Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-02-12
M1LLERsBURG HOLMES County, o. THURSDAY FEB. r. 1874

turned white and cold. sOf course
you must refuse them," said to the
cashier.
When he went out, sat in my chair
quite still for a few moments, bewild-
cred at the sudden misfortune that had
happened to me. Charles Thrapstow
was clearly defaulter; but there was
this one chance-he might have given
the checks in the confidence of selling
those bonds, and placing the. balance to
his account. In due course, these
checks, which were crossed, would have
been brought to the clearing house, and
have been presented on the morrow.
But it seemed that his creditors had
some mistrust of him, and had caused
the checks to be demanded out of due
course.
The clock struck three. Charles had
not come back. The bank doors closed
with clang. Iconld endure the sus-
pense no longer. Telling the bank por-
ter that if Mr.. Thrapstow came, he was
to be admitted at the private door, and
was to be detained in my room till re-
turned, went cut, and made my way
to his Office, which was only few hun
dred yards distant. He wasn't there.
The clerk, youth of fifteen, knew
nothing about him. He was in Chape l
Court perhaps anywhere, he didn't
know. Had he been in within the last
halt hour? Well, no; the clerk did not
think he had. His story, then, of the
customer waiting at his Office was a
lie.
With heavy heart went back to the
bank. No; Mr.. Thrapstow hadn't
been in, the porter said. took Ham
som, and went off to the Office of Mr..
Gedgemount, the solicitor to the bank.
told him in confidence what had hap
pened, asked his advice. s'Could get
a warrant against Thrapstow for steal
ing the bcnds?''
"Upon my word," said Gedgemount,
81 don't think you can make criminal
matter Of it! 1t isn't larceny, because
you abandoned the possession of the
bonds voluntarily. No; 1 don't see
how you can touch him. You must
make bankrupt of him, and then you
can pursue him, as having fraudulently
carried off his assets"
But that advice was no good to me.
think l was wrong in taking it. Think
| ought to have gone straight off to the
police office, and put the affair in the
hands of the detectives. Dignified men
Of law, like Gedgemount, always find
dozen reasons for inaction, except in
matters that bring grist to their own
mill.
l went home completely disheartened
and detected. How could l face my di-
rectors with such story as that had
to tell them? The only excuse that l
could urge Of private friendship and
confidence in the man who had robbed
us, would make the matter only the
worse. Clearly, at the same time that
l told the circumstance to the directors
l should be bound to place my resigna-
tion in their hands, to be put into force
if they thought fit. And there would
be little doubt but that they wonld ac-
cept it. How damaging, too, the story
would be to me, when l tried to obtain
another appointment!
l had promised to take my wife and
children for an excursion down the riv-
er, as soon as the bank closed, and the
youngsters eagerly reminded me of my
promise. 1 replied so savagely and
sternly, that the children made off in
tears; my wife, coming to see what was
the matter, Jared little better. Imust
have had sunstroke or something, she
tod me, and'brought bandages and euu
de Cologne. 1 flung away in a rage, and
went out of the house. 1 must be do
ing something, felt, and hailed cab
and drove to Thrapstow's lodgings.
Mr.. Thrapstow wasn't coming home
that night, his landlady told nc; she
thought he was away for little jaunt;
but she didn't know. He occupied the
ground floor of small house i'm Eccles-
ford Street, Pimlic-two rooms opening
into each other. l told the woman l
would sit down and write letter. She
knew me well enough, as 1 had fire.
quently visited Thrapstow, and she
left me to myself. Then 1 began to
overhaul everything, to try to find out
some clue to his whereabouts. A few
letters were on the mantle-piece: they
were only circulars from tradesmen. In
the fireplace was considerable amount
Of charred tinder. He had evidently
been burning paper recently, and a
quantity Of them. l turned the tinder
over, spreading it out upon a
newspaper. found nothing eligible
except one little scrap of paper, which
the fire had not altogether reduced to
powder, on which saw the name Isabel
shining with metallic lustre. Then l
went to the bedroom, and searched that
Here, too, were evident preparations o f
fight: coats and other garments hastily
thrown into cupboards, boxes turned
out, an odd glove or two lying upon
the dressing table. carefully searched
all the pockets for letters or other doc
uments, but 1 found nothing. The keys
were left in all the receptacles; an in
stance of Charlie's thoughtfulness for
others, in the midst of his rascality.
Lying upon the wash-stand was a
card, which was blank upon one side
but on the other had the name of the
photographer printed upon it. The
card was wet, as if it had been soaked
in water; and near the upper end Of it
was round irregular cut, which did
not quite penetrate the card. 1t had
evidently once had photograph fast
ened on it; accordingly, the card had
been wetted, whilst the face of the por-
trait had evidently been cut out, in Or
der to place it in locket or something
similar.
1t struck me at once that the photo
graph, about which man on the eve
of flight would take SO much trouble,
must be very dear to him; probably
h;e euyootLoovt Alfbo,vI, 7 ho1 hoop