The Van Buren press., 1877-07-17

lage, was entered and robbed of a larg
sum of money
The situation was peculiar. A lare
and remarkably intelligent black mastll
with white feet, called Silver stocking,
made the bank his home. always slice inf
there at night. ii stranger came arOun,
he would howl like park OF artillery
but he was never known to bark at on
with whom he was familiar. EVERYTHING
the bank, the morning after the rob-
berry, was found just as it had BEEN lef
the afternoon previous. The safe wa.
locked; nothing had been disturbed onl,
the money was gone.
President Strand and Cashier Moreton
gentlemen of unblemished reputation
had gone in company that evening to at
tend political meeting in an adjacen,
town, and on account Of the storm, re.
NAMED there over night They drove
home the next morning to find that the
bank, whose reliability in every respect
was the pride of their hearts, had been
robbed in their absence. As is often the
case with country banks, whose business
is not large or complicated, the president
and cashier alone attended 70 the cler
cal duties of Flint Rock Bank, no other
person being employed in it
Various efforts were vain.y made to
ferret out the thieves. All sorts of ru-
mors were afloat concerning suspicious
characters that had been seen in the vii
lage few days before the robbery, and
1t was said that carriage had been heard
driving through the streets that same
night. Popular opinion finally settled
down to the belief that the money was ia
ken by gang of New York burglars !;
but the robbery and the different means
used to trace the perpetrators formed The
chief topic OF conversation among the
villagers during the entire winter Miss
Ethel Moreton, the beautiful young
daughter of the cashier, had been made
Ill by the excitement and by nervous fear
lest her father should be blamed in some
for the loss, and had not left her room
since the crime was discovered.
One evening in the following April.
Mr.. Witherell, owner of store in the
village, called on Mr.. Strand, the bank
e"esiaoNt, ct hie rceiaeuce, ana showed
him a bank note which both the gentle,
men agreed was the same one thatrbo
Witherell had deposited in the in sueh
afternoon preceding the o;iccahle and
- A 49,. :, wa" by the two gentle
uas wy ro ,na - The note was in one
,nan a.nckages Of money that had been
IN. Mr. Witherell, on being asked
ow it had again come into his hands,
aid,
Mrs. Remington gave it to me this
ftelnoon, in paying bill which her hus-
and contracted soon alter they came to
own last autumn, about fortnight be
ore the bank was robbed. They bou' ut
Cashier Moreton's Elm street house,
moving into it. you know. when he took
of his new house around the
orner."
After some further conversation npon
he subject, the two gentlemen went to-
,ether to call on Mrs. Remington They
ound that her husband had just returned
rom a two weeks business trip, On
making known their errand. Mrs. Rem.
ngton. quiet, lady like little woman
said:
when we purchased this house, Mr..
Moreton. the former owner and occupant,
,roposed that we should take the furnish
nps of the front hall, that had been made
% order to suit the rather curiously
shaped room. An antique chair fits the
curve of the stair way, the mirror hat
rack lust suits the niche made by the
chimney hue, and the carpet OF course.
was cut to fit the floor.
Thinking that we should be unable to
suit ourselves better, we bought the arti
cles, not moving them at al the past win
ter. This spring, while my husband was
absent on his recent trip. l thought
would clean house, and, accordingly, be-
gan in the from. Eal. found the hat
rack to be on castors, easily rolled out
of its niche, and began with brush and
dust pan to clean where it had stood,
when, far back in the corner, with few
autumn leaves, covered with dust, l found
that bank note. -...
al had no idea how it came there, and
thought would not mention the tindlng
to any one until my husband return,
when | would advise with him about 1t
This morning Mr. Witherel's bill was
sent in. We had promised to pay the
bill the first of April, and, as we are com
strangers here, l thought 1T
hest to nav at once looked over the
contents of my pocket book, and found
that by using this ,en-dollar note | could
make out the amount. | gave the mon
ey to the messenger with some misglv-
inas, but thought if had done wrong
nv husband would, on his return. which
had no. expected so soon, make the
matter right. l had just related the CIR
cumstance to him when you came IN
Although the story seemed very
plausible one, and the Remingtons were
evidently respectable people. warrant
was soon issued for their arrest A pre-
liminarp hearing before magistrate was
had, and they were bound over TO tne
next term of the county court. ar,
Remiugton's friends readily furnished
bonds, he and his wife were not deprived
of their liberty.
A supplementary warrant lot search
| ing their house was given to the oiiicers'
and they proceeded to make thorough
scrutiny in the basement and rooms on
tho first floor. When they reached the
front hall, on their way to the chambers
Mr.. Moreton, who had been requested &c
o.eist in the search, pulled out the hat