The Portland daily press., 1873-09-06

desk Tor few days at,the Office of the Daily
intimidation; kindly, regretful thoughts on
the part of the old editor; and one more life
gone out like spark, mo one would ever know
how or where.
CHAPTER Ill.
A Watch Of the Night-The Voice of an Or
dcle-WGys that acere Ddrk-Tke Original
Jacob!
The reporter was still sitting in the shelter
| ed corner of the two adjoining buildings; ev-
| erything was quiet; the thieves, who found
| it no easy task to force an entrance into the
bank, were still at work noiselessly and cease
lessly. The rain had stopped for the time,
| but heavy masses of clouds were dragged
across the sky by the chilly wind, and the
moon, which once in while showed itself,
hardly more than made the darkness visible.
| Mr. Reed had revolved in his mind every
possible plan for escape-escape that seemed
| to him almost hopeless; for at any noise or
movement the thieves, who he saw had not
entire confidence in his identity, would re-
| turn. Wearied with. the confused ideas, the
thousand fancies that whirled through his
brain, the reporter leaned his head against
the cold, wet stones of the building, and
resigned himself to the watch--of what dura-
ton or to what end he did not ask himself
Suddenly slight noise aroused him from
| this painful reverie-the call signal of the tel
egraphl Through the thick masonry Of the
wall, the sharp, distinct click was clearly per-
ceptible. This bank then, of whose rob-
berry he was an accomplice, must be next to
Geographic station-and from his slight
knowledge of the locality, aided by this dis
covery, Mr.. Reed concluded it to be the x.
Bank, an exceedingly reliable, though not
very prominent one. These decisions were,
| of course, the work of an instant-the signal
had not been answered by the telegraph OPP
orator before the reporter was ready to seize
any item of news that might present itself.
Useless instinct of the journalist! When
would he deliver his report to the compositors
of the Daily Intimidator?
Fortunately, Mr.. Reeds journalistic studies
had included telegraphy; and the strokes of
the needle were as ineligible to him as spoken
| words. He notwithstanding intensely, ev-
cry nerve concentrated; and was rewarded
by the following despatch:
To the New York Decastator:
''Our rivalE' exclaimed the reporter TO
himself.
Again the monotonous voice of the tele-
graph
The steamer Montezuma, from South Ameri-
ca, has been sgnalled. Send a reporter by
A. NJ.
This brief message conveyed much valuable
information to Mr.. Reed. The De0GstGtor
was journal, by no means over-scrupulous
in its management, constantly involved i'll IL
bel suits, Objectionable in its tone; and yet
which, owing to singular talent for collect
ing news in advance of other papers, had a
large circulation among business men, who
profted by its hints in their operations. The
facilities by which its items, generally relia-
BILE, and constantly in advance of their own,
were procured, had been matter of wonder
aud conjecture at the Office of the IatinaidG-
tor. The brave old editor and his staff of
journalists had explored in every direction,
but had been unable to discover any clue to
the mystery. This clue Mr.. Reed now held.
Instead of receiving dispatches by the prin-
cipal telegraph lines, used also by the Associ-
ated Press, the Deodstator had, at its own ex-
pense, built line between New York city
and some small town, not very distant, and
by means of this detour had lessened the risk
Of discovery Of its sources of information,
which would have been encountered had the
dispatches come over the regular lines. The
item in regard TO the steamer Montezuma
would of itself be of great Importance to the
IatimidGtor if only Mr.. Reed could convey it
to the efice in time for the morning edition.
but even were this impossbe-to have found
the source of insnration of the Der1stnfor the
grotto of its oracle, was a far greater triumph.
Here a sudden idea occurred to the reporter
Could he, by initiating the beat of the tele-
graph with his knife upon the wall, warn the
operator within that thieves were at work
upon the iron shutters ard grated windows of
the bank? The watchmen could then be
summoned, and the robbery, Of which the re-
porter felt himself almost guilty, would be
prevented. This idea, however, he dismissed
instantly for two reasons. First: that the
telegraph operator, in the employ of the De-
|
effectually prevent him from carrying his re-
port to the Intimidation, and their secret hay
ing been discovered, would warn the proprie
tors Of the DeUastator to remove their tele-
graphic station to some other street. The
second and principal reason-one which ut
terly precluded communication with the tele-
graph operator, and indeed all chance of pres
ent escape-was that the thieves, who had still
some suspicion of this Jacobs identity, had
already, at some little movement of the re-
porter, left their work and come back to as
certain tha6 he was not attempting to betray
them or to make his escape.
The alley was dark and stony; buildings
projected here and there; and, totally unfa-
miliar as Mr.. Reed was with its geography,
the little advantage that few yards distance
from the thieves would give him in the chase
would soon be more than cancelled by their
superior knowledge of the various obstacles
packing-boxes, hand-carts, ash-barrels, etc.
upon some Of which, the reporter, without
chart or previous acquaintance, would surely
make shpwreck. Accordingly, he determined
to await the course of events, noting carefully
in his mind whatever dispatches to the rival
newspaper appeared to him of interest.
At last, after what seemed to Mr.. Reed a
long time, the thieves returned with several
small boxes; and the three men walked to-
gether silently for few blocks, meeting no
one. Turning corner, they arrived at a
street, recently destroyed byFire and conse-
quently deserted. In the shelter of pile of
broken stone and bricks, stood horse with a
| tight wagon. One of the bank-thieves asked
Mr.. Reed the hour. Re drew out his watch.
The hands pointed to $40.
The thieves placed the boxes in the wagon,
and motoned Mr.. Reed to mount. They fol-
lowed, and unobserved by anyone, drove rap
| idly away and were soon outside of the city
limits, on the Harlem road,
Upon this road-which for some distance
is very attractive one, smooth and level as
floor and devoted to the American institution
of the trot; this road where Mr. Bonner of
10 II