St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-03-14

| should remain all night i'll the strong
room. and that no one else should be
with them, but that the police should
be within call, in case they were need
ed.
Every suitable precaution was taken
when night came. The sentinel paced
up and down outside the detectives
We're not far of; and after the most rig
orous search had been instituted, the
gentlemen were locked in. Hour after
hour passed by, but nothing appeared.
Sometimes for half an hour they pre-
tended, by silence. that the room was
empty, i'll order to tempt the depreda-
tor. if present. from his hiding place.
Then they would move about, and talk
in such Il way that any person who
overheard them would know that they
We're alone: but not Il sound or whisper,
save what they themselves uttered, was
| heard. At last one of them, who paced
the floor rather impatiently. beginning
to think that perhaps after all it was
only clever trick, cried out:
"l on ghost, you secret visitor, yon
midnight thief, come out, There is no
Uno beI, Lut e--'o ee"tlr-nen ana my
self. If you are afraid, give you my
word of honor as Il gentleman that the
police are not here-only we three of
the Directors to whom You wrote.
Come out. | say -
1t was more in Jest than III earnest
| that Major Clifford for he WAS mill
tlry man-shouted out this absurd
speech. for. as we said, he had begun
to suspect that after all some practical
joke was being adroitlr carried on. us
had more than once been before perpe-
trated. and he did not much like being
| victimizcd himself His astonishment,
however, was great when, i'll reply to
what he had said. he heard strong
voice. saying:
If YOU have kept your word | will
keep mine. Put ont Your light. for
have one. and then I'll come.
The Mayor and his fellow Directors
did not much like putting out the light,
! but they were not towards. and after
/ some demur il WAS done. Where the
voice came from waS. however. Il myS-
/ terry. for there were no hiding places il
the room. every side being of thick
many plated iron and steel the ceiling
was also of the same material. Whcl
the light was out they waited in silence
] W INV lll' .h'tI'l III III 'Il'
hand revolver. and i'll the other held
the lantern and Il few matches. For {;
little while low. grating sound wa,
heard. and then Il voice. evidently thai
of some one in the room. said:
Are you three alone. sure p
The Major. who cared for nothing ii
bodily form. struck ii match. and III
Stantly Il crash was heard. and low
>m"thercd laugh. When the mattel
was lighted. nothing could he detcctc,
Ito one was there. Again the MaiO
called upon the mysterious somehod,
To come forth, and again Il voice Wa
heard SAYING:
''uoW can | trust You now
The Major Was angry. and his com
panion> alarmed: and after trying il
vain to trace the point from which tht
voice proceeded. he exclaimed
"Wcll. well put ont the light again
only come quickly and make an end o
this bother" .;.,
the light again
sound was heard. then the falling q
some heavy body. and the next in>tan
Il man was visible standing in th. mid
die of the vault. with Il dark lantern il
somewhere. but the puzzle was how
, y ghost could not have entered nor,
my stcriou>ly. for they already knew
that the walls and ceiling had beer
most carefully examined. and there wa
no possible way of ingIr>s. The man
however. soon spoke for himself: an,
the Directors. who were still at Il los
to explain his presence there li>tcmc,
IN a>t"ni~hmcnt.
1t appeared that he WAS Il poor man
and obtained Il precautions living in
strange way. When the tide WIS low
ii l. the custom OF i certain class -
people unknown /" refined society I,
enter the sewers. 10 search for any arti
Gle of value which may have been acci
dcntally washed down into them. Ii i
Il very dangerous task. and of couIS,
revolving in the extreme. but they no
unti"qucmlly lind very precious thing.
hidden in the filth.
This man was one of those Strang,
aG>rnGurcr$. One night he had diScov
cred an opening leading to some pIac,
above. There was Il large square Stuu,
which he found could hr easily raised
He liStCi.cd iur some time. and finding
all WAS silent. lifted mp the stone with
ont uHch diili"uity. and found. after
some little investigation 10y the light q
his lantern. that he was in the Strom.
room ot Il bank.
These men like miners. can readil,
determine the exact spot of ground un
der which they are: and he sool
had clue to the whole mystery
He told his wife, who was Il wo
man of much superior education
To his. of the whole affair: and II,
then wrote, as We have seen, to the Di
recturs. After that his wife wrote. un
til the last letter, as the spelling shows
Down in the sewer, he was able t,
hear all their movements as well as i
above ground, and thus was not onl,
able to know their plans, but to frus
trate them. and of course could watcl
his time to remove the small but valu
able box which we saw was afterwar,
returned, to leave the etters on the ia
bic. and to appear so mysteriOusly.
OF course no one ever thought o
looking to the stone pavement. whicl
was supposed to he solid and immOva
bic. as it WAS known that there were II,
vaults below, although the iron WALL
and door had been most carefully test
ed.
The mystery was now cleared up
and the Directors, calling for othe
lights, examined the place carefully
and fully verified the statements.
He was then liberated at the usua
entrance, after his address had beer
taken. and a time had been appointed
when he should appear before tn,
Board.
The whole affair, which caused
crront tiaIa 1t thc tiIa,I. |,