Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-11-18
THE BANK ROBBERY.
The story Told by a Detective.
LFrom the SUNDAY Mereurv.l

from tfe ouhOdN MelculN.I
One day George McWatters, an cid
New Yorker and clever detective, was
sent for in a tremendous hurry by
bankin' house When he got to the
bankin' house he found the president
walllin' up and down in his private Office
quite excited. He told McWatters that
a robbery had been committed. that
bag containin' ten thousand dollars in
gold, had been spirited away from his
place and nobody could t, II hy whom or
when or how, or where it had gone to.
1t had been missed about an hour be-
fore: search had been made for ii high
and low. but 10 no avail. 1t had been
seen with other bags all right about al
hour and hnlf before. and ore of the
clerks said that he had an idea, a faint
idea. that he had heard somethin said
bv somebody about chat particular
missin' bag. But who that somebody
was or what he said OF if really there
had been somebody who had said some
thin ut all the clerk couldn't be really
certain-he had been SO busy that day
about his regular business.
McWattcls. of course. sent for that
particular clerk with 1.-The faint idea"
and cross-questioned him, but couldn't
extract any information worth a rush
from him. Then he called III all tn
clerks and questioned and cross-ques-
toned EN-, but didn't have any luck.
Then he examined the watchman Of the
place to see if there had been any sus-
picious characters prowlin around that
day, but the watchman was certain that
there hadn't been.
Then he examined into the characters
and histories of the different clerks. and
the watchman. and the different part
ners in the bankin' house 'emselves, but
he could not find the slightest thing slls-
picious about any cf ON. At tho end
of weeks hardest work McWattcrs had
to tell the president of the bankin
house that he had never undertaken to
watch such fine. honest set Of men as
his clerks. partners and ianitor, and con
graduated him on his bcin' associated
with such n fine set of young and old
mon.
At the end Of the week, too, McWat-
tars had made up his mind that no rogu-
lor robbcr or robbers Ind been concerned
in the robbery. OF this fact lie made
himself perfectly certain in various
WAYS. 50 only one theory remained, and
that was only "theory. The bag of
money might have been suddenly
snatched away by some personS some
man or gentleman of character and po-
sition. who might have had an opportun-
ity durin' the mornin to take the bag,
md who might have found the OPP.
portunity too great temptation to lie
resisted In that ease the gentleman
must have quietly takon up the bag md
run his chances of bein' seen with il in
his possession hy some clerk. or partner,
or the ianitor. If he escaped these
chances, MS he had, the rest WAS easy
enough. The money bein' I'll in gold
could not he identified. while, of course.
there was nothin' particular about the
bug the money was put in. and the bag
itself had probably been DESTROYED by
the gentleman who had stolen the
money
But maxim some inquiries about the
bag, McWattcrs found that after I'll there
was somcthin' particular about it. Onc
of the clerks had put private mark on
il and on the Other money bags of the
housp. McWatt RS examined closely this
private mark. and found it small, peculiar
of tn bag. This was somethin'. but it
was not much, and. after ALL il was ten
to one that the gentleman who was bold
enough to take the bag first was cunnin'
enough to destroy it aftorward still il
nin't every bold man who is cunnin'.
I just MS it ain't every cunnin man who Is
/ bold.
But, even supposin' the gentleman who
took the money hadn't destroyed III,
bag. what had become Of it. and how
could McWattcrs ever find out? Ther
ar thousands of bags. large nnd small
with mark. and without I'm. lyin' around
loose all over town, or bain' taken around
from one place to another with one thing
or another all the time To look--for {
bag in New York City was just like look
in for needle in hay stack, and nat