wharn can Mr. rnhnr ha2N