The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-03-15

to stay at the door to keep the egres:
open the other was to 90 up stair.
and secure the valuables. They had
two jimmies, cold chisel, and a lot oi
other traps of Charley's, that you car
see down there st the central Office in
glass case.
They found the front door unfasten.
ed as before. Charley pushed it open,
and they both stepped quickly and
stealthily into the hallway. "Wait 9
moment" he whispered to his COM
psniOn, and striking q match: az
want to see how this thing works"
I With that be struck light and took
8 good look at tue doorway. 81 see
the trick" says he; "Rive me that
screw wrench and be quick" In less
| than two minutes he had the groove In
which the steel shutter moved so
plnehed that no earthly power could
have made the thing work. "Now go
On,n says he, and with that Frost
crswls up the stairway. He hadn't
any more than got to the top when
the iron shutter began to appear
coming up through the floor, aad TO
Charley's astonishment 1t came down
from above also. He saw in a min
ute that be was beaten. The two
halves of the shutter would come to
the pinch in the iron and leave not
six inches space-tbrough which no
human being could escape. So he
jams the jimmy upright into the
groove to keep the irons apart, and
calls out to Frost in q hoarse whisper
to come back. JacK was in the upper
hall, and, 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 q
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 them says
with an oath: "We're in box let's
get out" 1t was Frost. "No you
DON'T" says the other. We've come
for the stuff this time. / never was
beaten yet at this sort OF q game, and
I amt beat yet. Take your shooter,
follow me, and show me the way"
They got up to the top of the stairs.
1t was still as death, and Calcott lights
. JUL Il AOoG was kEIllAk BlcI-
ty shady, So Charley says: "ShoW
me the ROOM" and with his lamp in
cne hand and pistol in the other he
pushes in, leaving Frost there in the
hall watching the square hole in the
door, between the shutters, and ex-
Decting every minute that it would
close up. 1t must have been ten min
utes before Calcott came back. He
had the lamp in hand yet, and Frost
saw that he was as white as q sheet. |
All he said was "Come dOwn-it's |
no CO."
When they got to the bottom, the
shutters separated and disappeared, |
and the men walked out. "Where's |
the plunder ?p asked Frost. "I
got it," says Charley; "I tell |
you its no use-ths man is burglar
proof. II you don't believe it, go
back and try it yourself. Pm of %
With this cock and bull story they |
got back to their rendezvous. And it
was never known, 1 don't believe, till
1 interviewed Calico Charley up there
at the prison, that he had met his own
father that night. According to
story to me-that old man
said he was waiting for him. And
30 struck was the son with remorse
that he lost all his pluck and cool
ness. Whether he ever went back to
The old man after he got rid Of his pal
have never heard.
1t was all fixed by the old mans in
yenuity. The house was all wires and
evers from one end to the other. He
,ould turn q crank up in his bedroom
md shut the whole house up as tight
~ a drum. Then he'd slip down into
MS cellar, turn half ton of charcoal
nto his furnace and kill everybody in
he place, unless everybody crawled
)ut Of the one exit, and then the old
'ellow had them at his mercy, one by
One.
The last time 1 heard from Charley
he warden said he had invented q
lew catch lock for the cells that
'ould not be opened by any one but
he keeper without its ringing the
Ilarm BELL World.