American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-09-26
Iceased speaking, Mortified, and a

Iceased speaking, Mortified, and
chill ran through me.
| The stranger, evidently a detective
drew pair of handouts from his pocket
| Have you been in this room thi
mornings asked the cashier.
| Yes"
And did you find money in Ii
trunk"
"Yes; thousand dollars"
How did he know the amount? My
head was swimming, for l did not quit,
| understand this.
WILL" SAID Henry Mark, "you lost
my friendship from this moment. / de
spise thief. You have robbed thi:
bank and you know it! Nevertheless
for the sake of past memories, if you
will confess, restore the money you stole
and leave the country, you may thi.
time escape the punishment you so rich
ly deserve"
Henry, can you believe me guilty OF
crime?"
Il know you are! The evidence
against you is plain"
The detective came forward with his
handouts. The old, hard look was on
his face, and he did not seem like the
man in whom / had trusted at the dead
hour of night.
determined with all my strength to
resist the indIgnity of being handcuffed.
and was on the point of springing up
defiantly, when, with quick and dex-
ferrous movement, the officer slipped the
handouts On-nOt on my wrists, but on
the wrists of Henry Mark, my dear old
friend, the cashier.
/ now looked upon the whole affair as
a practical joke, joke played on me be
cause it was my birthday, and l felt
ready to laugh outright; but glance at
Henry Marks face told me it was still Il
a serious matter.
His ruby checks took on a deadly pal
lor, and his blue eyes, fairly starting out of
his head, had wild, unearthly look, and
they seemed to lose their color and turn
almost as white as his face. l never saw
such strengthening eyes.
The President, with an air of bewilder-
ment, looked first at Henry Mark, then at
me, and then at the detective.
Eyes, Mr.. Morgan" said the latter,
warmly, "this is the villain, and that
young man is as innocent as a snowflake.
This is the man"-pOinting to the tremb
ling cashier" this old man who should
have set youth better example-this is
the man who has robbed your bank of
fifty thousand dollars"
Henry Mark sank into chair, half
fainting.
"This is the wretch who has robbed
you," the detective went on; "but this
is not his blacklist crime. Not only did
he betray his trust, but, with systematic
devilishness, he had laid his plans to
fasten his crime on this innocent young
clerk, and blot out the sunshine of his
life. He stole into the young mans
room last night and put thousand dol
lars in his trunk, intending that l should
find it there on searching, and the evil
,s.rl,t ha
the innocent"
"Can this be pOssible?" said Mr.. Nor
gan, in amaZement.
" 1t is certain, responded the detective.
Il Here are his spectacles. He dropped
them, in his nervousness, behind the
young mans trunk, when he was placing
The money there. That is not all. In
his own cellar he has tin box buried,
probably, all his plumber l
have sifted the whole case"
Henry Mark uttered an involuntary
yrOan.
Yes; it was too true. My dear old
friend, the cashier, whom l had loved
and looked up to as u father, was the
thief. Worse than that-having system
itically robbed the bank, he would, in
he cruel selfishness of his heart, have
fastened the crime on me, with whom he
laily associated on terms of the closest
would have seen me carried
,ff, innocent, to prison, my good name
,lackened and scorned, and my young
ife blighted, while he would have lived
n opulence, and enjoyed the fruits of
lis crime!
All! the perfidy of this man stung me
70 bitterly. Such void was there in my
ieart, when l saw the mask drop from
his guilty face, that l almost wished |
night have suffered for his crime with
tut knowing how base he was. l almost
Wished that could have gone to prison, !
'uined and disgraced, and lived dark,
oathed and weary life, and finally died
within the gloomy walls, believing that
I'D Henry Mark was the pure, honest and /,
Upright man had thought him.
But the image was broken now. Henry |
Mark, no more the dear old fellow of nv |
leart, sat handcuffed before me, IL |
culprit, with his ashen face
his guilt, his bascness and |
lis peridy!
The detective led him away and he
eft the bank for the last time, giving
way to low, despairing groans.
He had scarcely reached the street, |
however, when he reeled and fell pros |
rate upon the ground. A fit of apo
,leXy had stricken him down, like the |
trOng arm of some invisible giant, and |
he never spoke again.
The same day the directors of the bank |
net to choose "a cashier. Much to my |
urprise they selected me, and SO this |
appointment was my birthday present.