The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-03-01
The A-nti-AIono7oolist.
down there at the Central office in a

down there at the Central office in Il
glass case.
They found the front door unfasten-
ed rs before, Charley pushed it open.
and they both stepped in quickly and
stealthily into the hall way. "Wait
d moment. he whispered to his COM
pagion and striking match; Il want
to see how things works. with that
he struck a light and took good look
at the doorway. II see the trick,
says he; s.give me that screw-wrench
and be quick In less than two
minutes he had the groove in which
the s. eel shutter moved so pinched
that no eartly power could have made
the thing work. Now 60 on, says
he, and with that Frost crawls up the
stairway. He hadn't any more than
got up to the top when the iron shut
ter began to experimenting up
through the floor, and to Charley
establishment it come down from
above also. He saw in minute that
he was beaten. The two halves of the
shutter would come to the pinch in
the iron and leave not six inches
space-through which no human
being could escape. So he jams the
Jimmy up right into the groove to
keep the irons apart, and calls out to
Frost in hoarse whisper to come
back. Jack was in the upper hall land,
getting scared, makes bold rush
down the stairs, catches his foot in
something and lands all in q heap at
the bottom. knocking Charley's light
into smithereens and making a most
internal noise. CalcOtt WAS smart
enough, though, to- hold his jimmy
steady SO as to keep the shutters
apart, and after Frost had picked
himself up and they had both listened,
without hearing anything, one of 'em
SAYS with an oath. 'sWe're in a box;
let's get out It was Frost. ''No
you DON'T" says the other. ssWe've
come for the stuff this time. never
was beaten yet at this sort Of a game,
and I amt beat yet. Take your
shooter. follow me up and show me
the way
They got up to the top of the stairs
It was still as death, and Calcott lights
4 bnll's-eye. Frost was getting pretty
shaky. So Charley says, "Show me-
the room" and with his lamp in one
hand and pistol in the other, III
pushes in, leaving Frost there in thu
hall watching the square hole in thu
door, between the shutters, and ex
pecting every minute that it woult
close up. It must have been ten min
utes before Calcott came back. He hat
the lamp i'll hand yet, and Frost saw
that he was as white as sheet. Al
he said was, Come down it's n
60"
When they got to the bottom, tn
shutters separated and disappeared
and the men walked out. where
the plumber - asked Frost. Il haven
it," says Charley; Il tell you it's n
use--the man is burglar-proof. If yo
don't believe it, 90 back and try i
yourself. I'm off y
With this cock and bull story the
got back to their rendezvous. And
was never known, don't believe, I'll
interviewed Calico Charley up ther
at the prison, that he had met his ow
father that night. According to Char
ley s story to me-the old man said h
was awaiting for him. And SO struc
, was the son with remOrse that he los
all his pluck and GOODNESS. Whethe
he ever went back to the old man ii
ter he got lid OF his pal never heart
But the gang had two notions. one wa
, that the place was under special charg
, Of the devil, and the other was tina
!, Calico Charley grabbed lot Of tn
plumber and then got up the story
stop the mouths of the rest of 'em.
!. But the devil had nothing to do wit
the place. 1t was all fixed by the oil
mans ingenuity. The house was a
wires and levers from one end
t'other. He could turn a crank up /
!. his bedroom and shut the whole hous
up as tight as drum. Then he'd sli
down into his cellar, turn half ton {
, charcoal into his furnace and Xxi
!, everybody in the place. unless ever,
: body crawled out Of the one exit, al
then the old fellow had them at Ii
;. mercy, one by one.
= The last time heard from Charlie
;. the warden said he had invented
;. new catch-lock for the cells that cou
: not be opened by any one but tt
). keeper without it's ringing the alar
bell.